Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat

I'm currently reading Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat By Michelle May, M.D.

This book has been such a great read; I'm excited to read it again to pick up on the little things I might have missed the first time around. In a nutshell, this book explains how to eat instinctively and break the 'Eat-Repent-Repeat' cycle. 

          I originally began my weight loss journey in July of 2009. In about a year, I went from 263 lbs to around 200 lbs. In the last 2 to 3 years, however, my weight loss has slowed down significantly. I've been losing and gaining the same 15 lbs over and over again. 

          I've tried a slew of different programs such as Weight Watchers, fitness bootcamps, therapy, nutritionist meetings, and more. I've read several books, hoping the next one would solve my fake plateau. It's not that any of these didn't cause me to lose weight, it's more of the self-sabotage that would set in when I began to get close to my goal. I was 13 lbs away from my goal of losing 100 lbs (for a final weight of 163 lbs). 13 lbs! That's almost nothing, and I reverted to all my old ways and gained some back. 

          When I hit 200 lbs again towards the end of 2012, I knew I had to do something, something more permanent. I joined a fitness bootcamp with my boyfriend and began to work. I haven't lost a substantial amount of weight or anything. I went from 198 lbs to 192 lbs. I began reading this book 4 lbs ago and it's helped me control my eating in a way that feels permanent. I'm eating mindfully at almost every meal. I'm paying attention to my physical hunger cues more than ever, and most meals I find myself leaving food that I normally would have finished before. 

          I can't explain the freedom I feel from counting points, calories, ounces, and everything else. I'm making food choices based on what I really want to eat at the moment. I mildly plan my meals, and I'm only sure that there is something around in case I get hungry. Just that one step has helped me stop eating needlessly. I eat what I want, which has actually been pretty healthy food, and I stop when I'm full. 

          I'm not telling you to go out and buy the book (if you do, check eBay, I got mine for $6 shipped). I'm just asking you to slow down and be mindful of your eating. Stop eating when you're not hungry. Ask yourself 'Am I hungry?' before you eat anything. When you're emotionally eating, slow down. Ask yourself why you are eating if you're not hungry. Over a few days, it becomes easier and easier to be in charge of food. Don't let a diet or rules control you. When you feel like eating and you're not hungry, go on Pinterest or something and look at motivating posts. It can't hurt!


-Vanessa P.