Thursday's Thing....food glorious food

When I posted Monday's Motivation I had actually started with the angle of food and how it relates to what we see on the scale. I think most often we associate one with the other. Recently I have come across some great articles on food & eating that have been thought provoking. I'd love to link you to the article from Runner's World on disordered eating. Not eating disorders, which no doubt exists, but disordered eating which so many of us suffer from and don't even realize it. I have been a big sufferer in the past, I can't believe what I think when it comes to food. Not that I've completely over come it. Just like the number on the scale I refuse to let food play a role in telling me who I am & what I'm worth.

 All of this ties into my thing to tell you about myself: I! LOVE! FOOD! There is just no way around it or simple way to put it. Me + food = LOVE. My love for food reaches many levels and includes many types of food, both good and bad. Yes, I do, in fact, eat A LOT of bad food. Things that are not healthy. Things that are processed. Full of sugar. Chemically induced. I always get a kick out of people's reactions when they see me pull out a fast food item. They stare in astonishment and shockingly ask me...."you REALLY eat food like that." Well, yeah. Just because I run a gazillion miles doesn't mean I live on lettuce alone. Life is just too short to not eat what you like.

Yes, yes, I fully support and believe in portion control. Moderation and balance is always the key. This does not mean you get to go all hog wild and eat every bad thing in sight. This applies to runners and non runners alike. Find what fits you and your life and eat it! I do have a slight advantage in my running. I don't know how many times I've shoved something in my mouth and said "I ran 10 miles today....I don't care!!!!" I know that only plays a small role in my eating habits though. For me I never run just so I can eat something. It just happens to be an added benefit. My passion for running go way deeper than a cupcake or whatnot. Quite honestly, I'm going to eat said cupcake whether I run 10 miles or not.

I enjoy many good and healthy foods as well. I've taken steps to switch over to things like real butter and broaden my list of things I make from scratch. I attempt to keep balance in what I feed my family. Yes, we have pizza once a week (I could eat it every day though), but I alternate between frozen, take out & homemade. Yes, we love the full fanfare of Mexican cuisine. But I make just about everything from scratch. I know guacamole and refried beans are "bad" for you. I also know that only two ingredients go into making them. (Little health tip here: the less ingredients the BETTER a food is for you. Big long labels of words you can not pronounce, not go good.) So I shrug my shoulders and serve it up to my family. Beats any low fat/low calorie/low anything that comes in a box or from a store.

Food has not always been as easy battle for me. I come from a family where obesity is the norm. If anyone defines emotional eating to a "T" that would be my family & up bringing. Don't get me wrong, I love my family to the ends of the earth and my parents did an excellent job in raising me. However, any positive views on food and eating did not come from them. I still see it happening almost any time I see my family. I'm old enough and my own self enough though to separate myself from it all. I came to a point in my life where I was at that proverbial fork in the road. I chose to take a separate road than one that I had been on for so long. One I had to forge on my own and with my husband and children. It has not been an easy road, but now I'm firmly on my own path. One that I hope will set the stage for future generations.

Bottom line (this is such a big subject and I could go on forever about it, yet am trying to contain it all in one little post).....don't make food your enemy. Yes to healthiness, moderation, balance, portion control....yada yada yada. But stop letting food define how good or bad you are. How beautiful and wonderful you are. Just like that stupid number on the scale....it's just food. I'm tired of battling it. I'm tired of feeling like a failure because I ate a cupcake (or two...or three....ok how many is not the point here). I'm tired of beating myself up over every morsel of food I put in my mouth. Of feeling fat and disgusting because I ate a piece of pizza. Last time I checked, nobody thinks I'm fat and disgusting. Why do I go around "feeling" like that? Yes, back to my Monday post, I sure could lose a few pounds, but so what. Life is too short. LIVE IT!

Little ending note, if you are reading this and your weight really is out of control that doesn't mean I want you to keep shoving it in because I said life is too short. More than likely you are still a wonderful, beautiful person to the people in your life. That is important & really matters. If you are not overweight and don't have serious weight issues (I think of several of my friends right now) stop torturing yourself over food. Come over, let's talk. I'll share a cupcake (or two...or three) with you : )

Mwah! Keep loving yourself people. If I am beautifully and wonderfully made. SO ARE YOU!