Sunday, January 18, 2009

Freedom

Weekend Update:
I think I was pretty amazing this weekend considering the possibilities. It was such a beautiful weekend and full of elaborate meals with tons of food. I overcame. I had one piece of challah at each meal (half at Shalosh seuodos). I only ate the dessert put in front of me. I did not snack on a single cookie, cake, bar or candy. I ate salads on Motzaei Shabbos and I ran 4 miles this am at the hotel gym (as an aside the gym had the coolest treadmills ever, check this out).
I am proud to say that my friends all watched out for me and were also very good about what they ate and that certainly helped. But truly the thing that helped the most was knowing that had told you all that I wanted to lose a pound and I just did not want to come to the blog on Tues night and have to be ashamed. I still hope I am not but I really think that regardless of that I came through this weekend with flying colors.
Now I would just like to comment on a comment made at the end of last week's post.
M said something very interesting that I think is important for discussion:
Someone once said to me that while it might seem like an attitude of confidence to say, I eat what I want, who cares, I just live my life, it's really a reflection of poor self image - and it's a stronger person who says I care about myself so of course I eat right - like it becomes a thing to value.
I think this is so true and so brilliant. I also think that while this is not a blog about Judaism, there is a very similar idea in Judaism. It's the whole concept of being free to serve ourselves versus being free to serve Gd and which is considered true freedom?
When we have the option to eat whatever we want whenever we want we are slaves to our selves, we are actually slaves to our stomachs. But when we exhibit self control we are free, we say, I am not a slave to my rumbling gut, but rather I am free to eat as I see is the healthiest and best for me. It does not mean I will never eat unhealthy but I possibly will not become so out of control that I am a slave to my desires. I am not a slave to needing just another small satisfaction on my taste buds. I can treat myself better than that.
So here is to freedom from the chocolate slave!
SK

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

YAY! That was most appreciated. I certainly found it a thought provoking and very fitting commentary since for me, at least, my eating was always an attitude thing - sometimes control, sometimes just wanting to seem indifferent or almost 'above' having to care, if that makes any sense - but my pathology aside, the real issue here is exactly as you describe which is feeling empowered by eating healthy (I won;t say dieting) instead of feeling trapped by it or whatever.
I think you're totally right about the religious tie - how we have to overcome not just our inclinations but our resistance to overcoming our inclinations - meaning, our attitude. Wanting to be the 'boss of ourselves' only to then be serving ourselves. I think it's good to see eating healthy as a value, as something you do to treat yourself, so to speak - like, I care about me so of course I want to give me all the viatmins I can get in a day. Given my sporadic OCD-ness I sometimes make it a pacman game - from AM to PM how many different klinds of vitamins can I get in my body - but that gets old real fast.

zehava said...

Yay Sarah! So happy to hear of your success and that it was a nice weekend. I would love to see pics from the wedding. Does anyone have any?

Hopefully there will be many more Shabbos Kallahs in 2009. :)

She-nerd said...

mazal tov on the wedding and on your fantastic job this weekend - i knew you could do it! and i agree with what you said. in fact, i used to tell clients who always struggled with their weights that they're the lucky ones - b/c really everyone needs to choose foods wisely, and they're sort of forced to do it, while the "naturally skinny" people don't seem to have to make healthy choices to maintain their weights, so it's harder for them to do it - and in the long run, they lose out. that didn't always go over so well though...

SaraK said...

Sarah,
I think we both did really well this Shabbas. Michelle's challah was hard to give up, but I really did well on that front and on the noshing front as well. We did amazing on Sat night, not taking anything with us except salads. I love it that you found that link to the treadmill :)
I weighed myself this morning and I think I actually lost 1/2 lb!

I danced so much, I for sure burned off all that dessert from the wedding.

Z, Amen! I hope we have many more healthy Shabbas Kallahs in 2009 :) I hope to have pics uploaded tomorrow.

SK said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

I just caught up on the blog from the last time I posted. I really needed to read all this, I had a great weekend ate really well, but this morning I am craving cookies, so I had a tangerine, read the blog and feel much better.
Thanks All
I agree with everyone that you are a product of your environment ( Sorry Sarah, you definitely grew up in a family and your extended family were food ruled ) Food is also such a comfort for people, I was with this tall, beautiful, thin women ( you know the kind you want to hate) last shabbas.
Well she was not always thin. I am sure she was always tall and beautiful.
She admitted, after I brought out the Rickis cookies and she started eating them that she has been on OA for years. ( she lost over 100 lbs) She took a few bites and finally said " I am emotional eating", and put the cookie
down. Yes, it is not a sin to throw it out. How many times do we all do that? So one of our goals has to not only be, to think about what we are eating, but why we are eating.
Happy dieting

Anonymous said...

I just caught up on the blog from the last time I posted. I really needed to read all this, I had a great weekend ate really well, but this morning I am craving cookies, so I had a tangerine, read the blog and feel much better.
Thanks All
I agree with everyone that you are a product of your environment ( Sorry Sarah, you definitely grew up in a family and your extended family were food ruled ) Food is also such a comfort for people, I was with this tall, beautiful, thin women ( you know the kind you want to hate) last shabbas.
Well she was not always thin. I am sure she was always tall and beautiful.
She admitted, after I brought out the Rickis cookies and she started eating them that she has been on OA for years. ( she lost over 100 lbs) She took a few bites and finally said " I am emotional eating", and put the cookie
down. Yes, it is not a sin to throw it out. How many times do we all do that? So one of our goals has to not only be, to think about what we are eating, but why we are eating.
Happy dieting