7:26 pm
More than a month sick. Vacation. Out-of-town guests. Back to work (sigh). I should have anticipated it, but I didn't. One thing after another after another, and I've allowed myself to get sloppy. I haven't tracked my eating for probably three weeks, at least. I have had nibbles here and noshes there, and in the past few days noticed actual cravings coming back. The first, salt.
When the cold and coughing were in high gear, I had very little appetite, and when I did eat, it seemed my taste buds were hypersensitive to saltiness. So many things tasted just so salty to me. I didn't like it. Then toward the end of my time off with my family, my sisters-in-law took turns baking. First, Tammi made lemon bars. You know the kind . . . that delicate shortbread crust topped with the custardy lemon filling. They spoke to me and I responded, a few times. The next day, Karen made chocolate raspberry cookie bars. Same kind of bottom crust, topped with raspberry jam and chocolate chips. Lots of chocolate chips. Suddenly I remembered the hold these kinds of foods had on me.
Oddly though, early this past week, I was in my second period class, and I had to have something salty. It was a very real and immediate craving. Strange too. I gave one of my students a dollar and sent her to the vending machine for an overpriced bag containing maybe eleven baked potato chips. That salt tasted amazing. And I was satisfied. But since then I have also noticed that my snack mechanism seems to have been restarted, and I find myself wanting to graze at my desk while my students work on their assignments.
I have scheduled my summer trip up north for early July. I'll be there for about twelve days. I'm flying up in just under three months. Hmm . . . what could I accomplish if I put my mind and efforts into it, in three months time? I bet I could change the way I look. I certainly wouldn't be at my ultimate goal, but I bet I could lose enough that the family I just spent time with last week would look at me and say, "Wow! Look at you!!! How much weight have you lost? You look amazing!" Or something like that anyway. I bet I could lose enough to feel a significant difference when I sit in the airplane seat. That would be very cool! I bet if I spent some time walking every day as well as exercising some discipline with regard to my eating, I could look good, feel good, and maybe even sport a bit of a golden glow when I step off that plane in July.
Tomorrow is a good day to get back on track. I will begin by weighing myself in the morning. I generally do my grocery shopping on Friday evenings, so I can make sure to stock up on healthful staples, especially good things for my lunches. I need to be prepared for packing lunches, otherwise I start tossing all kinds of things into my lunch bag, like peanut butter M&Ms or sleeves of Ritz crackers. I need to have plenty of fresh fruits and veggies in my fridge.
My friend, Lisa, recently started a blog (http://lifeinlisaskitchen.blogspot.com/2013/04/sweet-potatoes-and-books.html), and in today's post she talked about the way our tastes can change. A food you might not like when you're a child . . . if you taste it now and then . . . when you're an adult, you might just find that you really like it. She then skillfully segued this same thing into life. Lisa wrote, "What is it that you don't like doing? What are you afraid of doing - or being? Is there something you know you should at least try, but you haven't yet? Start where you are. Don't bite off more than you can chew, but take a taste of that new behavior, or attitude, or way of thinking. Pretty soon it will be a habit in your life, just like eating your veggies."
I have thought about exercise the way I think about cantaloupe. I love the way cantaloupe looks. I love how people look eating it; it's one of those chic foods to eat. I know it's good for me, but . . . I hate it. I admire people I see exercising. They certainly look good doing it. I know how good it is for me. But . . . I hate to exercise. I prefer breathing and not sweating in air conditioned comfort.
Lisa hit the nail on the head when she wrote, " Don't bite off more than you can chew, but take a taste of that new behavior . . ." I immediately thought that the one thing I've been putting off, despite knowing I need to incorporate it into my life for my own good, is exercise. So, as I start again, and pick up where I left off, I believe it's time to add that missing link. I don't have to run a 5k the first week, or even around the whole neighborhood. But I can start with a walk around the block. I can take exercise in small bites at first until my body is ready to be pushed a little harder. An important piece of the accountability puzzle for me, is putting it in writing here. You can be sure I'll let you know how it's going. I don't anticipate ever liking the taste of cantaloupe; I've tried it too many times over the years to no avail. But who's to say I might not enjoy becoming more physically active, especially as my body begins to change as a result. I will feel stronger and know I'm doing good stuff for my body, for my health. Tomorrow is a new day, and I'm ready to get back to taking care of me.
Until next time . . .
Friday, April 12, 2013
5:28 am
Weighed in just a few minutes ago, and . . . stayed the same! Thank you, Lord! No ground lost. So, onward and downward! (Big smile!)
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