The McFlurry Theory

Linda (Linda's Bandwidth)... thank you for posting the article about The Biggest Loser. Especially the part about "no extremism" when it comes to food choices. Why do we succomb to the idea that if we eat something yummy, somehow we've failed? Why do we subject ourselves to the idea of "good" food VS "bad" food? This warped thinking, this extremism, is what has always caused me to fail at weight loss. It's true that if I ate something off of my diet, or heaven forbid something I actually enjoyed... I would think "that's it, I've ruined it, might as well just give up because I can not be perfect at this". Or worse, when the diet was over, gaining because the foods I had chosen to lose weight with, weren't the foods I would choose on a normal basis in the real world.

This is why I love my band! I've lost my weight, and now get to keep eating the exact same way. I am not an example of stellar nutrition- but that's real life. Who am I trying to kid? I do eat mostly healthy foods, but damn if I don't love to eat out... and I still do. Yesterday, one of my blog friends mentioned eating a McFlurry. I have to admit, it sounded wonderful, and not a half an hour later, I ordered a McFlurry for lunch! I haven't had one in years, not for any other reason than I hadn't wanted one. It was fabulous. It did not affect my calories for the day negatively. I enjoyed every bite, and there is no guilt. This is where I'm dropping the extremist diet mentality. This is the critical junction of where I'm doing things differently to keep my weight off. I'm not going to be crazy and leave temptation all around. But, I'm also not going to be crazy and think I can be successful without enjoying what I'm doing.

I'm also realizing that the point of all of this is not food. It's life! Doing and looking forward to life! I'm excited to be making plans for Chicago. Mr. W and I are going to go see Armida (Saturday Afternoon at the Met) this weekend. I've got lots of little summer time projects planned, and I'm going to look and feel wonderful doing them. It's about what I CAN do, not what I SHOULDN'T do. Even though I'm pretty miserable after my surgery, I'm so close to being where I was dreaming of being. It seemed so far away. I remember the longing clearly. Now I'm here, and it's critical I remember where I came from, how I got here, and keep the vision of living my life on my terms alive and strong. This is why I will continue to blog, and why I appreciate reading your blogs. It keeps me focused on what is truly important.