Learning

I never realized how much I rewarded myself with food. And by "how much." I mean how often and how much food I was eating.

I thought I indulged infrequently until I started this new plan. I'd justify eating sweets by saying, "Well, I don't do this every day," but seriously, after a while, I was doing it almost every day.

And I would reward myself with food when I was

stressed

"I'm standing here in line at Walmart; why can't these people hurry up? Why am I always stuck behind the person with insufficient funds? Arrghh. I'll just grab this Reese's Pieces; it's been a rough day, I've done all this shopping, I deserve it."

or bored

"Nothing to do. Can't go outside; it's raining...again. No one is home for me to call. Blah. Blah. Blah. Ooooh, Dr. Pepper!"

or happy.

"Yahoo, America's Next Top Model is on! Time to break out the ice cream and white cheddar popcorn!"

I feel like I am gaining a healthier view of food now that I am using it for fuel. Now I think, "Is this going to help me perform better in my daily life? In my running and weight lifting? Am I actually hungry?"

I love being more aware of what I am putting in my body. This is awesome. And it's simple. I'm not counting calories (Body for Life uses portions, not calories), but I still have to plan nutritious choices.

Thanks for being on this journey with me, gals.