Obsession 101

I have blogged several times before expressing my dismay when it came to my recent obsessing over what I eat. A wave of irritation came over me yesterday, and I couldn't help but feel fed up with having to work on my weight loss so darn hard. I thought about how much easier it would be to just accept myself the way I am, and to eat whatever and whenever I want. It is so much easier then counting calories, trying to burn off what I DO eat, and obsessing about what I will eat for the next meal. The brain work that goes into this is tremendous.

But, let me tell you. This thought of mine was very short lived. My thinking was quickly diverted into remembering how things were for me "before". I remembered how when I was eating and living unhealthy, I was still obsessing. I obsessed about what I was going to eat next, how much of it I could eat, and who would know. I obsessed about how fat and miserable I was and how I was such a failure. I obsessed about how my husband must be grossed out by me. I obsessed about how I was going to die early and miss out on my grandchildren and how angry my children would be at me for not taking better care of myself. I obsessed about never being able to go to the pool, skiing, horseback riding, amusement parks, to try on clothes or be seen in public PERIOD without feeling terribly uncomfortable in my own skin. I worried about what chair I could fit into, and how I hoped I wouldn't break it. You name it, I obsessed about it.

It is so clear, even when I am tempted to fall back into my old behaviors, that my obsessions are healthy obsessions now. I would much rather worry about what I am going to eat and making sure it is low in calories and healthy than having to worry about all the things I used to worry about. I would much rather obsess about something that will yield a healthy result, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.