Thanksgiving weekend is upon us. Cue the stretchy pants, the gluttony, the Monday morning regret of stuffing ye’ ol’ cake hole with too much pumpkin pie.
I am a binge eater. I can eat like I have a hollow leg. I’ll eat until I’m full, and then I will eat more a few hours later. And not too long ago, it showed. I was far from an image of health.
My binging made following a meal plan during a holiday extremely hard. Ooooh, the angst of not being able to enjoy a sweet! Sticking to meat, veggies, and potatoes was like the end of the world. I allowed it to wreck the whole day
Cue drama, cue self pity, cue whining.
It’s rediculous when you think about it, right ? Talk about first world problems.
I remember the first time I stayed on track with a meal plan during a holiday. It sucked. It was no fun. I felt like I was missing out.
It was also very hard because of comments people mace. It’s really backwards when your own family makes eye rolling and moaning and groaning comments about ‘oh geez, just relax. It’s a special occasion! Oh, please, just have a little bit.’
Heaven forbid we look positively at someone demonstrating restraint.
In reflection, I was missing the bigger picture when demonstrating discipline and willpower. I was missing the other gifts I was given. I kept a promise to myself when it was really, really hard. I felt so accomplished!
It also allowed me to take in what really matters with a gathering. Good company, making memories, spending time with loved ones, enjoying the atmosphere.
Now, I’m not saying I’ll never enjoy a beautiful meal, and that I’ll always eat clean on a special occasion. Heck no. But I am saying that I will keep promises to myself when I need to.
Keeping promises to myself has shown me that food doesn’t define my experience anymore. I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything if my plate isn’t covered in gravy.
I can truly be in the moment no matter what is on my plate. And that is something to be thankful for.