I didn't have any candy on Monday, or Tuesday, despite it not being December yet. So I guess I'm already starting my sugar-less (not sugarless) sojourn. There's a square of Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate in my lunch bag. It's been there for 3 days and I'm going to have to either throw it away or give it to my mother tonight when I get home (she takes care of Baby one afternoon a week.) All the magazines extol the virtues of dark chocolate in moderation, and really it is my favorite form of candy, but if I want to do this right I'm going to have to include it on the banned list - for now. (Sniff.)
Already I feel lighter. You know how you read or hear about people saying that they've given up things to God, because they just can't do anything about it anymore, so they just release it to a higher power? I sort of feel like that. I'm not sure God really cares all that much about my post-baby pudge or my emotional eating. Goodness, there are so many other pressing things to deal with. But I do feel like I've let go of something that had been weighing me down, and whomever received it, more power to you.
There's absolutely no reason on Earth that I can't do this. Taking this seemingly small step towards better physical and emotional health and balance could be just the beginning, the beginning of a lifetime of healthier habits and inner peace. Inner peace operating on a sliding scale, that is - I am what I am, as Popeye says.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Monday, November 28, 2011
I Want Candy!
In the spirit of the blog's title, it's about time I actually did something instead of whining about it. Lately I've been sucking up candy like a vacuum cleaner, ever since I had my baby and was freed from the tyranny of my low-carb gestational diabetes diet. Well, that was almost 5 months ago. It's time to get serious about eating a healthier diet. If not for me, then for my baby, since I'm still breastfeeding and hope to for another 7 months at least.
I am a sugar addict. I seriously believe that sugar is an addiction. The consequences might not be as deadly as with drugs or alcohol, but then again, look at the skyrocketing diabetes and obesity rates in our country. I wish I could be one of those people who can enjoy things "in moderation." I don't think I am that kind of person, sadly. If I eat one cookie, I want to eat 4 more. If I eat one piece of chocolate, I want to eat 3 or 6 or 8 more. Last night I stood in my kitchen and ate 7 Hershey kisses with almonds, one after another, quickly, almost not even tasting them. And this was after a mini Snickers bar too. I looked at the gold foil pile in the trash can and said to myself, "I'm done with this."
I am done with abusing sweets. Or at least I want to be done. So starting December 1st, I'm abstaining from eating candy for one month. I thought I'd start out with candy, see how that goes, and go from there. I figure I can do this, even in the month of December, when everyone and their mother are literally throwing candy in your face. What do I mean by the term candy? Well, specifically, any processed goody such as Kit Kat, Kisses, Reese's Cups, Nestle Crunch, etc. Also, I'd better not eat anyone's homemade candy goodies either, which will be tricky as we get closer to Christmas. (Our library patrons are always so generous and show us their appreciation with food this time of year!) Surely I can channel my energy and my emotions into something more... satisfying? Stay tuned.
I am a sugar addict. I seriously believe that sugar is an addiction. The consequences might not be as deadly as with drugs or alcohol, but then again, look at the skyrocketing diabetes and obesity rates in our country. I wish I could be one of those people who can enjoy things "in moderation." I don't think I am that kind of person, sadly. If I eat one cookie, I want to eat 4 more. If I eat one piece of chocolate, I want to eat 3 or 6 or 8 more. Last night I stood in my kitchen and ate 7 Hershey kisses with almonds, one after another, quickly, almost not even tasting them. And this was after a mini Snickers bar too. I looked at the gold foil pile in the trash can and said to myself, "I'm done with this."
I am done with abusing sweets. Or at least I want to be done. So starting December 1st, I'm abstaining from eating candy for one month. I thought I'd start out with candy, see how that goes, and go from there. I figure I can do this, even in the month of December, when everyone and their mother are literally throwing candy in your face. What do I mean by the term candy? Well, specifically, any processed goody such as Kit Kat, Kisses, Reese's Cups, Nestle Crunch, etc. Also, I'd better not eat anyone's homemade candy goodies either, which will be tricky as we get closer to Christmas. (Our library patrons are always so generous and show us their appreciation with food this time of year!) Surely I can channel my energy and my emotions into something more... satisfying? Stay tuned.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Thankful List, 2011
So many things. Sooooo many things.
Parents who love me, who always loved me, who always tried to do their best for me.
Marrying into a wonderful, sane family.
My affectionate, intelligent, hardworking husband.
My sweet-natured, healthy, adorable little boy.
A job I like. Some things about it I love, some things I don't like, so it averages out to Like.
A pretty, safe neighborhood in which to live.
My health.
Peace in my nation - that I don't have to be a refugee or victim of war crimes. Lack of famine, that I might be able to be fed and feed my child.
And now, the sillier things:
J.R. Martinez, champion of Dancing With the Stars season 13. I started watching a lot more television once the baby was born - who has energy to do anything else, especially at first? For some reason I began watching DWTS, and I fell in love straightaway with J.R. His joyful energy was a delight to watch all season. And Bruno's ridiculous judge's comments are always fun too!
Tina Fey, Mindy Kaling, the cast of "Modern Family" (another recent television discovery.) Reruns of "The Office" and "Seinfeld" - for making me laugh on a regular basis.
The New York Yankees. Not a championship season, but fun to watch nonetheless. Baseball season is the best three-quarters of the year - it's springtime, then it's summer, then it's early fall. I married into a passion for the Yankees, and it's really been fun learning all about the mechanics and history of the game. Baseball is definitely a game for nerds, so I fit right in the demographic. (Although I'd be more thankful if we'd never gotten rid of Johnny Damon or Matsui. And if we could gently unload A.J. Burnette.)
The patience of my friends for looking at all the pictures of Baby I post on Facebook.
The 30 minutes a day I get to read, uninterrupted, on my lunch break at work.
Cute baby clothes with wry, silly sayings on them, like the Halloween onesie that says "Take Me to My Mummy." They didn't have such things when I was a baby.
Coke Points, which allow me to subscribe to magazines I otherwise wouldn't bother subscribing to.
Good warm bread spread with butter.
Mmmm, butter.
I am going to eat so much food tomorrow. :)
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Parents who love me, who always loved me, who always tried to do their best for me.
Marrying into a wonderful, sane family.
My affectionate, intelligent, hardworking husband.
My sweet-natured, healthy, adorable little boy.
A job I like. Some things about it I love, some things I don't like, so it averages out to Like.
A pretty, safe neighborhood in which to live.
My health.
Peace in my nation - that I don't have to be a refugee or victim of war crimes. Lack of famine, that I might be able to be fed and feed my child.
And now, the sillier things:
J.R. Martinez, champion of Dancing With the Stars season 13. I started watching a lot more television once the baby was born - who has energy to do anything else, especially at first? For some reason I began watching DWTS, and I fell in love straightaway with J.R. His joyful energy was a delight to watch all season. And Bruno's ridiculous judge's comments are always fun too!
Tina Fey, Mindy Kaling, the cast of "Modern Family" (another recent television discovery.) Reruns of "The Office" and "Seinfeld" - for making me laugh on a regular basis.
The New York Yankees. Not a championship season, but fun to watch nonetheless. Baseball season is the best three-quarters of the year - it's springtime, then it's summer, then it's early fall. I married into a passion for the Yankees, and it's really been fun learning all about the mechanics and history of the game. Baseball is definitely a game for nerds, so I fit right in the demographic. (Although I'd be more thankful if we'd never gotten rid of Johnny Damon or Matsui. And if we could gently unload A.J. Burnette.)
The patience of my friends for looking at all the pictures of Baby I post on Facebook.
The 30 minutes a day I get to read, uninterrupted, on my lunch break at work.
Cute baby clothes with wry, silly sayings on them, like the Halloween onesie that says "Take Me to My Mummy." They didn't have such things when I was a baby.
Coke Points, which allow me to subscribe to magazines I otherwise wouldn't bother subscribing to.
Good warm bread spread with butter.
Mmmm, butter.
I am going to eat so much food tomorrow. :)
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
Monday, November 14, 2011
Another Fat Mom
I am not going to become another fat mom. There are already too many of those around today, sadly. I completely see now how someone lets this happen to them, since having James. There are not nearly enough minutes in the day to accomplish things as mundane as mopping the floor or raking the backyard, let alone time enough to nurture your own soul.
I adore my child; he is the greatest thing I've contributed to in my whole life. His sweetness and delight are infectious and addictive. I can't get enough of his sweet smell or the way he smiles at me. Even so... there are times when I head straight to the pantry and stuff candy or cookies or chocolate in my mouth as fast as I can cram it in. I have realized that I do this because it's a tiny little escape. It's a precious second of time just for ME. Sweets are associated in my mind with comfort, with release, with good times. I use them as a way to nurture myself. Until the second after the taste leaves my tongue.
Then it's a litany of horrible feelings washing over me, sounding in my head. Ugly, fat, glutton, addiction, disgusting... on and on. You don't need this, I tell myself. You shouldn't. Don't have another piece. And then I do, a big f*** you to the food Nazi in my brain. And then I feel even worse.
I've checked out and bought countless books about food addiction, I have watched Oprah and read her magazine regularly, I know the drill. I am not stupid. No one who struggles with food addiction is stupid. We all know what to do to be healthy and lose weight. But this isn't even about weight for me, at least not at this stage. Breastfeeding is managing to help me maintain my pre-pregnancy weight, thank God. This is about control, and feeling my emotions, and managing them. This is about feeling good about myself, dealing with loneliness, dealing with fatigue. This is about trying to figure out how to be a mother and still feel like myself, like a whole and separate person.
So I know how women become fat after having kids, or become alcoholics, or abuse pills, or shop themselves into debt. Whatever your coping mechanism was before you had kids is the thing you'll turn to after. We do it because doing so feeds something in our souls that is lacking. We do it because we're tired, we're sick of doing all the housework, we're lonely for adult conversation. We do it because, while we love our kids more than anything in the world, we need someone to nurture us too.
I adore my child; he is the greatest thing I've contributed to in my whole life. His sweetness and delight are infectious and addictive. I can't get enough of his sweet smell or the way he smiles at me. Even so... there are times when I head straight to the pantry and stuff candy or cookies or chocolate in my mouth as fast as I can cram it in. I have realized that I do this because it's a tiny little escape. It's a precious second of time just for ME. Sweets are associated in my mind with comfort, with release, with good times. I use them as a way to nurture myself. Until the second after the taste leaves my tongue.
Then it's a litany of horrible feelings washing over me, sounding in my head. Ugly, fat, glutton, addiction, disgusting... on and on. You don't need this, I tell myself. You shouldn't. Don't have another piece. And then I do, a big f*** you to the food Nazi in my brain. And then I feel even worse.
I've checked out and bought countless books about food addiction, I have watched Oprah and read her magazine regularly, I know the drill. I am not stupid. No one who struggles with food addiction is stupid. We all know what to do to be healthy and lose weight. But this isn't even about weight for me, at least not at this stage. Breastfeeding is managing to help me maintain my pre-pregnancy weight, thank God. This is about control, and feeling my emotions, and managing them. This is about feeling good about myself, dealing with loneliness, dealing with fatigue. This is about trying to figure out how to be a mother and still feel like myself, like a whole and separate person.
So I know how women become fat after having kids, or become alcoholics, or abuse pills, or shop themselves into debt. Whatever your coping mechanism was before you had kids is the thing you'll turn to after. We do it because doing so feeds something in our souls that is lacking. We do it because we're tired, we're sick of doing all the housework, we're lonely for adult conversation. We do it because, while we love our kids more than anything in the world, we need someone to nurture us too.
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