The Secret

So I figured out the secret key to my weight loss - being busy.

Today I was super busy. I was running here and there. Working, running errands, getting a physical. I had a small breakfast (a banana), a healthy lunch (the BEST Cobb salad) and I wasn't even really hungry by the time I got home. In fact, I didn't obsess about food the way I usually do.

When I say I obsess about food, I really do . . .

There was this time I had a craving for some Cool Ranch Doritos. I was at a conference for work. I sat there and listened to a union organizer tell a compelling interesting story about his life. But all I could think about was how good those damn Doritos would taste. I thought about the blue bag and how much I love to lick the spices of one side of the chip before I eat it. I considered how it would impact my job performance if I ran out and grabbed a bag. I contemplated the most inconspicuous way to leave the ballroom I was in so that no one would notice.

Seriously, it was crazy. But you get my point.

Today I didn't obsess about food. In fact I am a little disappointed I didn't eat more because I discovered an online food diary and I really wanted to calculate my calories for the day.

One of the reasons I've avoided going on an official diet is because I just don't want food to overwhelm my life. I want to enjoy it, not dread it. Today I ate for sustenance, not because I was bored or because TV commercials or Doritos billboards subliminally influenced me (I believe this for real - that's another blog post on the evils of the food industries marketing tactics).

Instead of thinking about what I was going to eat or what I couldn't eat, I thought about work and all that I needed to do this weekend. Ironically, I cried last night because I felt so overwhelmed with all that was on my plate between work, extracurricular activities, my fear of letting people down, my ambition and my commitment to making sure I have a social life. But today I felt good.

Boredom = Doritos

That is what I've learned.