holidays

I was walking down the aisles of my grocery store today just minding my own business. My thoughts were on the next errands I had to run, trying to estimate the time it would take for each and determine if I would be able to complete them before my 1:00 p.m. appointment.

As I pushed my cart, I was met with the blitz of holiday food conveniently placed where it could not be missed. There, in the center aisle, were the ingredients for your favorite Thanksgiving feast. Green bean casserole with French fried onions, dressing, pumpkin pie, cookie mixes, Velveeta cheese with RO*TEL, You name it, it was probably there. And all I could do was send up a whisper of “thanks”.

For a brief moment I was reminded of my dieting days, the days before I had this incredible thing called Peace with Food. Back then, I couldn’t go to the grocery store during the holidays without facing one of two options:

Option 1 – Go off my diet and indulge which would inevitably result in me spiraling out of control.
Option 2 – Resist the incredible urge to buy these “off-limit” tempting foods. The result of this option? Resent my diet for making me feel deprived which would eventually cause me to throw off all restraint, indulge, and spiral out of control.

Two different options. The same end result.

But thankfully, that was before Peace with Food. Now I am no longer tormented with the grocery store or with the foods frequently flashed before us during the holidays. That is because I now know that I can have whatever I want, just maybe not as much as I want. And with this freedom to enjoy the foods I love, surprisingly I really don’t desire them that much and when I do, I now know how to enjoy them in moderation and then move on, feeling content and satisfied.

Yes, I am thankful for many things this Thanksgiving and Peace with Food is definitely one of them.