Saying Goodbye to My Best Friend Graze

[Jessies Daughter]

You know, last night I had an epiphany! I realized that this “No S Thingy†is just as simple as No snacks, no sweets, no seconds on ANY day that does not begin with an S. That’s it, no additions, no thoughts, no guesses. BUT... there is also a huge loophole in those three simple rules so big that an elephant could waltz through it.

Aside from all bets being off on Saturdays, Sundays and “Exception Days†the real kicker is that there are these Elephants that YOU get to designate as NWS Days! (Non Weekend S Days.)

The three rules, the exceptions and the Elephants have allowed me to CHOOSE a new way of LIVING that has allowed me to change the way I view food by changing the way I eat food.

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS HOW IT WORKS FOR ME.

My first post was carefully worded in an effort to veil the fact that I did not think I would be successful at this because I just knew that I would hurt Graze. I did not want to hurt Graze because Grace was my best friend. A bad day, Graze would encourage me to make a bowl of salsa and eat a half a bag of corn chips. A good day, Graze would encourage me to celebrate with a bag of Brownie Bites topped with Drunken whipped Cream (Graze convinced me that because they were Brownie BITES it was OK to eat the bag.) A normal day, Graze would encourage me to reward myself with a trip to Marble Slab for a waffle cone of Amaretto ice cream with two scoops of pecans. Through good, bad and indifferent, Graze was “there for me†like Life Alert.

Graze was my friend and she had convinced me to buy all the stock I could in the six small meals a day as a way to boost metabolism and lose Weight Company. Problem was that I took that as a license to permagraze from the time I woke up until the time I went to bed.

I had a whole file drawer of fruit cups, salsa, and corn chips, Sun Chips, strawberry flavored Shredded Wheat, Miso Soup, Asian Noodle bowls, Cokes (a special weakness) and anything else that may have been on sale at the grocery store that week. Snacking was my life and Graze was my friend.

When I first started the No S Thingy, Graze would often remind me, sounding so much like my Mother, that I could not waste all the food stores I had amassed in my file cabinet and in my cupboard. Through Graze I would hear my Mother’s voice telling me of all the staving children that would love to have the food I left on my plate as a child.

But you know what, I am not a child any more and all of the information I have stored in my brain from childhood do not have to control the way I CHOOSE to eat today. I do not have to clean my plate nor do I have to eat for ANY REASON OTHER THAN TO NOURISH MY BODY

I have given Graze the boot. She still calls, wanting to renew our friendshipbut each time she calls me I snap a rubber band, that I keep on my wrist, to remind me that I was tired of her living in my head rent free. I sold my stock in the six small meals a day as a way to boost metabolism and lose Weight Company and I DECIDED, I CHOSE to embrace this No S Thingy with all of the zeal and zest that I had put into my friendship with Graze and I DECIDED that I was going to MAKE this work for ME.

FOR ME this No S Thingy is just like establishing a new Good HABIT. I HAVE TO DO WHATERVER IT TAKES TO STICK TO NO SNACKS NO SWEETS NO SECONDS NO MATTER WHAT. This is not easy for me to do but the reward it is going to bring is going to be so worth it.

I cannot fail at this. EVEN IF I HAVE A SNACK, I CAN START AGAIN TOMORROW. EVEN IF I HAVE A SWEET, I CAN START AGAIN TOMORROW, EVEN IF I HAVE A SECOND, I CAN START AGAIN TOMORROW. EVEN IF I HAVE ALL THREE, I CAN START AGAIN TOMORROW.

Even if I have a lot of tomorrows, I am still a success because every tomorrow I get a new start on changing my life as ir relates to my relationship food

[CatholicCajun]

Hello. You post gave me goose bumps!! I think we all have that friend named Graze, but in the first sentence of you story you miss-typed Graze and said that Grace was your friend, and now by the Grace of God, we have found this program. God BLess you, all of your todays and tomorrows and all your starting overs, too!

[CrazyCatLady]

Words of wisdom, Jessies Daughter! If I were more computer savy, I would have posted a picture of a standing ovation, because that is what I felt like as I read!

[BrightAngel]

Great Post, Jessies Daughter....
I heartily agree with all the concepts that you stated.
I think that Jessie should be proud of you.

[OrganicGal]

Awesome post!!! I'm standing and applauding your words. Really hit home for sure.

[FarmerHal]

Don't start tomorrow, start at the next meal.

And take it from me. I've had a lot of slip ups and imperfect N days. Heck, imperfect WEEKS! And even so, with the majority of good N days, I've lost 31lbs and plan to lose at least that much more.

Isn't it nice when you come to such revelations about yourself? Great post

[blueskighs]

Jessies Daughter,

love the story of Graze! And for making the excellent point that we can change the way we talk to ourselves:

But you know what, I am not a child any more and all of the information I have stored in my brain from childhood do not have to control the way I CHOOSE to eat today. I do not have to clean my plate nor do I have to eat for ANY REASON OTHER THAN TO NOURISH MY BODY

In an interesting book, I think it is called Adult Transformations, the author makes the case that the problem is not that we talk to ourselves but the way that we talk to ourselves. Most of us still have an overbearing parent voice in our head who is still telling us messages that "may be" appropriate to a four year old but have no correlation to our current adult reality.

The good news that is that we can argue/converse/talk back to that voice with our current reality and "grow it up".

I think that is what you are describing here and a wonderful refresher for me.

Thank you,

Blueskighs

[kccc]

That Graze sounds like a toxic friend. I think you've made a wise choice dumping her.

(And I love your witty and insightful post!)