Retrained Disciplined Brain
My girlfriend called me yesterday — get this because she needs help getting back on track with her healthy diet and exercise regimen. Calling, me? Seriously, I love it. Anyhow, she’s been so busy with work, hasn’t had time to take care of herself, and she feels miserable.
There’s nothing better than eating healthy wholesome food combined with exercise. You just feel good. So if you fall off even a little you begin to feel icky. As an obese miserable woman I ate so much crappy food with no movement. I felt like I was drugged all the time. I remember at one point I use to fall to sleep at the wheel while driving. Yes, scary I know. Oops, I’m way off of the subject I was addressing — kinda. My point, I know first hand the way eating real food and exercise can improve your mood and the way you feel.
My advice to her: Schedule the time to plan, shop, and prepare her meals. Don’t budge. It’s a commitment. That way she has good real food that she can zap anytime and ready made snacks. Of course, I gave her some recipe ideas. Mostly all the meals I’m currently eating (very plant based diet). The further we got into the conversation the more silence there was. Finally, she said “This sounds so disciplined.” I laughed.
Here’s the thing. I’ve had to Retrain my Brain. All the foods that eat I enjoy. Believe me I do not compromise taste. I love food too much. I have found foods that I enjoy that happen to be good for me.
-Like my new friend wheat berries — love those little nutty kernels. They are versatile. I can eat them with savory items or with fresh fruit and a drizzle of honey.
– Kale — King of the greens. I sauté the greens, use them in soups, or make crunchy kale chips for a snack.
I see it like this, if I’m using coconut milk then I don’t compare it to the taste of cow’s milk. I’m no longer drinking cow’s milk for various reasons. They don’t taste the same nor should they.
Disciplined? Okay, sure that’s fair. I’ve made a commitment to myself. I’m in pursuit of health, wellness, and weight loss — it’s a holistic approach. I want to honor my body with good whole food, but still be able to enjoy the taste. I also realize that working out is only about 20 percent of the equation when it comes to weight loss. I know that what matters more is what I eat. It makes no sense to workout as hard as I’ve been if I’m not going to eat well. It’s counterproductive. So, I’ve retrained my brain and I’m disciplined.
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!