Retrain your brain
Eat a meal that doesn’t consist of meat, by choice. Never. Brown rice instead of sticky white rice. Seriously. Greens and eggs for breakfast. Nope. It’s been a long time coming, but I’ve changed my eating habits for the good.
When I first learned that brown rice was the best choice, I resisted. Sometimes, I would prefer to go without the rice because it just didn’t taste the same. It was too crunchy, too nutty. Ha. But, since it was the better alternative for me health wise I continued to prepare and eat it. Low and behold the very reasons I use to not like it are the very reasons I like it. White rice just seems like fluff, there’s no substance. When you eat brown rice you are eating the whole grain which makes you become more satisfied.
The way I see food now is completely different than in the past. I now understand food is fuel for my body, so my goal is to fill it with premium goods. My latest food discoveries:
- Kale is king of the greens!
- Sautéed collard greens are just as good if not better than
the southern cooked way. - I can enjoy a meal without meat. Actually, kinda prefer it.
Buns are overrated. If I indulge in a cheeseburger I omit
the bun or replace it with tomato slices. - I really, really like whole grains. Especially, my new
found friend, wheat berries. - Fruit is nature’s goodness.
- Vegetables make all meals better.
I love food. I’m proud of myself for retraining myself to enjoy it without abusing it and make better conscious choices. I’ve retrained my brain. You can do it too, start with some small adjustments and if you don’t particularly like it the first time try it again. You may find that you can learn to like it. Think of the health benefits. Food is meant to nourish our bodies. If you think of it that way, retraining your brain will come easy.
Chrisetta Mosley
I am a product – and now a survivor – of childhood obesity. As a child, my family always told me that my extra weight was merely baby fat and I’d eventually grow out of it. I never did. Instead, my childhood is filled with memories of not being able to ride a bike, flattening its training wheels from being over the recommended weight, and avoiding P.E. classes by any means necessary. For years, I wore my fatness like a wounded soldier wears a Purple Heart - with pride. I owned the look. I dressed it up. I worked the room. There wasn't a skinny girl who intimidated me. I made sure my hair was laid just right. Nails polished. Outfits coordinated to the tee. Accessories to compliment every outfit. But everyone has a breaking point, and mine came in the spring of 2004 when I tipped the scale at nearly 400 pounds 388 to be exact. I was MISERABLE trapped inside of that body. I no longer wore my Purple Heart with pride. Rather, I was ashamed and frightened. Ashamed that I had allowed food to become my everything – frightened I would die because of it. Drastic times called for drastic measures... Today, I’m bound and determined to live a better, healthier, active lifestyle. I realize I’m no longer a passenger in my life, I’m the driver. I’m overcoming my inhibitions and I’m slowly but surely saying farewell to my old childhood nemesis, obesity. For once and for all, Farewell Fatso!