My Mini-Epiphany

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2

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  • rwatts2165
    rwatts2165 Posts: 18 Member
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    Great perspective and quote Eric, thanks for the inspiration!
  • ctooch99
    ctooch99 Posts: 459 Member
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    I actually came to an epiphany the other night making another post and it is this: food is fuel

    If our lives are like an awesome trip o the Grand Canyon, would we spend that entire trip agonizing over the gas in the car and would the main part of that trip be spent at the gas stations? No. We would simply recognize the importance of using good fuel, recognize we will need to periodically stop at decent places to get said fuel and that would be as much time as we gave it in our trip.

    I look at food now the same way - in this trip of life we need fuel, I recognize I need that good fuel (good healthy food), I buy and use the right fuel (and enjoy it ) and that is as much time as I am willing to give it anymore.
  • lodeannalo
    lodeannalo Posts: 27
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    I am no longer living to eat, but eating to live. Food was the center of my world, but I am slowly figuring things out. It is a process, but I am seeing the light for the first time.
  • msgwife
    msgwife Posts: 3
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    My epiphany... seriously just the other day .... If you don't quit you never have to start again ....
  • ctooch99
    ctooch99 Posts: 459 Member
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    My epiphany... seriously just the other day .... If you don't quit you never have to start again ....

    That's an awesome one! I like it!
  • barbaracoffing
    barbaracoffing Posts: 117 Member
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    I love what you said "Not living to eat, but eating to live". That's the ticket right there. Learning to make choices. It's a lifestyle change. Not a diet. Once you accept that, and go with it, you feel a sense of, I don't know....relief/confidence/control. You rock!
  • Iron_Maiden
    Iron_Maiden Posts: 326 Member
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    I TOTALLY have this problem. I used to treat myself, whatever the occasion, or use my PMS/cycle/cramps as an excuse to buy myself ice cream, or chocolate, or whatever.

    I found that for me, disassociating wasn't enough - I had to find something to still treat myself that WASN'T food related because I mean... lets face it - I'm still going to have good days, bad days, fat days, crampy days, GRUMPY days, whatever. and those days still deserve something to take the edge off. so now, instead of food, I treat myself to like... a manicure. or a massage. add a shampoo onto the haircut I already needed (because who doesn't love getting basically a scalp massage, along with the new 'do??) it's almost more satisfying to treat myself with these long lasting things, instead of food, because I can look in the mirror and think not only "dang, I look good!" but also "I so TOTALLY earned that!" and "I feel so much better!"
    [/quote

    This is a great idea. I have yet to set mini-goals for myself and need to map that out! Thanks for sharing!
  • Iron_Maiden
    Iron_Maiden Posts: 326 Member
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    I realized that I am a hider of eating sweets and treats. I was always told that I was going to get fat or that it is fattening growing up and that plays on my mind so I would eat a little bit then eat more in hiding so nobody saw me. How bad that is and it's habitual for me.
    Now I am working on myself to log it in my diary and plan for a treat almost daily, and when I do acknowledge it and eat in front of people I give myself permission and that feels so much better than hiding it, then I don't overindulge myself. It's a work in progress!

    OK I confessed it :)

    I've been there too. I'm glad you're realizing it and working through it! Good for you!!! ((hugs))
  • Iron_Maiden
    Iron_Maiden Posts: 326 Member
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    Yes - Ageed. And thanks for this... I needed it today! Since hitting my goal weight, seems I have been rewarding myself a lot. Can't go back can't go back, CANNOT GO BACK!!! Again, thanks for this!

    NOOO!!!! Don't go back! Go get a mani-pedi instead! :flowerforyou:
  • Iron_Maiden
    Iron_Maiden Posts: 326 Member
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    I totally agree with this. Last summer it really hit me when we were going through the tournament for my son's little league team. They won, so the coach took them out for pizza. They lost the next game, so the coach bought Dairy Queen Blizzards for everyone. After the last game it was DQ again, to celebrate the end of the season. We have been trying to separate food and rewards in our kids minds ever since. This year at the end of the season the coach told all the kids he would meet them at DQ and buy them ice cream. My son asked if we could skip the ice cream and go to his grandma's house for a swim instead. That made me happy. In the interest of full disclosure, we did have flavor-ice while we were poolside, lol. It was hot!

    Wow! What a smart kiddo!! I remember taking my daughter's team out for DQ & pizza too & also rewarding her with M&Ms when potty training. ugh - If I could do it all over again. BUT we exercise together, she is athletic, & she's on MFP now! yay!
  • Iron_Maiden
    Iron_Maiden Posts: 326 Member
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    I actually came to an epiphany the other night making another post and it is this: food is fuel

    If our lives are like an awesome trip o the Grand Canyon, would we spend that entire trip agonizing over the gas in the car and would the main part of that trip be spent at the gas stations? No. We would simply recognize the importance of using good fuel, recognize we will need to periodically stop at decent places to get said fuel and that would be as much time as we gave it in our trip.

    I look at food now the same way - in this trip of life we need fuel, I recognize I need that good fuel (good healthy food), I buy and use the right fuel (and enjoy it ) and that is as much time as I am willing to give it anymore.

    I like this analogy! This is a good way of looking at things. Thanks!
  • joy5877
    joy5877 Posts: 166 Member
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    Deserve, good and bad are all words I'm attempting to disassociate with what I eat.
    Food is just what we eat, words like that give it power and take it away from us.
  • JoeSzup
    JoeSzup Posts: 51 Member
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    Not really an epiphany but... I still surprise myself when I'm able to pop into the Rite Aid to get a Diet Pepsi, walk into the candy aisle, eyeball my favorite candies, then have the will power to walk away from the candy without buying any.

    If I get really tempted, I sometime pick up something sweet, look at the calories and think... "Wow, 360 calories. That's 30 minutes on the elliptical. ...OR I can go eat 8 ounces of chicken breast or turkey.". It's usually enough of a reminder that I have to "pay it forward".
  • historygirldd
    historygirldd Posts: 209 Member
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    my epiphany: when I am angry, upset or stressed about something, exercise gives me a much better feeling than a cookie or piece of cake ever could.
  • Ticktockman
    Ticktockman Posts: 21
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    My epiphany was that the root of my problems is poor impulse control. I can talk myself into eating (or doing) just about anything in half a second. To combat this I'm using a bunch of coping mechanisms. For example, I'm forcing myself to log everything before I eat it. Seeing "bag of Doritos" on my computer screen usually takes me out of the impulsive mode I'm in. Also, I'm just not keeping bad foods around the house. I figure I'll snap out of it during my frantic drive to the store for cookies.

    For a mantra I've been thinking "A year from now you will wish you'd started today", which I saw first on someone's avatar here.
  • byebyeluvhandles
    byebyeluvhandles Posts: 149 Member
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    I read this once........Don't reward yourself with food, you're not a dog!

    That made sense to me as I don't like to think of eating as a "reward".
  • FunandFitMom
    FunandFitMom Posts: 146 Member
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    Love this!
  • Iron_Maiden
    Iron_Maiden Posts: 326 Member
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    My epiphany was that the root of my problems is poor impulse control. I can talk myself into eating (or doing) just about anything in half a second. To combat this I'm using a bunch of coping mechanisms. For example, I'm forcing myself to log everything before I eat it. Seeing "bag of Doritos" on my computer screen usually takes me out of the impulsive mode I'm in. Also, I'm just not keeping bad foods around the house. I figure I'll snap out of it during my frantic drive to the store for cookies.

    For a mantra I've been thinking "A year from now you will wish you'd started today", which I saw first on someone's avatar here.

    I hear ya!! Logging before I eat has made a real difference for me too! I'm just starting out but when I put those Lil' Demons (w'oops Debbies) on the journal - it's amazing how that alone makes me feel before I've even eaten it and then I put it down!
  • moonpieto
    moonpieto Posts: 76 Member
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    Yesterday I bought that Mrs Smith's pumpkin pie for $1.49. Now I guess I'll have to stock up on Vitamin A. A carefully chosen error.
  • myohana4
    myohana4 Posts: 205 Member
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    The quote that broke me of this habit was "Stop rewarding yourself with food, you aren't a dog."

    It was such a common sense statement but it really broke me of that habit. Although I will still eat a Dove Dark Chocolate square to relax after a long day.

    LOVE THIS!!

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