Attractively lively and animated, bubbling with enthusiasm and exuberance which flow effortlessly from an endless natural spring within the heart of the vivacious person, this is vivacità.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Day Nine - Indiscriminate Eating

John Lennon was self-conscious about his weight for years.

In his thirties he discovered that, once he cut out alcohol, it was 'indiscriminate eating' that was doing him in. So he cut that out, too.

And his excess weight dropped off.

After a week of eating unprocessed foods I have discovered what John noticed. The weight drops off. I didn't realize just how much I was ingesting due to nibbles here and there. Since the things I normally snack on - crackers, candy, cookies - have to be made by hand with unprocessed ingredients before they can be nibbled on, I'm not eating them anymore. Too much trouble.

I do miss the nibbles, to be honest. But I am getting used to grabbing a handful of nuts, a piece of fruit, a bowl of made-on-the-stove-in-a-pan-in-extra-virgin-organic-coconut-oil-popcorn, or a glass of milk.

My sweet tooth has been assuaged easily with homemade ice-cream, pumpkin muffins, and chocolate cake. Because these foods are prepared with honest-to-goodness ingredients a small amount satisfies, plus they are served as single serving desserts and do not avail themselves to indiscriminate eating. It makes a difference.

I never thought I could eat full meals and tasty desserts and still lose weight.

Lesson for Today:

Discriminate Eating = Mindfully choosing what you'd like to eat, preparing it if necessary, then enjoying it.

4 comments:

Marianne Elixir said...

I love your definition of discriminate eating. I think that probably summarizes my philosophy of eating, and thus I never feel deprived.

Cherie said...

Thanks, Marianne. I still have a little way to go until I'm completely there. So many years of 'convenience' foods have spoiled what should be a natural pathway. But I'm getting there. This challenge really helps! And you have been a great example to me for years now.

Marianne Elixir said...

You do an amazing job. And it helps that you love cooking! My husband brought home those white crack-sugar cookies yesterday, and Costco chocolate covered peanuts today. Not good for a pregnant woman! I think I am going to try to cover my own nuts in chocolate tomorrow. We shall see. So far, I have restrained with no problem =)

Cherie said...

Good for you for restraining yourself yourself. You'll have to let me know if you do, in fact, make chocolate covered nuts and then, how they turn out. Sounds yummy. Tell Andew to get to eating that junk food up NOW. You know, so it's not around. ;)