Change of Sight; Change of Mind

This post is kind of a continuation of what I wrote about last Saturday.

I asked my brother a week or so ago if he wanted to go to the supermarket with me. He said no because he would find the foods there too tempting. Even though he wouldn’t buy anything (because I wouldn’t let him), the sight of the chocolates and everything else would be too much for him at this point.

A few days ago we were out and I stopped at a grocery store. I totally forgot about what he had said. We went in and he saw a huge display of Reeces Pieces peanut butter cups. He was like – oh man! I wish I hadn’t seen that.

Again, he didn’t buy anything, but I could understand the feeling – seeing something you want but knowing you can’t have it/shouldn’t have it. It takes a while to get used to (just like seeing that person you’ve always had a crush on walk away with somebody else – heartbreaking).

It made me realize how much my sight has changed. I don’t even notice these things anymore. I know that there’s a massive chocolate display up at the supermarket I go to regularly. I wouldn’t be able to tell you what’s in it. I just walk right past it. These things just don’t catch my eye anymore, and I’m so glad particularly because I do still have a sweet tooth. I know that I won’t give in to random temptation of going out and buying a chocolate bar. That doesn’t mean that I still don’t feel tempted or have cravings.

I’ve learned to say no. I’ve learned to ignore them. I’ve learned to blind myself to all those unhealthy things.

How did it happen? Practice.

It starts with a determination to change – to tell yourself No. I’m not going to have that anymore. Then it goes on to remapping your path to the destination you want to reach. This is even a remapping of how you approach the supermarket. Write down what you need. Go to exactly those aisles. Forget everything else.

There’s no reason at all for anybody who is trying to lose weight to go into the chocolate or chips aisle. None. Perhaps it’s different with people who have kids – I don’t, so that’s not an issue for me – but I know that you still need to be in control of how you shop and what you buy.

Take it one day at a time. Then move on to one week at a time. Pretty soon you’ll see that your sight does change. Your way of thinking does change. You’ve got to give it time though. You’ve got to be both patient and persistent. Don’t think of it as depriving yourself of ‘goodies.’ Think of it as being strong and mature enough to say no – I don’t need food to make me feel better (because we all know that for the most part, eating junk food does not make us feel better at all).

Make a decision to change and then give it all you’ve got.