Do calories still count if nobody sees me eating them?
Jodi Davis
| 3 min read
A few days earlier at the gym this week I overheard a phone conversation that many dieting men and women have found themselves in at one point. The phone conversation that I happened to overhear went something like this:
“Um, yes, I’d like to order a large pan pizza; that will be a take-out order. I’d like extra cheese, ham, pepperoni, sausage, green peppers and onions; yes, that will be it for today. I’ll be there in 30 minutes to pick it up.”
I have been there too. It is not an uncommon conversation, even among those trying to lose weight. What I found upsetting and too familiar was that she whispering her food order so that nobody else would know.
What saddened me was just a few minutes earlier she had just been talking with her female friends and mentioned that she can’t seem to lose weight no matter how much she tries. They were very encouraging as they reminded her that she is doing a great job exercising. I agreed!
Next they inquired if she was sticking to her diet? Her reply was “Yes, that’s what makes me furious! I eat exactly what I’m supposed to on this stupid diet and count every single calorie. I swear I’m only gaining weight! It’s not fair.”
Oh those three words. “It’s not fair.” I said them while dieting for twenty-five years myself. So much so that I lost count.
And those three words caused me to think negatively towards my attempts to lose weight. I felt sorry for myself and believed that I needed something to lift my spirits.
In an effort to pick myself up, I would continually turn to foods that were detrimental to my diet. But if I hid these high-calorie food frenzies, then in my mind, the caloric intake didn’t count.
But all calories count. Denial may work for the mind but it surely doesn’t work for the body. I became morbidly obese because of these high-calorie food binges. Here is proof that denial won’t bring weight loss results.
And it was also proof to this woman at the gym. She wasn’t losing weight and she was telling her friends that she was eating exactly what she was supposed to on her diet.
Like I stated earlier, I didn’t know whether to smile or to frown because it was way too familiar.
All I know is that the next time I see her exercising at the gym I will give her a kind word of encouragement. If all goes well, I can explain that a healthy lifestyle is the way to go, including exercise but NOT the diets and denial.
And she can even enjoy a piece of pizza without having to order or consume it in secret.
Have you ever felt as though you had to hide your eating habits?
Photo credit: Stephen Little
