Sunday, March 20, 2011

You've come a long way, baby....

Hi. My name is Chicken Little. And I am addicted to food.

(Hi, Chicken Little!)

I am a total compulsive eater.  Food makes everything better.  Except for when it doesn't.

I grew up in a house that used food as a reward. I've worked really hard this week so I totally deserve those brownies. How easily that becomes I'm really stressed after work today so I deserve to treat myself to chinese tonight.  Food is inextricably linked with emotion.  If I've done well, I deserve to eat.  Eating makes me feel better. Ergo, when I feel bad, I eat too. And more. And worse.

(Imaginary clapping from my imaginary 12 step group)

So why the title of the post, Chicken Little? (I'm gonna keep going like I have readers here, okay?)

Well after a roller coaster of a 2009, complete with an 800 mile move and a 14 hour's drive distance between me and my husband, I gained a lot of weight. I've lost about a quarter of it in 2010, but I'm finding myself, now in 2011, hitting a major plateau.  I know what works for me - eating moderately, lots of fruits and vegetables, little to no processed foods, and a combination of cardio and weight training at least 3x a week. I've gotten this far by figuring all that out, over the course of a year. Simple, no?

Yeah, not so much.  See, you know how I mentioned above that I deal with stress by eating? My job? Super stressful.  I work a lot of extra hours and spend a lot of my time at home behind a computer doing more work.  And it's so much easier to sleep those extra 90 minutes than to get up, go to the gym, and make breakfast.  Because I really do need the sleep. No, really I do!

So I'm starting this to try to amp up my weight loss, better eating, healthy living regime.  I have a specific weight goal in mind for me, but really, I want to use this forum as more of a idea swap for good, healthy recipes and to get a little feedback here and there.  And keep me honest.  Maybe, just maybe, this will resonate with a few people who want to get started living better too.

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