Food Addictions, Low Carb Diets, and Quitting Smoking

I was thinking more about the the doc that I saw on Friday. He's an ass, but he made a really good point when we first talked. He pretty much said that diet trumped exercise because a good romp at the bakery can wipe out any of the progress that was made in a workout. So, I could burn 500 calories working out for an hour, then easily make up the deficit by having a bowl of ice cream. That was the argument for going with diet over exercise.

And, diet is exponentially easier to pull off. But, what I've really found is that by taking off the weight, I want to move more. It's like... think of it like you're a coiled spring, but you're under a whole hella lot of paper and detritus. With each bit of weight that's removed, you get a little more uncoiled and ready to spring around. Since it's a pretty slow process of detritus removal, you don't spring and bounce, but your'e definitely in more of a position to bounce around than you were at the start.

What the low-carb thing has done is refocus my priorities. I don't necessarily want sweet things all the time, I want food that will nourish me and keep me going. I am gradually shifting my attention over to the use of food rather than the pleasure of food. It's sad in some ways, but I know that the passion will come back in a healthier manner. Kind of like alcohol - the less that you're drunk, the more you're able to do.

Addiction takes time, effort, and energy. For example, I have not had a cigarette since October 12th. This was the day that two of my dearest friends got married. I had nearly a whole pack that day, then forgot to get another one the next day - you see, we rekindle our addictions when we wake up. I didn't get the opportunity to get a pack that following day, or the next one. My desire was plummeting... and by the time I had to go and get gas at the store... I just didn't want to get a pack of cigarettes.

That's the same thing that I'm feeling toward sweets, breaded food, and grains. The desire is kind of slipping away - yes, it will always be there. Yes, I will eat it if it's the only thing around. Yes, I see that it's pretty much just junk. So, while I might say that I crave it just like I crave cigarettes, I don't CRAVE it enough to really make a beeline toward it, if that makes any sense. Besides, the diet that I'm on allows me to eat pretty much anything.

So, you're going to be faced with a TON of challenges out there. You're faced with carb events on a daily basis, but you know which choices are going to get you to that better place. It's all about one day at a time. Seriously, one day, one step, one moment at a time.

If you've been reading this, write something in the comments so that I know there's someone else out there. Tell your friends, because encouragement makes the world go 'round. :)