Hi, I’m Kim…and I am an addict!

I like food in the morning.
I like food at night.
I even like food by candlelight.

Food is my addiction.
Food is my crutch.
Food is going to kill me because I eat way too much!

I eat food when I drive.
I eat food when I cry.
I’m sure I’ll want food even after I die!

Yes, my name is Kim, and I am a food addict!

Everything about my life is altered by my desire to eat.  And, if I could ask for one thing to change in my life, it would be to lose weight and be healthier.  That’s it!  It is completely within my control for this to happen, yet I continue to eat all of the wrong things. Why can’t I do what I need to do?

I have tried everything you could think of to lose weight.  I have tried the Atkin’s Diet.  I have tried low-fat diets.  I have tried counting calories.  I have tried Weight Watcher’s.  I have tried Jenny Craig.  I have even tried the Subway diet.  Every single one of these “diets” work, while I stick to them.  But, they never seem to stay in my life for more than a few weeks. 

I can’t help it! 

Ding Dongs and Ho Hos call to me.  They say things like, “You can have just one…it won’t hurt you.  You know you want to.”  And, then you look at the price, and they are always on sale 2 for $5.00…so you have to get 2 boxes.  Right?  It would be uneconomical…and a crime to buy only one box.  Then the very minute you eat that last scrumptious bite of chocolate, you swear you are never going to do it again!

And, on top of food calling to me from every direction, I am going through menopause!  I am hungry all of the time!  Ok, maybe I am not really hungry, but I crave food constantly.  When I wake up, the first thing I think about is what I am going to have for breakfast.  Then, I immediately turn my mind to lunch.  And, by the time I have had lunch my husband and I are usually emailing each other to discuss what we are going to have for dinner.  We talk about food like other couples talk about sex!  It is like we live to eat instead of eating to live!

This addiction to food plays a role in every aspect of my life too.  I am now on medication to keep my blood sugar regulated, and I am on medication to control my blood pressure too.  And, I should be on cholesterol medication, but I haven’t found one that doesn’t cause painful side effects.  But, the irony of this is if I lost weight, I could get off of all of this medication.  I could be free of the bondage fat causes in my life.  I could be that thinner healthier person I know I am meant to be.   She is in me.  I hear her every day.  I have even given her a name…”Charlize.”  (The name just sounds skinny.)  Charlize says things like, “Kim, don’t eat that Ho Ho.  You know it will go straight to your hips.”  Yeah, I hear her…then I usually stick the Ho Ho in my mouth to shut her up. 

But, it is time for Charilze to win the battle she has fought with me for many years.  It is time for me to listen to Charlize.  It is time for Charlize to wear those skinny jeans I run from as soon as I see them. It is time for Charlize to stop taking medication she does not need.  It is time for me to exercise more, like Charlize has told me to do for many years. 

 If I don’t get on the right path, I will be taking Charlize to meet our maker way before she or I want to.   

So, here is my plan…are you listening Charlize?  I actually have a plan.  A good friend of mine has recently lost a substantial amount of weight, and I asked how she accomplished this.  She said she cut out dairy, bread and potatoes.  She said she felt amazing…and she looks amazing!  The foods she cut out are like my staple foods, which is why I am not healthy.  So, it makes sense that by eliminating these starchy, carb and fat filled foods from my diet, I will get healthier. 

I think the key to this new way of eating (not a diet) being successful, is to plan ahead.  Planning, instead of eating on the run, and mostly from drive-thru windows (I hope my doctor is not reading this,) is critical.  I hope to plan my meals week to week, and buy the food ahead of time, so that I am prepared.

And, I need support! 

Is anyone else ready to take a journey to be healthier?  I plan to post any obstacles or accomplishments I obtain to our Menopausal Mom Facebook page.  I plan to weigh in every Monday and list either my loss or gains.  And, I would love to have you join me.  Even if you don’t need to lose weight, please participate!  Add encouraging words to others on this journey we will all be taking together. 

I also plan to report how my health is doing via my doctor’s reports too.  I want to be transparent about this because we tend to keep these things inside when we could be sharing our struggles together.

I want to free Charlize from my addiction, and if you too need release from a food addiction, come on board!

May your hot flashes be mild and your wrinkles even milder!
Kim