Re-Print

The following is a reprint of the post I made on Chrystal Mahan's There is More to Life than Chocolate blog.  Her blog is definitely worth a look for anyone that is endeavoring to achieve a healthy lifestyle as well as for folks who like yummy low-carb recipes.

Me Too

Yes, I am a food addict too.  I am currently struggling with developing a healthy relationship with food.  I love to eat.  I love food.  I love almost all food.  There is hardly a food I've met that I didn't like.

I was thin growing up although I ate as much as I could when I was awake.  I too have summer memories of food binges.  A high school buddy and I would get together, walk to the store on the corner, and walk back with our own individual half gallon of ice cream.  We would sit in her bedroom, each of us holding our own box of ice cream and eat until they were gone.  

As I got into my twenties, the weight piled on gradually until I was thirty pounds overweight.  I lost that weight and then a bit more because I wasn't eating enough due to something personal happening that I could not cope with.  Needless to say, I gained it all back and then some.

I tried a stint in T.O.P.S.-- that stands for "Take Off Pounds Sensibly."  I did reach my goal weight and maintained it for over a year.  But the pounds came creeping back.  Right now I am about seventeen pounds over my goal weight.

The thing that bothered me while I was in TOPS was the tendency of some of the members, myself included, to eat much less for a couple of days before weigh-ins.  To me, this smacked of eating-disordered behavior.  I was dissatisfied.  I didn't like this thing I was doing in order to try to maintain my goal weight.

So I have quit TOPS for the time being and am working hard to establish healthy eating habits everyday.  I know that eating like I always ate for four days and then eating hardly anything for three days is not the way to a healthy relationship with food.  I am disappointed that I am above my goal weight.  I am hopeful that by doing what I have to do in order to eat smart every day, I will achieve my goal weight and stick to it without engaging in eating-disordered behavior.  It may take a bit longer this way but that is alright.

I am striving to do this in a healthier way than I have been.  For that I endorse myself as I continue to grapple with food.

sapphoq