I was reminded of a goodbye party I had for myself about 9 months ago. I was reminded of it, because I found myself at the "scene of the crime" today. One of my most favorite places in the world - Wegman's.
Wegman's wasn't exactly the scene of the so-called crime. The shopping center where it's located was. I found myself there today, on my day off, because I was in need of going through a "wash out" phase of LEAP (where you go back to basics, the 1st week's list of foods, to kind of get back on track and detox a bit from any reactions you may be having) and Wegman's is chock-full of LEAP-friendly stuff.
The first time I started LEAP (about 9 months ago) I went off to Wegman's, list in hand. But, before I entered the store of organic and healthy foods, I decided to have myself a goodbye party for some food I wouldn't be having for a while. And by "for a while" I meant possibly never.
Chick-Fil-A was my first stop. Fried chicken tenders, waffle fries and ranch dressing please. Then it was off to Sweet Frog for some yogurt topped with all kinds of stuff I loved (like Snocaps and fudge and sprinkles and more fudge) - you may have read an earlier post about the tear that fell into that yogurt as I had the poor me's about my "last supper." I have had a few good laughs when I remember that.
A friend of a friend posted on Facebook about going out to "live it up" before they started a certain diet & exercise routine. Something about stuffing their face with potatoes. Been there, done that. Back when I tried Atkins, I probably had the same DNA as this guy the night before I went carb-free:
I have come a loooong way. Through LEAP I was given knowledge about the foods that were hurting my body. And this is my Eureka! moment about that:
Stuff that makes me feel bad does NOT deserve a party.
You wouldn't throw a party for someone who is mean to you, right? Someone who hurt you? The food I was eating was literally making me sick - hurting me! - and until I realized how good I felt when I stopped eating it, I didn't fully understand that not eating it was celebration enough!
With LEAP, the only things I have to have a goodbye party for are pain, medicine, and discomfort. And the by-products that come with feeling good about yourself also let you have a goodbye party for insecurity, self-doubt and self-pity. It's an incredibly empowering experience, and I highly recommend it :) For those of you curious about LEAP (or just eating better!), start here and meet my LEAP mentor Emily, who has some amazingly sound nutritional advice!
I know you've done it. Smoked half a pack of cigs the night before you quit, drank half a bottle of wine they night before you want to dry out, ate half a batch of cookies on Sunday (because Monday was Diet Day.) Here's the thing: don't have a party about something that isn't good for you. Celebrate the good stuff, not the bad stuff! Eating 5 potatoes or half a dozen cupcakes will make you SICK, not happy. And if you're not supposed to have it, you certainly shouldn't overdose on it! It's a lesson I learned the hard way.
Once I got into my LEAP groove, I didn't overeat. I didn't feel overstuffed, I didn't feel bloated, I didn't have food comas. I just ate what I was supposed to eat and voila! - I started to feel healthier. And more importantly, I started to BE healthier. It's a feeling I want to keep feeling.
Today as I drove up to Wegman's a small smile came across my lips as I drove past Chick-Fil-A and Sweet Frog. I thought about the girl who cried a salty tear into her overly sweet yogurt. I am not that girl anymore. Yes, I have had some slip-ups lately, and I am in need of a little do-over. But knowing that didn't give me a free pass to have another "last supper." Without fanfare, I loaded my cart with my Week 1 foods. I didn't have to sneak anything in to eat tonight because I couldn't have it tomorrow. I have been faithful to LEAP about 90% of the time these past few months. Lately, I started to test some ingredients that haven't agreed with me, and now everything is so jumbled up I don't know what the heck I am having reactions to (feeling fatigued, skin breaking out, eczema, etc) so I am simply going back to what I know works. To know that THAT is what my "comfort zone" now is, is somewhat amusing. And comforting. It feels so good to know that I am not held in bondage by my old bad habits.
2 Corinthians 5:17 says
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
I can say with a very strong amount of confidence that the old has indeed passed away; the new me is here, and it feels great. By the grace of God, I will get back on track and stay back on track.
Tomorrow's menu includes steel cut oats in the slow cooker and chicken and green beans, along with some watermelon and pineapple. Now THAT'S what I call party food :)
No comments:
Post a Comment