In Which I Talk About Food

My favorite topic? Yes.

Growing up, I never worried about how much I ate or what I put in my mouth. First, I was young and had the metabolism of a teenager - oh how I miss those days. Second, I was an athlete, and a serious one. I played enough soccer to burn off anything I consumed, and then some. One week in the summer I decided to estimate my caloric intake: around 6000. A day. And I was losing weight. At that rate, who cares what you eat?

As I grew up, and as my soccer playing days came to an end, I still never thought about food. I just ate it, the same way I always had. As you can imagine, this led to some weight gain. I didn't think it was a big deal - only natural, right, that when you stop doing heavy exercise for 3 hours a day that you put on a few pounds. I was still slim, and healthy.

At some point I grew unhappy with myself, my body, my weight. It was never the number on the scale, no, the athlete in me learned how to ignore that number long ago. It was just the way I felt. My arms had a slight jiggle. My belly button - an inny - sorta disappeared. My legs, which had always been big, lost their definition and rock-solidness. I grew my first real set of boobs. I wasn't my athletic, trim self and I didn't like it. Enough was enough, I was fixing this situation.

I thought about a lot of options. Did some research online. Realized a 'diet' was not going to work for me. My attitudes about food and exercise had to change permanently, not just for a 6-week lo-carb phase. I started thinking about the things I was putting into my body, and what I was asking that body to do. I started cooking more, and the things I cooked were full of veggies, complex carbs, and proteins. I started watching how much sugar I brought in, and started choosing unrefined grains and breads. I made swaps - frozen yogurt for ice cream, fruit for cookies, chicken and turkey for red meats.

I'm happy to report that I've lost a solid 17 pounds just by making these small changes. The best part? While at first I felt like I was making sacrifices (like when I really, really wanted that ice cream) now I feel good about my choices. I enjoy eating what I eat, and don't feel like I'm giving anything up. If given the choice, I'd probably choose a turkey burger over a hamburger. I'd take frozen yogurt over ice cream (ok... well, maybe) and I'd definitely pick fruits or veggies for a snack over chips, candy, or anything else. Why? Because last week I wore a pair of pants that I haven't fit into since fall semester of my freshman year of college, which was the leanest I've probably ever been. Because I'm over half way to my goal (which is, incidentally, my weight fall semester of freshman year). And mostly because I feel better about the way I look and feel. And that's a beautiful thing.