Monday, April 11, 2011

Thinking About Food

  At my Weight Watchers meeting this week we had a very spirited debate about how much we all think about food.  It started when a woman said she felt frustrated with the fact that she feels like she thinks about food constantly now that she's on WW in a way that she never did before.  And I agreed with her because I often feel that way, although less so as I spend more time on the plan.
  So I gave it some more thought and realized that while I do think about food more often than I used to - it sometimes feels like it's all I ever think about - I don't think about it in the same way as before.  Before my commitment to this new way of living, I thought about eating all the time.  But the choices I made were pretty mindless beyond the thought of "hhhmmmmm...what am I in the mood for today?".  Now I am more mindful of the food-related decisions I make, from recipe research to menu planning, grocery shopping and finally, eating.  Yes, I give food much more of my mental time and energy than I ever did before.  But I think it's a good thing.  And once I realized that, I stopped feeling frustrated with how often I think about food.

2 comments:

  1. Very insightful post!

    Since WW, I also spend more time thinking about food. I have come to the realization that I need to think about it.

    On the flip side, I spend much less time feeling frustrated about being overweight and not doing anything about it.

    Given the choice, I prefer to spend my time thinking about my food choices, rather than beating myself up!

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  2. Well said, my friend. It was definitely quite a VERY spirited debate, wasn't it?

    I stick by my original statement. I think about food ALL THE TIME, and for me, hey, I lost 75 pounds, I'm at goal, and have maintained that goal for two years. So thinking about food all day long works for me.

    Now, that being said, there is a difference. I no longer "obsess" about food. I no longer day dream of pizza and cheeseteaks, ice cream and donuts. I don't mindlessly eat whatever is within reach. I don't buy things in the grocery store just because they look yummy.

    Now I think about food in a more healthy and beneficial way. I think about what I'm going to have for breakfast that's going to give me the protein I need to get through the morning and feel good and not get the shakes. I think about what I'm going to have for dinner, calculate the points it will be worth, and then figure out what I want for lunch and calculate the points.

    I constantly think about what fruits and veggies I have in the house so that I don't run myself into a corner where I have no healthy choices in the house.

    I think about how I can change a recipe up and make it more Weight Watcher friendly. I think about what foods make me feel good, don't make me feel good, what foods satisfy my hunger, my craving for salt, my craving for sweet.

    With me, it's a constantly analysis of food, but for me, it's what works. So I'm going to keep thinking about food. It's what makes me tick.

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