| Search Sensei Talks |
|
|
| Labels |
|
|
|
| Tuesday, July 06, 2010 |
| Are you the Puppy or the Lizard? |
What is your approach to eating well? Do you have a plan or follow a path that helps you stick with it? Do you still think about it, or do you just ‘know’ it and ‘do’ it? I usually say that making good choices has become second nature, but the truth is that I still need and rely on structure in my life when it comes to food. Like a seat belt – I wasn’t ‘raised’ wearing one, and never really liked the feeling, but when it became a law, I got used to it and now I would feel vulnerable if I wasn’t buckled up. In many ways healthy eating has become second nature; an invisible force field that shields and protects me. Most of the time. Sometimes I’m my own worst enemy. I let myself ‘forget’ that these healthy decisions are my choice, and the rewards these good decisions bring me, physically and emotionally, are a happier state of mind and body than I have had most of my life. Like Joe Biden said, “That is a Big *#! Deal.”
You can’t always ward off the evil spirits of impulsive choices. These monsters include party food, bad moods, good smells, and envy when other people eat what and when they want in front of you. Sometimes I ‘convince’ myself that I’ve been doing ‘this’ long enough or I ‘know’ enough to wing it. (Pun intended) I can enjoy a quick trip off the path. I love ice cream. I usually suffer the known consequences of things like wings; indigestion, guilt, and fear of not finding my way back to the good life I’ve been living. How do you deal with temptation, and how does that work out for you? I don’t do well when I give in for any extended amount of time. I wallow in my ‘freedom’ and after a few days I fall into failure. I forget that structure is liberating; that I was miserable without it and that unhappiness was confining!
Most ‘bad’ choices lead us into Lauren’s land of Diet Deprivation where the hunger Gremlin rules. I could be the poster child here. It begins with “I’m doing great, and I’ll just take it from here…” and next thing you know I’m out of control and avoiding the scale, and leaning toward the UTOH end of the closet. UTOH is the section, for anyone who doesn’t have a 3 section closet; that comes after green. Green is “go on, wear it, you’re looking good.” UTOH begins at orange which stands for “I’d pay attention if I were you…there’s a reason you are here…” Then the dreaded red: “Yeah, you weren’t just out for a stroll down here to this end of your closet. You’re here because you let green go completely, and ignored orange. Wear whatever fits and be miserable.” That is true UTOH.
Last week I read Lauren’s blog Why You Shouldn’t Deprive Yourself while walking my son’s dog. Reading off a phone screen in the bright sunlight, watching where I stepped, and holding the leash was not easy. I thought she said there was a hunger gremlin. The puppy realized I was distracted and enjoyed the opportunity to taste everything in his path. I realized the puppy was me without a plan. Grab anything and eat it. A hunger Gremlin (ok, ghrelin) made so much sense that I was disappointed it wasn’t true. Then I moved on to find I could also forgive my parents for my love of calorie dense food, my desires are deeply embedded in my brain, which is still in pre-evolutionary survival mode and needs to be awakened. Laurens’ history and hunger lesson fit right in, because the puppy and I walk in an area known for prehistoric looking lizards. These are tough looking lizards. If this sidewalk was my high school, these lizards would skip class and smoke cigarettes. They rule the sidewalk, hanging back in the shade while waiting for their next meal. Lizards feed on a wide variety of foods including fruits and vegetation, insects, and possibly small puppies that annoy them. Watching the puppy pursue the lizard made me realize that the person (or animal) with the plan usually wins.
The puppy can walk sideways, sniff, pull the leash, watch the sidewalk ahead and search for bad things to eat all at once. He knows that there will be a line-up of chunky lizards waiting on the sidewalk like jets on a runway, or food on a buffet table; and each day the puppy believes he will capture one. He is incredibly optimistic. The lizards are stoic. They don’t flinch. They ignore him. The puppy has no plan. He makes a daily mad dash and at the last possible second the lizards just flit into the bushes. After a few days, the puppy began to search for lizards after they disappeared. Nose down, he tried to crawl into the hedge after them. They probably point and laugh from inside the hedge. At one point, the hedge circles around, and now he trots to the end of this hedge, and zips right around the curve thinking to circle back and catch them on the sidewalk again? Find a back door? We’ll never know, but I pull the leash back and we move on.
Every one of us who has ever had a weight issue is the puppy. Without a plan, or any change in habit, we just hope that today will be the day we can do ‘it’. Catch the lizard, wake-up thin, stick to a “diet.” The puppy can’t, can you? Lauren is right. When we skip meals the hunger ‘gremlin’ makes us pounce on foods we shouldn’t be eating. Structure is the leash; it keeps us on the “sidewalk”. It’s a long and loose leash with opportunity for a ‘full’ and happy life; eating well and feeling good without ever being confined. I’m not sure what the lizards represent. Temptation? Lizards sure look good to the puppy. Reality? They probably give you a whopper of a stomach ache. Confidence? The puppy is a thousand times bigger, but the lizards just lie there until the last possible second. They know the puppy doesn’t have a plan or much chance for success. They know their limits, and his, and when to say enough and leave.
Be the Lizard. Enjoy your time in the sun, give in to the occasional temptation, and remember the reality…most things that are really bad for you to eat will probably give you a stomach ache. Be confident - you can eat well and enjoy life and you deserve to. Plan to succeed. When you lose your way, try to imagine the leash and follow it back to the path. Enjoy the green section of your closet.
- Nancy
If you like this article, you might also enjoy…
Sensei Talks: What Does Independence Mean to You?
Sensei Talks: Why “Diets” Don’t Work
Labels: Diet, healthy eating, Nancy
|
posted by My Sensei @ Tuesday, July 06, 2010   |
|
-->
add to del.icio.us
|
|
| 2 Comments: |
-
I am a lizard! And actually, I tend to stick to my food plan even on holidays & such.. I don't need my tummy all out of whack & feeling bloated & such! :-)
-
Hi Jody.
Lizards rule. When I’m at a party and I watch people eating and drinking lots of things they wouldn’t, normally, it makes it easier to stick to my own plan. I usually have a baked sweet potato before I leave for a party- then I’m content, and I can ignore all the tempting things I know I’ll be sorry about later. Lots of times I ‘steal’ the fruit or vegetables that decorate a platter, and leave the ‘bad’ stuff there. I want to be happy about my choices-not sorry. I think sometimes it’s harder for me when I am alone than when I’m in a crowd. Why is that?
Nancy
|
| |
| << Home |
| |
|
|
|
|
I am a lizard! And actually, I tend to stick to my food plan even on holidays & such.. I don't need my tummy all out of whack & feeling bloated & such! :-)