No-Recipe Sunday

I had a pretty good run with the Sunday recipes for a while, but I'm all out for the moment. I'm sure there are other things I know how to make, but I'm trying not to think too much about food. Or, more accurately, I'm trying to think about food in a different way. It can't be that hard to have a healthy relationship with food, to not fear choices. I bought a book a few weeks ago -- it might not be stretch that it's my three-hundreth diet book -- that promotes behavior modification over simple calorie reduction. It makes sense; I (and probably many other people who struggle with weight) don't actually have a problem with food. I have a problem using food to satisfy feelings other than hunger. (Maybe that's a good book title, if it hasn't already been taken: Hunger is Not an Emotion. But then, I'm not sure whether hunger is an emotion or not.) The key is in recognizing true hunger and managing it in a healthy way.

I've been using the book (which is called The Beck Diet) and accompanying workbook for the past week, along with a meal plan on the SparkPeople website. The combination seems to be working; I lost two pounds this week. (I would prefer to have lost more, but allegedly the weight stays off longer if it's lost using practical methods rather than quick ones.) The book stresses the importance of coming up with reasons it's important to lose weight, following a balanced diet, getting some exercise every week, and using pull-out cards from the back of the book for inspiration and motivation. Perhaps the best thought-change I've gained is that I can't indulge in everything I want all the time and be healthy. (The book says "be thin" but I want to emphasize for myself the health aspect.) One thing I don't like is a card that says, "No choice! No choice! No choice!" I understand the idea behind it -- that if I want to achieve my goal, I have to do what gets me there -- but I'd rather believe that I have choices, and I make the right ones.

My top two reasons for wanting to lose weight are feeling more comfortable and avoiding weight-related illnesses. I think the two are related. If I feel more comfortable in my body, I will be more active, which will lead to being healthier. I'm seeing this as a long-term journey, not a sprint. Still, I wouldn't mind seeing a few sprint-type results.