Really, for as long as I can remember in my adult life, I have had a love of free food. It probably stemmed from my life as a college student. In fact, it was one such college student free food event (Resident Advisor Information Meeting) where I "met" my husband when my mouth was stuffed full of whatever the day's delectables were at the refreshment table. He said, "I'm sorry, did I take your napkin?" And I just shook my head because my mouth was otherwise occupied. I was mortified and love struck at the same time. True story.
In the nearly twenty years since that time, I have developed a reputation for being a connoisseur of free food. From breastfeeding my babies to attending various community events on the promise of hot dogs and pizza, to being known at work at the person that needs to be notified when food is in the teacher's lounge because I always go in there and partake...well, I've saved considerable money.
Somewhere along the way I developed this mentality that because the food was free I was somehow obligated to eat it.
Today I had a revelation. It occurred to me that I don't have to eat food just because it's free. What?!?
Earth shattering, I know.
I always wondered how those teachers would wander into the lounge during our socials and just...be social. How were they able to avoid all the free goodness that was set out on the tables? My plate would always be full to overflowing. I could barely carry on a conversation, I was so busy eating (this might be a theme of my life),
I knew that some of those teaches had dietary restrictions (peanut allergies, celiac disease, diabetic), but the others just...didn't eat because they didn't feel obligated to.
This all comes about because we had a teacher breakfast this morning, and I'm practicing intermittent fasting. This means that I have an 8-10 hour window where I eat all my food, and the other hours I choose not to eat. It has been an exercise in self-restraint in the mornings, though the evenings aren't hard. My window opens up during my planning period so that I can have a snack before lunch, and then it closes after supper. No mindless snacking for me.
Needless to say, 8 o'clock this morning when the food was offered was not in my window. Thankfully, I had morning duty to keep me away from the lounge. Someone came to relieve me and let me go get a plate and I respectfully declined. That was probably the hardest thing I've ever had to do. And that's when I had that revelation.
I'm not saying I didn't go down to the lounge when my non-fasting window opened, because I did. But, when I got there, the selection had dwindled, and I was able to only choose what I really wanted from what was left. There was no overeating just because it was there and free. Major breakthrough.
I hope that this is the beginning of some better eating habits for me. Baby steps.
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