When it comes to bad food habits, I think I check ALL of the boxes. I honestly can’t think of a bad food-related habit I DON’T have! It is one of the things that makes me nervous about the success of this endeavor.
Here is an off-the-cuff list of my bad food habits.
- Willpower – Maybe my biggest issue? I don’t know. For most of my life I always heard that was all I needed to “fix” my weight/food issues. Then in the last decade, give or take, I’ve started hearing that maybe that is easier for some than others. I don’t know. But I know it’s something I struggle with in a lot of ways.
- FOTB aka Food On The Brain – I go to bed planning for what I am going to eat the next day. Usually by lunch I’m already planning for dinner. I feel like I think about food all the time.
- Emotional Eating – I eat when I’m bored. I eat when I’m anxious. When I’m worried. When I’m sad. When I’m happy. Nervous, excited….pretty much every emotion I have is associated with food.
- Over Eating – I eat WAY too much food. I eat meals big enough for more than one person, plus tons of snacks. I find it curious that I can eat a meal, to the point of feeling nauseous, then twenty minutes later I could eat again…and again…and again.
- Food and Media – I find that when I eat alone, and sometimes with family, I need some media going. It’s like they go hand in hand in some unholy union.
- Sweets – This is probably my biggest actual food issue. I have something sweet with EVERY meal…and in between…and before…and after… From cookies, to candy, from ice cream to cake. I absolutely love sweets. Sometimes for lunch I go to the local Wendy’s and get a large sweet tea, a large chocolate frosty, and small burger or nuggets. A meal, even breakfast, doesn’t feel complete without something sweet.
- Carbs – I love my carbs. That goes along with the sugar stuff I know, but I also love bread, pasta, chips, fries, etc.
- Rich/Fatty Foods – pizza, burgers, steak, fried food with gooey cheese, bacon, etc. I love all the bad stuff.
- Not enough good food – I used to think I liked a lot of “good” food, but the more I thought about it the more I realize I don’t. I don’t like low fat meats like tuna, salmon (I don’t actually like fish at all, except for fried cod/flounder). I like some veggies like carrots, peas, etc., but there are tons I don’t like: cucumbers, broccoli, spinach, kale…I don’t like those things. I’ve learned to tolerate a few like zucchini and squash when they are grilled, but there are so many I just really don’t like. I like chicken. I like beef. I like some pork. I’m not big on turkey but sometimes will eat it.
These are all just off the top of my head. If I thought about it I bet there would be more.
This is the stuff that worries me about this process…knowing I have to overcome some of these hurdles.