Boundaries

One of the hardest things I've had to accept is that I am not normal when it comes to food. Perhaps I should say I am not what I perceive as normal. There are some foods, if left to my own devices, I would never stop with one or two portions the way a 'normal' person would. I also tend to use food as a tranquilizer for my moods. I eat the food of choice until either my mood is numbed and my stomach hurts or the food is all gone. And if the food is all gone before my mood is numbed and my stomach hurts, I'll likely go looking for more. I had to accept that because of this behavior, there are some foods that are just not safe to keep in the house. I set boundaries around them and do my best to live within those boundaries.

Being this honest with myself and being willing to change my behaviors by limiting my exposure to trigger foods are two reasons I've been successful in maintaining my weight loss. I call it Living Within Boundaries.

Here are some of my boundaries:

Chips - Eat only in a restaurant and only with the main meal. Count out one portion.

Sweets - Don't keep in the house. Can enjoy chocolate or a portion of a sweet AFTER I've worked out and only in the company of someone. The sweet should be of superlative quality (ie, Godiva or better)

Starches - Only eat in the company of others - one to two portions only (Starches are a huge trigger for me)

Nuts & Dried Fruit - Eat only as a 'emergency' snack when out on on adventure with D and the only other eating option is fast-food.

Nibbling - no nibbling while cleaning the kitchen.


That's it. Not too many boundaries and no food is every off limits. I just have certain limitations about how I can enjoy it. I am constantly tweaking my boundaries - sometimes the trigger foods and behaviors change and I need to make adjustments appropriately. That's where the self-honesty really plays a factor.