Don't settle for poor quality...

I seem to be hovering around the mid to upper 180’s in weight. I am not consistent on my eating…some days too little, some days, too much. Still all says I should be losing. Everything I have read says I should not weigh this much. Is this where I will end up at? WHAT should I truly strive to weigh? I can search until my fingers are raw, and keep finding different numbers. Numbers, numbers, numbers...it's all about the numbers, isn't it? I know, it shouldn't be. I know...I know, I know, I know!!! But, it really IS all about the numbers. Someday, I will give up on the numbers game...but not yet.
I've been watching the videos from UCTV titled "The Skinny on Obesity" as well as HBO's series "Weight of a Nation". They are very interesting. There are lots of tidbits of information and helpful tips on how to lose weight or fight the weight battles.

Today I saw a segment on mindful eating that had a man and woman sitting down at their table, about to eat a brownie. They closed their eyes in a sort of meditation for a full two minutes before taking their first bite. Now the message I think you were supposed to take away from this was to slow down and really think about what you are eating, before you even take that first bite. It is a common trick or suggestion that is given to help those who eat too fast or eat mindLESSly, to slow down. I have seen it, heard it, or read it several times in more than one place by many more than on person.

This time, however, I took something else away from the main message of mindful eating. My thoughts were not how the brownie would taste, but the memories that I associated with just having a brownie available to eat. I didn't think of the pleasure of the actual tastes from eating a chocolate brownie but in the specialness of a just having a brownie. It was a special treat. It was something that you'd be really lucky to have. It was important. I associated it with Mom. I associated it with the smells of brownies baking in the oven. I was associating it with memories, more so than the goodness of the taste.
THIS got me to thinking about how disappointed I have been in the past when I have indulged in a brownie, only to have it taste wrong. It was too dry. It tasted of chemicals. It was too raw. It was hard as a rock. It had too many nuts. It needed to have nuts to taste right. It had crappy frosting on it. There wasn't ice cream to have with it. You know what I mean! (And yes, we eat the bad brownies anyway, now don't we?)

What's all this got to do with today's posting? Let me tell you!
Number one, eat mindfully.
Number two, don't eat something that isn't the best quality you can get. If you are counting your calories let your calories count! Not only are WE worth the time it takes to learn how to live a healthy and long life, but WE are worth quality. We are worth quality, especially when we are watching quantity!

Come on now...let's go for a walk! (A quality one!)