There was a time when I would do almost anything for good food. In my 20s (pretty much through all of them) I could eat whatever I wanted without suffering any consequences except intense but surprisingly short periods of guilt and shame.
Some nights I would go to the store for that week's worth of groceries and come home with a pint of ice cream and a cherry pie, both of which I'd eat in one night.
Some nights I would go to the store for that week's worth of groceries and come home with a pint of ice cream and a cherry pie, both of which I'd eat in one night.
It was only a few years into my 30s when I realized this wouldn't do anymore. I'd just look at something and gain weight. Eating whatever you want whenever you want can only go so far before fate or karma or whatever you want to call it comes calling to collect its dues. I cleaned up my act and started eating better and more sensibly.
A large part of my success with this came from two things: scented candles and glossy food magazines. I bought so many scented candles that smelled like cinnamon buns I thought I worked in a bakery and the amount of vicarious thrills I got from pouring through issues of Bon Appetit and Cooking Light (not to mention Cheap Eats specials for Baltimore and Washingtonian) was far more titillating than it should have been.
I used to laugh at aromatherapy, but there really is something to smell and the fact that a whiff of something can make you feel like you actually ate it. I can't really explain why looking at pictures helped so much except that maybe the physicality of looking at something can be almost as good as actually doing it.
Music also played a big role. My love for music grew and grew to the point where I'd rather spend any extra money I made on new cds or iTunes songs and because I liked (like) music so much, I suddenly found exercising more exciting than any food item I craved.
I used to laugh at aromatherapy, but there really is something to smell and the fact that a whiff of something can make you feel like you actually ate it. I can't really explain why looking at pictures helped so much except that maybe the physicality of looking at something can be almost as good as actually doing it.
Music also played a big role. My love for music grew and grew to the point where I'd rather spend any extra money I made on new cds or iTunes songs and because I liked (like) music so much, I suddenly found exercising more exciting than any food item I craved.
I'm not saying I don't have days where it's all I can do not to eat an entire Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey in one sitting or that I'm a skinny Minnie who doesn't have to worry about weight gain anymore...I'm just saying that my love for junk food only became cheap and sordid to me when I realized how many more uplifting things there are in life, one of the most important of them being music, a presence that is almost as strong as love as far as I'm concerned.
And one more thing: the tv. Turn it off when you're eating and you'll notice how much better everything tastes and how much slower you eat it. When I stopped associating food with the television I really started cutting back. I can't stress that enough!:)
And one more thing: the tv. Turn it off when you're eating and you'll notice how much better everything tastes and how much slower you eat it. When I stopped associating food with the television I really started cutting back. I can't stress that enough!:)
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