I am currently having a love affair with Guacamole.
I love it. Love it. Love it.
Seriously, in my opinion Guacamole makes everything taste better - EVERYTHING!
Last night for dinner I made Taco Chicken. I have seen this recipe on Pinterest for months and have wanted to make it for months. Last night I finally decided to give it a go. It turned out pretty good - the overall rating from my family was 8.5 - so I consider that a rousing success. As much as I liked it, it just felt like something was missing. I served it with Mexican Rice and black beans, both delicious, but still, it just seemed boring.
Today I decided to bring the Taco Chicken left overs for for lunch. The rest of the facility was having a taco bar to celebrate the visit of our CEO. I had planned NOT to participate in the taco bar because I just can't accurately calculate the calories, etc. and I don't want to be in that position right now, at all. I also was pretty proud of my taco chicken and wanted to eat it again - even though I still felt something was missing.
As I walked into the cafeteria and saw the taco bar set up, I decided to add some shredded lettuce, tomato and onion to my meal. It made it look more rounded out and I thought, OK. This is getting better. I also added some guacamole.
Oh. My. Hell.
That meal went from blah to BLING!
It was so good! I want to credit the lettuce, onion and tomato - and don't get me wrong, they helped give it flavor and to balance out the entire dish...but man, the guac took it over the top! I will most definitely make that meal again and I will most definitely serve it with a little side of lettuce, tomato, onion and GUAC!!!
Now, if you had asked me 1 year ago if I liked guacamole I would have told you no. I rarely ate it. I never would have thought to add it to a home made meal. It just wouldn't have been on my radar screen. I never hated it, but I just didn't think of it as something that I was in to. Now, I am a maniac. I can't get enough of the stuff.
So, why do I relate this tale?? Here's why....for me, taking chances and trying out new foods is helping to keep me on track. Look, i love food. You don't get to my weight without really loving yourself some food! I need the food I eat to be tasty and satisfying!
I know there are so many out there who say "don't focus on the food, don't make it so important", but honestly, I have to. The worst part about being a "food addict" is that I can' t just go "cold turkey". I have to eat food to survive. Now, granted, I don't have to eat as much, but I do have to do it. Not only that, I also have to prepare it and serve it to my family!! I mean, there is no way for me not to think about this stuff! Getting control of a food addiction isn't like kicking cigarettes or alcohol where you are trying to stop doing it all together (I'm not trying to minimize how difficult that is, I'm just saying, I can't just give up my addition) - you have to figure out how to get control of the addition while still partaking of the actual thing that you are addicted to!!
I'm trying to figure out how to live with an addiction that I can't give up. It's crazy!
Bottom line, I have to think about food every, single, day. Think about my choices, think about how to make it all fit within my calorie range. Think about the fat content, fiber content, sodium content. Think about what to feed my family...you get the picture, it takes a lot of thought. AND, on top of all of that, I need that food to satisfy me - because if it doesn't, sooner than later I will just throw in the towel.
Experimenting with new fruits, veggies, meats, etc. is really helping out with that! It is exciting! And when I find something that I love, and even better - that my family loves, it is so satisfying - and it keeps me going. Salmon was something I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole 2 years ago...now, I cannot tell you how much I love salmon. If I am eating out and they have salmon, odds are I will be ordering it. The best part, my family loves it too! Even my picky little one will eat salmon! I mean, big score!!.
And now, I am having this love affair with Guacamole. And today, that love affair paid off big time!
Honestly, i can't wait to find out what else is out there!
Week 5 and feeling super satisfied AND in love with guacamole!
Hi Connie! I love avocados too. So yum! But they are high in calories, so they need to be portioned.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the rest of your thoughts: Well, the more you cling to your current eating ways, the more it will stay the same. If you change your eating a little bit, your weight will change a little bit. If you have a significant lifestyle change, you will see a significant weight loss. But if you are going for a dramatic weight loss, the reality is that you have to dramatically change your entire lifestyle.
As an example, when I was size 18, I just had to get a little frustrated with that to turn it into size 16. Getting to size 14 required a significant lifestyle change of regularly going to the gym and stopping binging. But getting to size 10 required *dramatic* lifestyle changes such as not eating many carbs anymore, consistent food journaling, eating far less calories per day, and being physically hungry during certain times of each day.
It's up to you what your goal is. No weight loss goal is wrong. And many of my friends have chosen a goal with the lifestyle change they can live with. But a person can grow into any of these lifestyle changes. At size 18, I really couldn't imagine that I'd love eating like a size 10 person much better than eating a big bag of candy by myself--but I do.
:-) Marion