Monday, March 5, 2012

Blueberries or Chocolate?

Every day, I eat within a certain amount of calories which, based on my height and current weight and a few other factors, is supposed to be the right amount for me to lose at a healthy rate of about 2 pounds per week.  That amount is calculated by the food journal app I use on my phone, and so far, it has been extremely accurate.  Having a daily calorie “budget” to work with means that some days are more challenging than others when it comes planning my meals, but more often than not, I usually end the day with anywhere from 100-300 calories that I haven’t eaten by the time dinner is over. 

All that being said, a few days ago, I came to the end of the day and realized I still had almost 500 calories left I hadn’t eaten.  My husband had bought a bag of peanut butter M&M’s, which used to be one of my favorite candies.  Before you think that it was mean of him to even bring them into the house, I’ll tell you that, from the beginning, my weight loss journey has been about learning to live my life by making healthy choices, portion control, and moderation in my relationship with food.  Part of that, is knowing that I cannot isolate myself into a sugar-free world!  I’ll be faced with holidays, birthday parties, and every other celebration and sweet snack-fest imaginable for the rest of my life…and I needed to learn how to eat with balance, instead of abandon, in every situation.  So, I can’t be afraid of sweets being in my house.

Back to the M&M’s…With so many calories left for the day, I decided to have some.  I measured an exact portion (yes, I weighed candy on my food scale!), which would still only use half of the calories I had available.  I sat down to eat them, and after the first two, realized that they just didn’t taste very sweet to me, and I wasn’t really enjoying them like I used to.  The following morning, I grabbed a handful of fresh blueberries at breakfast and had the startling realization that the blueberries tasted much sweeter, and were far more satisfying to me than the candy was the night before! 

Most changes are hard to make, initially.  A year ago, you never could have convinced me that I’d rather have blueberries than chocolate.  I’m sorry to say that, in the past, I was “that person”…you know, the one who couldn’t keep a bag of candy in my desk drawer for an entire day…if I opened it at 8am, it would be empty by 3pm, with nothing to show for it but a pile of empty wrappers and another pound added to my hips.  But today, little more than 8 months later, I’m a completely different person than I was back then.  It’s not that I have to make myself stay away from the junk food anymore, I just really don’t even want it these days. 

Throughout these last several months, one of my prayers has been something along the lines of, “Lord, help me to change my eating habits.  I want to make good choices that are healthy for my body and pleasing to You.”  I believe He has answered my prayer and that God is truly helping me make the changes I could not possibly make on my own.  For that, I am most thankful!

“O taste and see that the LORD is good…” Psalm 34:8

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