On Motivation

When we went to the Starbucks drive-through this afternoon, I automatically started considering my options. Something with no sugar. Something with low or non-fat milk. I settled on a non-fat latte.

Just a few days ago, I wouldn’t have bothered with the “no sugar” or “low or non-fat milk” requirements. Yet, it wasn’t hard to abide by them, at all. It’s like a switch flipped in my brain and I’ve started to make decisions based upon my healthy eating goals, rather than making decisions based upon a whim or a desire to treat myself. What’s changed? Nothing, really. Just this switch in my mind.

And now, instead of thinking “can I squeeze in an exercise session?” I’m thinking “how can I fit in some exercise?” and envisioning strategies by which I can accomplish what I’ve set out to do. I’m also eating less, generally, and I feel lighter and more energetic, not weighed down by the extra food I don’t need — so, it’s easier to envision exercising, even after a meal.

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Because of the recent fat-blog-land controversy over the merits or detriments of dieting, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the subject. Yes, I want to lose weight. Mostly, I want to take care of my body. This involves a few things:
*Eating healthy things in moderate amounts, until I’m satisfied.
*Exercising on a regular basis.

All going well, I’ll acomplish a few things:
*Lose weight to take some strain off my joints. (I have been feeling creaky with age and my knees have been a little unreliable lately.)
*Reduce my risk of type 2 diabetes and other obesity-related diseases (including heart disease).
*Feel more energetic and strong, so I can take part in activities (running, hiking, biking) that I enjoy, more easily.
*Increase my life span, so I can be around for my son’s growing up.
*Reduce my likelihood to experience depression.

So, am I “dieting” or changing my eating for all the wrong reasons? I really don’t think so.

I definitely want to expand the range of clothing that I’m able to wear, and feel better about the way I look, fashion-wise, but I feel like treating myself right (eating well, exercising) will naturally produce that result. After all, my diet has really been crap. I’ve not been abiding by anything resembling “health at any size.” I’ve been eating doughnuts and McDonald’s breakfast sandwiches (+ hash browns) for breakfast. I’ve been eating huge sandwiches of salami and ham, on French bread, for lunch — with potato chips on the side and a chocolate bar for a snack. And then I’ve been topping it off with pizza for dinner. No, that isn’t necessarily a representative day, but it gives you an idea of how much room there is for improvement. Plenty!