Six years ago, before the start of my most recent weight
loss effort, I was powerless against York Peppermint Patties. When I got home
tonight and discovered that my husband had bought a bag of them to pass out to
trick-or-treaters, I experienced a moment of panic. Would my living room be the
scene of a candy apocalypse later tonight? Especially as we have yet to welcome
a costumed visitor at our door.
Truth alert. I’ve already sampled the bag. Two patties to be
exact. Did they taste good? Um, yes. And no. The peppermint rush was intoxicating,
but they were awfully sweet. As in awful.
I’m not so sure I want to eat another.
No one ever talked to me about maintenance in all the years
I struggled with my weight. When I reached my goal weight five years ago, after
a year-plus of dieting, I had no idea what lay ahead. Was I doomed to a life in
which I would need to exercise endless willpower and engage in an on-going battle
against feelings of deprivation? Or, would I undergo a miraculous transformation
at some point, where eating a healthy diet would become effortless, joyful even?
So far, it’s been something in between. There have been days of agony and days
of peace and days of edgy calm before the storm.
At this moment I am at ease. The York Peppermint Patties
have not whispered in my ear tonight. I think that maybe the accumulation of
habit over the last five years is starting to work in my favor. Perhaps my
expectations have changed too, in that I no longer look to food to make
everything all right. Getting from there to here has been a bit dicey at times,
but here I am and I’m glad of it.
No one can tell a newly slender person with any degree of certainty
how to embark upon weight maintenance. You have to make the journey on your
own. Oh sure, I can give you my story, but your story will probably be
different. All I can say is find support wherever you can and hang in there. If
you do, you will eventually find what works for you. It’s worth it, even if it
takes a long time.
For most of the last five years I’ve felt like a fat person
in a thin person costume, but I’m beginning to get a glimpse of a land off in the
distance where that’s not so anymore.
Take that York Peppermint Patties!
That's interesting about the mints. I still have a sweet tooth. But I have found that some foods that I thought were SO GOOD are just so so now. It doesn't stop me from craving them occasionally, but they slowly lose their power. It sure takes a long time. The latest was some bread that I considered THE WORLD'S BEST BREAD. Even when I started dieting, I would buy a loaf, cut it into slices, and freeze it so I could have just one perfect slice at a time. I bought some of it for my recent vacation, and it was just...ordinary. I always wonder if my tastes have changed, or if the recipe has changed. I choose to believe that my tastes have changed, and that lessens yet another food's power.
ReplyDeleteThat's funny because I had a similar experience last weekend. I was having dinner at my parents' house and my mother made Swedish meatballs with egg noodles, one of my favorite dishes from when I was a kid. The meatballs were as good as I remembered them, but the egg noodles didn't really turn me on. They were OK, but not the wow taste I remember.
DeleteI agree that each of us has different issues with different foods. I still stay away from sugar because it can definitely trigger an eating binge.
ReplyDeleteWhat I do find strange is how good certain foods taste to me. A sweet cherry tomato is amazing. A sliver of very good cheese or a home made dressing can make me truly appreciate what I'm eating, thoroughly enjoy it without wanting or needing to overeat. I've also recently been tuning into when I've had enough and it's no longer when there is nothing left on my plate.
Right now I'm just taking it one day at a time.
Sugar is a no no for me too. The sweet taste just makes me want to eat more and more.
DeleteMy taste has changed since reaching goal weight and eating clean.
ReplyDeleteI wanted tomato soup the other day. I was lazy and I bought canned soup. I gagged on it. It was so sweet, artificially sweet tasting. It use to be my favorite brand. In the end, I made it from scratch.
I find a lot of processed foods don't taste all that good to me anymore. Too sweet, too salty, or even too bland. What excites me the most now food-wise is fresh fruit. Over the summer I became enamored with peaches, just couldn't get enough of them. A few weeks ago I paid a ridiculous amount of money for fresh berries to make a mixed berry salad.
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