There's this place that I go.
Wait, let me clarify, this place is only for visiting.
Short and very quick visits.
When I go there, I don't need my overnight bag.
I can leave my Hello Kitty toothbrush and favorite pillow at home.
Why? Because I can NEVER live there.
I cannot live in that place because I did live there. For over 20 years.
It was a very easy place for me to live all those years. So easy! It was comfy. It was familiar. Fun things happened in that place. But living in that place was not healthy for my body.
Where is this place that I'm talking about?
It's the place that I like to call the land of Bad Food Choices (B.F.C. for short).
I almost always know ahead of time if and when I will be visiting the land of B.F.C.
It can be a meal or a simple snack. These visits may happen once a week or 5 times in a week or no times a week. It just depends on what I have going on in my life.
One thing that is super-duper important for me is that the land of B.F.C. is very rarely ever in my house or kitchen.
The land B.F.C. is at Dairy Queen.
It's also at Target in the cookies and chips aisle.
It can also be found at the local Cold Stone Creamery Ice Cream shop. That's a crack den in my opinion. Oh, and don't even get me started on Pizza Hut. It's there too.
Before I even arrive at the land of B.F.C., my inner spreadsheet-making brain is already thinking about how I will leave the land of B.F.C. and find my way back. Back where? Back to the land of exercise and healthy food choices.
Luckily, I always seem to find my way back.
In the long 14 months of my losing phase, I almost NEVER visited the land of B.F.C.
I feel that I've settled nicely into this 80/20 balance now. 80% healthy choices and 20% the land of B.F.C.
I am starting to figure out that maybe this is what weight maintenance is all about for me.
Wait, let me clarify, this place is only for visiting.
Short and very quick visits.
When I go there, I don't need my overnight bag.
I can leave my Hello Kitty toothbrush and favorite pillow at home.
Why? Because I can NEVER live there.
I cannot live in that place because I did live there. For over 20 years.
It was a very easy place for me to live all those years. So easy! It was comfy. It was familiar. Fun things happened in that place. But living in that place was not healthy for my body.
Where is this place that I'm talking about?
It's the place that I like to call the land of Bad Food Choices (B.F.C. for short).
I almost always know ahead of time if and when I will be visiting the land of B.F.C.
It can be a meal or a simple snack. These visits may happen once a week or 5 times in a week or no times a week. It just depends on what I have going on in my life.
One thing that is super-duper important for me is that the land of B.F.C. is very rarely ever in my house or kitchen.
The land B.F.C. is at Dairy Queen.
It's also at Target in the cookies and chips aisle.
It can also be found at the local Cold Stone Creamery Ice Cream shop. That's a crack den in my opinion. Oh, and don't even get me started on Pizza Hut. It's there too.
Before I even arrive at the land of B.F.C., my inner spreadsheet-making brain is already thinking about how I will leave the land of B.F.C. and find my way back. Back where? Back to the land of exercise and healthy food choices.
Luckily, I always seem to find my way back.
In the long 14 months of my losing phase, I almost NEVER visited the land of B.F.C.
I feel that I've settled nicely into this 80/20 balance now. 80% healthy choices and 20% the land of B.F.C.
I am starting to figure out that maybe this is what weight maintenance is all about for me.
I think I've been a resident of the land of BFC for too many weeks now. Interesting that its the month before my 1 yr. I wonder if that's some mental thing I need to get over. Thanks for the reminder that it isn't a home, it's just a trip and now it's time to come home. I've been doing well this week. I'm happy to report that I believe I'm back home. :)
ReplyDeleteI have been in the 80/20 mindset for too long now & I am not at maintenence. I guess that is why I am just maintaining......
ReplyDeleteI think this is such a neat perspective to think about - that you are always thinking about how to get back home from the land of BFC. In the past, I've never considered "healthy" to be "home," which is how I ended up where I did.
ReplyDeleteI've been there and lived there. Set up shop and stayed! I totally relate to this!!! It is a tough place to find your way out of too! But you're right. We can feel it coming on so have to head it off at the pass!
ReplyDeleteI am way too stingy with my extra calories to do Dairy Queen but I do splurge on frozen yogurt and the occasional frozen lemonade too. Neither of those are particularly healthy or good for me but I'm not giving them up until I can't afford to buy them anymore. :)
ReplyDeleteSo true...it is so easy to get comfortable in the BFC. Old habits die hard! Good food for thought. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat post, lady - excellent thing to think about...I'm at about 90/10 myself and losing, and it's good to know that maintenance can allow a bit more relaxation, but not THAT much!!! That was always my problem before, the mait always screwed me up because I spent too much time in BFC, confident it wouldn't affect my weightloss achievements, and lo and behold...now I am starting/continuing to see how it's going to be for the rest of my life, and I'm ok with that...I can live at 80/20 when I get there...
ReplyDeleteEek, I'm heading to BFC in a few weeks. I'll probably be there a whole weekend. What is a girl to do? :/
ReplyDeleteohhhh what a great read! Awesome!
ReplyDeleteYou have no idea how much I needed this today! Thanks for putting my thoughts into something "solid."
ReplyDeleteI am trying to get to the land of 80/20. I am not there yet, but working on it. I just followed your blog and I blog about my weight loss too.
ReplyDelete