A personal tip

Instead of focusing on a "kitchen" tip, I wanted to instead provide a personal tip.  When contemplating a change to improve your eating habits there always exists the possibility of getting overwhelmed and giving up.  This happens to me as well and it happened last week.  I attended a class and I brought my salad and soup lunch so I could stay on track.  While everyone else was eating chili with cheese, pop, brownies and chocolate chunk cookies I was eating my "rabbit" food.  Two years in of healthy eating and not eating sugar and not mixing fat and carbs in the same meals, I still struggle to lose to get to my goal and these people are skinny.  It was really quite absurb to me and made me feel sorry for myself.  But I spent the week reflecting and here's what I came up with:

1.  Making my body healthy after 50 years of terrible eating habits is going to take time.  I didn't put all the weight on overnight, it may take 3-4 years to get back to a healthy weight.  Some people can take it off quickly but my body does not.  Life is unfair sometimes.  So suck it up buttercup.

2.  Being a normal weight isn't my only goal.  Bringing my eating under God's submission is (i.e. no longer being a glutton).  Better health is.  Reversing Type 2 diabetes is.  Getting off high blood pressure medication is.  Having energy to live life is.  Growing old with my husband is.

3.  You can't compare yourself with others.  People may be healthy and skinny or they may be unhealthy yet skinny.  You don't know.  They may be fortunate and their bodies can handle a typical American diet.  I just know that my body can not.  I have had to take what some would consider to be "drastic" measures and eat more whole and real foods.

4.  You have to change your self talk.  Quit saying "I can't eat that ever again."  Instead say, "I'm choosing not to eat that today.  It doesn't mean I'll never eat that again, I'm just making a better choice today."  This has been the hardest for me.  I'm an all or nothing person.  If I make a bad choice at one meal well that kills it for the whole day.  If I mess up that day, well that kills it for the week and so on until years went by.  Now I can say that I aim for consistency on the day to day eating with planned indulgences (special occasions) and then its back to the program.  When you build on the day to day success, you become a pro at handling temptation.  So pile up those good choices...it's empowering!

5.  Keep challenging yourself...try the new foods and new recipes.  This keeps you from feeling like you are missing out.  Try new things...like waiting for true hunger to show up instead of eating by a clock.

Tell me your tips that have helped you.  I love being able to add to my knowledge.