Blog

I am welcoming 2021 by adding an official website – up until now, my blog lived only on Facebook and Instagram.  You may wonder why I haven’t done this before now.  The answer is simple – I shied away from the learning curve.  I am going against my nature by putting this post up before I even really know what the heck I’m doing.  I spent a few hours today trying to figure out this whole WordPress website design stuff when I finally internally yelled “For the love of all that is holy, just put your first blog post up!  Take the leap!”  So, it may be clunky and will likely not be pretty – but there will be content!

One of my 2021 goals (other than losing however many pounds it is that I have gained in 2020 – I’ll be perfectly honest and tell you that I am terrified to get on the scale) is to spend less time in “analysis paralysis” mode and take more action.  I am sure that my desire for a perfect set of circumstances before taking any action has caused me to miss many an opportunity over the years.  When it comes to weight loss, I can’t tell you how many times I have said “I’ll start Monday”, or “I’ll start when this stressful time is over”, or “I’ll start on the 1^st of the Month” (oh, hello there January 1^st).  When it comes to this blog, it was “I’ll start when things aren’t as busy at work”, or “I’ll start when I have more time to learn”, or “I’ll start when I feel like I have more to say”.  But I have come to the conclusion that every day, every moment, every second, is a good time to start positive action – I don’t need perfect circumstances, I just need to be willing to take action in the face of less than perfect circumstances! 

My weight loss journey has taught me that getting control of my inner thought process is absolutely the key to any kind of success.  I won’t deny that it has been hard during 2020 – the year of COVID – to maintain healthy thought patterns.   Many stressful things happened this year and I found myself relying on food as a coping mechanism.  I knew I was doing it.  I kept going from hating myself for doing it to trying to be kinder to myself in my thoughts, but the vicious cycle continued.  I would wake up every morning with renewed resolve and would find myself hunting for my next sugar fix by noon.  Quite simply, if I continue making the choices of my recent past, I will become the statistic I vowed never to become.  This is why I keep seeking knowledge about the best food choices and changing what I eat accordingly.   I am fully aware that I still have a completely dysfunctional relationship with food.  I can quit things completely – where I struggle is moderation.  I find it easier to fast than eat sparingly.  If there were a way I could quit eating and still get the necessary sustenance for survival, I’d be totally set. 

Since that isn’t an option, my research led me to believing that whole-food plant-based makes the most sense for health.  I don’t self-identify as vegan – there are some morals/ethics surrounding the term that I don’t necessarily ascribe to – but I have been swayed by the evidence in favor of eating whole, plant-based foods for health. Here’s the thing though, someone as dedicated as I am to using food as comfort can easily gain weight with whole-food plant-based.  Many whole foods carry a high caloric content – think things like steel-cut oats, rice, beans, nuts, seeds, and medjool dates.  And even though those are much better choices than highly processed foods, eat enough of them and the pounds will come back on. 

I need a drastic “circuit breaker” for my mental and physical health – somehow I have to break free of the sugar / sugar substitute crutch.  Even natural sugars wake Hangry up and have him begging for more.  I have therefore chosen to embark on a 10-day “Mary’s Mini” (the details are well described in this link:  https://www.brandnewvegan.com/articles/what-is-a-marys-mini).   Most of my staple foods (smoothies, apples, oatmeal, bean salad etc.) are currently off the menu.  What is on the menu is…potatoes.  And more potatoes.  And more potatoes.   Thankfully, my chopped salad is acceptable as a side dish and I’m already quite used to eating vegetables with nothing but spices, salsa or hot sauce.

Pictured is the one meal I have had so far today.  Baked russet potato with steamed broccoli and surprisingly tasty sauce that I found here:  https://www.brandnewvegan.com/recipes/dips-sauces-and-gravy/amazing-vegan-cheese-sauce

I would love to be able to tell you that I’m going to get on the scale and report to you just how much weight I lose on this Mary’s Mini journey – but I’d be lying.  My mental health cannot handle that number on the scale at the moment.  I’m doing this more as a reminder that the purpose of eating is for FUEL not FUN!  This is the thing I forget most easily – especially with little to look forward to other than a date with chocolate.  Damn, people, I miss…PEOPLE!  I miss house gatherings and karaoke and travelling.  Oh, how I miss travelling.  To see PEOPLE!

I do, however, have comments from you all to look forward to.  And a new challenge of mastering this blogging website thing!