In high school I, like many, never had to pay attention to weight. Not because I had some jealousy-mongering fast metabolism, but rather, I never really noticed food.
I mean, I knew it was there, but I did not see the need to pay attention to it any more than other frivolous matters like baseball power rankings, the current year or the road.
It was when I hit college — where all social situations revolve around food — that I realized it played a bigger role than merely aiding in my survival.
I would hear people say that they were eating so poorly, or so much, because they were stressed. And then there were others who, after a particularly large meal, enjoyed sweating for small things, such as two nice thighs.
Suddenly, my idea of “normal” — like having a six-pack without even saying the word “gym” — was but a mere pipe dream.
Luckily, merely adding daily exercise to my life has helped me stay in shape, but I know how hard it still is to slip up when it comes to food.
On a day-to-day basis, you see guys and girls alike eating salads during the day and splurging on alcohol at night. People do crazy things to keep the weight off, and even those who are very conscious about what goes into their bodies often struggle to maintain their weight.
Maybe the problem isn’t food, but rather the way most of us view food. Our savior. Our enemy. Our Saturday.
You know how you always hear people say that you have to “pay more attention to your food?” Well, sadly, that doesn’t mean stroking it lovingly and reminding chocolate of the day you first met. It means being thoughtful about what goes into that body of yours.
Yes, obviously you should eat healthily if you don’t want to pack on the pounds, but what if you want to be the person packing the punch? Well, to maintain weight loss and not end up gaining it back means more than just changing your diet. It means changing your outlook on food.
No, I am not going to bore you by telling you to eat at the table rather than out of the box while the delivery guy is still holding your pizza, or that waking up to go to the bathroom shouldn’t involve a trip to make sure “the refrigerator light is off.” You probably know that by now.
I find it interesting that everyone I know who talks and thinks about food is very fit and healthy. But still many people believe that instead of loving food, they have to hate it to ward off the weight.
Then why is there so much evidence to the contrary? Go on most food blogs and you’ll see that these people plan all day what they will be cooking, what will go into it and how much they will make. It is more than just consumption. Eating is a process for them, and they enjoy the entire journey.
It is no coincidence that people who live for food have control over it. They appreciate it more and do not need to have such large portions to get their fill. Everyone else is engaging in many distractions while they are eating and are not aware of the present. Like anything else in life, appreciating food involves being in the moment.