You Rock stef!

Dear Stef:

You are doing a great job. Think about what you can make now. Healthy stuff. Stuff that will fill you up and taste good but isn’t mindless eating. You’ve made a huge difference in your life because on the days you are walking into your apartment with the time to cook, it’s not mindless eating. You’re not calling the take out place with no idea of the nutritional information, You are nourishing yourself. You are sustaining yourself. THAT’S HUGE.

Road trips and work food is really hard. How do you turn down birthday cake? How do you turn down bagels? It isn’t a moment of failure because you eat what was right in front of you. That’s human. That’s natural. Sexists always use the excuse of having lizard brains to excuse their sexist behavior. But you know, we are both fighting millions of years of evolution that tell us – “Eat now and eat a lot because you don’t know where your next meal is coming from.” You eating what’s in front of you is not about willpower. It’s not about failure.

And really it’s about getting set up for success. Everything in your life the past few weeks haven’t set you up for success. It’s like that old adage about going to the supermarket hungry. Of course you will want to buy everything in sight. I went to Whole Foods with no sugar free anything in a major hypoglycemic fit and it nearly burst into tears. You should be proud of yourself because every time you have been set up for success, you’ve taken the opportunity and run with it. It sounds like your kitchen is the healthy yummy food zone. BIG ACCOMPLISHMENT.

I think about the one time I lost weight – backpacking through Europe. Did I intend to lose 30 pounds? Was I trying to lose 30 pounds? Nope. I lost 30 pounds because I was walking up and down some wicked hills for five hours a day. My meals consisted of great bread and lots of fruit for breakfast, whatever I could afford for lunch (usually things like pita, hummus and carrots) and a splurge dinner. My entire routine that summer was set up to get me in shape. All I had to do was be along for the ride.

I am really proud of you stef. It’s been three weeks we’ve been at it and you’re moving forward. Any real change is a struggle.

Yours in the struggle,

T