Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Food ruled my life

I have a confession to make.

I have a cupcake in my freezer.

Well, ok there are ACTUALLY two in there.

Why they are there and how they manage to stay there is really a long story so I will do my best to give you the cliff notes version.

Food ruled my life.

There was a time in my life when all I can remember thinking about was food.  Thoughts about what I had eaten.. what I actually WANTED to eat but didn't...what I was planning to eat later...what I might eat tomorrow...

That was all I really thought about.  Food had so much power over me.  It controlled whether I was happy or sad-- which really meant if I felt horrible because I ate something "bad" that I "shouldn't have eaten" or if I felt good because I was able to will myself away from something delicious.

I couldn't understand how people could go through their day not concerned at all about food.  Didn't everyone feel like this?

What was wrong with me?

Somewhere along the way, early in my life, I developed an unhealthy relationship with food.

I would either eat way too much or nothing at all.

I couldn't be around something sweet without eating it, or dream of eating it ...until I gave in and took a few bites and then stood over the trash can trying to decide if I should just inhale the rest or throw it in the trash...and if it went in the trash it had better touch all of the nasty stuff in there or there was a good chance I might take it back out!

Food had power over me.

I can now say that I realize that I GAVE it power over me, but hindsight is always 20/20 isn't it??

So how did I go from there to having 2 cupcakes in my freezer?

I'm not going to lie, it took quite some time to get here, but it all started with education.

Not the kind you get from sitting in a classroom - at least no classroom I had ever been in.

It took educating myself about food, nutrients, and what happens when we eat.

It took learning about what happened in my body when I ate certain foods, and when I ate them at specific times- like before, during, or after my training sessions- or what happened if I ate them when I had not trained.

Slowly I learned how to put food to work FOR me.  I was no longer AT THE MERCY of my food.
I finally had the upper hand!

That is such a wonderful feeling because I love to eat, and for so many years I walked around thinking that I couldn't eat; that I had to avoid food especially the foods that I liked to eat if I wanted to look and feel a certain way.

Truth is the really delicious foods that I loved to eat included steak, veggies, potatoes, chicken, and fish.  Not just sweet things. You name it, I loved to eat it...well, ok just don't say "liver" I never liked that :(

I just didn't realize that I COULD eat all of those wonderful things.. and my cupcake.. if I fed my body according to the plan.

The plan?

Yes, the plan.

The plan to build muscle and not store fat!

Where did I get that plan? I got that from learning what happens when I eat certain things at certain times... really nutrient timing.  Just big words for put the right stuff in at the right time.  Just like you put the right kind of gas in your car when it needs it.  Same thing.

Sure this took some work in the beginning, but now it is just my normal way of eating and I don't really have to give it much thought....which is why I can have 2 cupcakes sitting in my freezer.

So if YOU are feeling like I was.. I am here to tell you that you don't have to go on that way.  Food doesn't have to rule your life and you don't have to run from food either.

It is time to start a new, healthy relationship with food.  One that puts food to work FOR you!

If I did it, you can too!!

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