The struggle is real folks.
I wasn’t going to make Christmas cookies this year, but its tradition, so when my family suggested it, how could I refuse? In truth, I did well when it came to not eating them all at once.
Then there’s my dear husband who thinks he’s spoiling me when he buys the super pack of bakery cookies. I was even doing fairly well ignoring those, until I wasn’t.
The other day I sat my husband down and told him he wasn’t doing me any favors when he spoiled me, because now I have to “dry out” again.
So here’s the thing. Three years ago when my son got married, I lost a lot of extra weight I’d been carrying, and the most amazing thing happened! My body said thank you. I went on a program that truly wasn’t sustainable, but it trained me to make better choices. Then, my sister died. My person. I was crushed, and I adopted the philosophy my father lived by: “Life is short. Eat the cookies” (paraphrasing). My dad lived to be 90, although he developed several health issues along the way. I don’t want to live to be 90, and my body is again reminding me that I can’t make meals out of cookies like I could when I was a teenager. (No, I don’t do that anymore.)
So this year, I’m going to work on making my body happy again. Life IS short, but if I plan to make the most of it, I need to eat foods that allow me to do so and that don’t hold me back. This is not a New Year’s resolution. It's knowing myself and making a choice.
What does that mean for my newsletter - Books & Cookies? I do believe I can still share recipes that I’ve either tried in the past or that look good for those of you who have more self-control. Not signed up? You can do that now by clicking Newsletter on the menu bar.
Reminding yourself those food choices should revolve around good health rather than self-indulgence is a tough one. Since the pandemic, we've stopped going into grocery stores most of the time, and it's easier to stick to a 'I'm not buying cookies' plan when you're looking at a website, not the store's bakery. It helps that the Hubster relinquished grocery shopping to me once he wasn't in town for his spinning classes anymore.
ReplyDeleteOh, I know they’re self indulgent, but it’s more a matter of “this is what happens to your body when you eat things that aren’t good for you.” With active reminders rather than passive results like weight gain.
ReplyDeleteits in our genes to love cookies
DeleteWe tried a "templeton" way of dealing with treats (from Charlotte's Web....) for a while. Eat right, exercise, etc. every day. Pick one day every two weeks or once a month to eat ALL of the "bad" stuff all day long like the rat in the story. Anything and everything. Gorging on goodies for a whole day makes them a whole lot less appealing for at least a little while after. We had a few too many "templeton" days leading up to Christmas. Oops.
ReplyDeleteGood idea. And that's probably part of what motivated me this time. I ate ALL the bad stuff my DH bought for me--and paid the price for it. In recent updates, I sent him to the store today for produce. He brought it home, along with a treat. *sigh* I will overcome!
Delete