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I have come to the conclusion that I am not a dog. That might seem obvious to some, questionable to others, but it took a while for me to figure out. I may have said it before, but it bears repeating: "I am not a dog, so why should I reward myself with food?"
Figuring out things in life that give me joy other than food has been the biggest "A-ha" of this whole journey for me. Looking back at my old private journal entries, I'm seeing a lot of complaining that when I took away all my favorite foods, I was depressed because a lot of my sources of joy were missing. Then one day, I woke up and said to myself, "Really? Do you seriously only live and die for food? How pathetic!" I got good and pissed off at myself and decided to make a note of it every time I laughed or smiled when my mouth wasn't full and I found this:
1) Playing with my dog
2) Joking with my husband
3) Hanging out with friends
4) Reading books
5) Watching movies
6) Reading Journals on FS
Turns out there is joy everywhere - I just needed to look for it. And it lasts a lot longer than the three seconds it takes to swallow a bite of food.
Just thought I'd share my wisdom as it comes.
This weekend went well. I ate a lot of physically heavy food yesterday like cantaloupe and pineapple, so it's no surprise that I'm mainly unchanged today. Looking forward to another great week. Thank you to my buddies who keep me strong here!
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 Comments
Your list of things that give you joy is wonderful. Thanks for the inspiration.
17 Feb 14 by member: jgeorges35
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Thanks, jgeorges35. I hope to get others to add to my list - what gives you joy that doesn't have calories?
17 Feb 14 by member: mrsmole
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I so needed that. Thank you for your blunt honesty. I don't want to be a dog either. :)
17 Feb 14 by member: choiceismine
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Good point. We should reward ourselves with shoes!
17 Feb 14 by member: BuffyBear
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OMG -- I love this journal! I'd never thought of it that way, but as much as I love my doggie, will have to tell her too that I'm of a different species! And I love the everyday things you listed that bring joy. In working my journey toward mindful eating, one of the things I've been thinking about is building a "big, new" life… i.e. what I want to add to my life to better fill the place that overeating &/or bingeing held. I'd been thinking only in terms of big things, many which felt too time consuming to me. Thanks, my special friend, for pointing out to me that there are many little ways to build a "big" life too! xoxox
17 Feb 14 by member: Ruhu
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Choiceismine, BB and Ruhu, thank you for chiming in. BB, I literally laughed out loud at your shoe remark. Choice, I'll join you in not being a dog together. Sometimes, blunt is the only way. Ruhu, Look at a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle up close... each piece has to come together perfectly to form the big picture, right? That a LOT of little pieces, isn't it? Thanks to all my special friends for their collective wisdom.
17 Feb 14 by member: mrsmole
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Awesome entry Mrsmole. Love the wisdom and the fact that you are so willing to share it all with us! You, by the way, make US strong!! And I thank u for that. xx
17 Feb 14 by member: Babe53
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Here's my submittal to what makes me happy without food...yep doing it with my hubby...burns some calories too as an added bonus! That brings me more joy than any bite of food could ever come close to...yes even chocolate!
17 Feb 14 by member: kmunson
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Hah! Love it! Good one, kmunson. Especially the calorie burn. Woo hoo!
17 Feb 14 by member: mrsmole
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Loving your light bulb moment,these are the things that will stop you sliding back to your old way and help you in the future! Fantastic post!
18 Feb 14 by member: sal254c
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Too funny! My cats are swarming me in the mornings. Just realized they want their drop of cream, which I always passed out when I made my tea. I'm having tea with lemon and a tiny bit of honey these days, but I did pass out cream for them this morning.
So, things that make me happy that aren't food - watching the animals of course; taking pictures of the weather, walking in the woods, small plans for the future, like which tree to cut and where to plant flowers. Small accomplishments like cleaning off my desk. Clothes that fit better than they did last week.
18 Feb 14 by member: Julie Meow
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Excellent realization. Overconsumption is often tied to emotions, which are tied to the mind. We can control our emotions even though we are taught we can't.
Realizations like this not only effect your diet but the rest of your life. Keep at it!
18 Feb 14 by member: geilt
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I am now having to learn to shop the way I eat - carefully and selectively, and not too much of anything (even though I need some new clothes!!). Shopping is another emotional high, just like eating can be.
18 Feb 14 by member: erwinwarrior83
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Thanks to all who posted what gives them joy other than food. These are great things to remember the next time our lizard brains try to convince us that our worlds revolve around what we eat - they do not! There is joy all around. Thanks to all again
18 Feb 14 by member: mrsmole
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Yes, this is all great stuff. I harass (give forced affection) to my cats when I need a pick me up.
19 Feb 14 by member: jgeorges35
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