"All You See, I Owe to Spaghetti"

Thank you, Sophia Loren, for the title to my latest post. How true is that quote? "All you see, I owe to spaghetti." ...feel free to replace spaghetti with whatever you so chose. For me, I'll stick to the spaghetti. I can definitely contribute a few of my womanly curves to a few plates of spaghetti, there's no doubt about it!
I love a good macaroni night. I'll take spaghetti, linguine, penne, ...I think you've caught my drift. Just because I've been on this weight loss journey does not mean I have given up any of the foods I love, I've just modified them in some ways. I've turned my household from a strictly flour-enriched pasta home to a whole wheat pasta home. I heard rumors about how whole wheat pasta is an acquired taste but we switched quite smoothly. There is one thing I haven't made since beginning this journey. Alfredo sauce. Oh how I love that rich, smooth, creamy texture of the cheesy Alfredo sauce. Could I still eat it on my weight loss plan? Absolutely I can. There is nothing I can't eat in fact. Do I choose to disregard the Alfredo sauce? Yes. Although I may make it once in a great while (haven't yet since my journey), I will take the strides possible to modify the original Alfredo sauce to a healthier, less fat Alfredo sauce.

This is where I find a lot of people get off track. There is one thing they love so much that they absolutely refuse to modify it in any way possible. I have to say I believe that if you have the willpower to cut back on the culprit that put you in this position, then okay, no problem. Enjoy it once in a while. However, if it is still a staple in your monthly rotation of dinners, why not try to find a way to improve it? Chances are, once it's improve you could have it more often and in many cases I have found that the modified version tastes just as delicious if not more delicious!

Willpower is defined by Webster Dictionary as "control of one's impulses and actions; self-control."

I have learned throughout the past year that I have a large amount of willpower. More than I ever thought I could have. I am not saying this to gloat or to make anyone feel poorly if that is something you know you need to work on, but I'm saying it because it is something I learned about myself in the past year. I believe that it is a quality that has helped keep me on track and on continuous weight-loss for so long. I have an incredibly strong mind. That is to say, I talk to myself all the time, silently. I know that I can mentally prepare myself for things whereas before this journey, I never gave it a shot.

When there are parties to attend, dinners with friends, social events that involve food - it is so important to myself that I talk to myself before and set a goal for myself. I haven't been perfect but at least I knew that there was a goal and whether I was able to reach it or not and then next modify that goal so I can be successful. As a society, we've put food on a pedestal, haven't we? Why do most social events revolve around food? It's something we all have in common. We all need to eat. We all enjoy a nice meal out where we don't have to prepare or clean up.

In these situations, I use my willpower the most. I've learned that when I go out, my best chance at having a successful evening, is sharing a meal with someone. Usually then I can say, "Yeah, okay let's get an appetizer first, and split our meal." It's also so much cheaper! I find that I try new things this way too because it isn't just about what I want, but what my dinner partner wants as well.

My one year anniversary is approaching quickly. Looking back, I have been very successful using the tools that work for me. Most important to me, is channeling my inner willpower and using it. Maybe not with 100% accuracy - but with enough accuracy that I can enjoy my life, not feel deprived and still have a successful week of weight loss.

That's really what it's all about, right? Again, as society, we plan dinner dates, we look forward to meals all day long, we can't wait to sit around the dinner table with our families and eat and chat. You can eat what you like, you don't have to be deprived and you can still lose weight. It's all in using your willpower to know when to stop when you are content, not stuff. It's filling up on good things before a large meal. It's portion control. It's not going someplace where you might disappoint yourself with your choices, starving. I've made poor poor choices while starving, even recently - but I can own up to those mistakes and think more carefully about it the next time the situation rolls by.

Try to have a conversation with yourself. If you do it silently, no one will look at you funny, I promise. ;-)