I’m a food-aholic

By Amy Hall

My name is Amy, and I am a foodaholic.  That's right, folks.  Although I have always been active, I have also continually struggled with my weight.  I have spent the majority of my life on a see-food diet! I see it, and I eat it.  This style of eating was, of course, a learned habit.  It started with the tried and true "you must eat what is on your plate" from childhood and escalated through adolescence after school snacking, which included something sweet and then something salty and then something sweet…you get the idea.

To combat the effects of my poor choices, I joined Weight Watchers when I was 15 years old.  It worked. Then I stopped, and all my bad habits were still there — fast forward 35 years. I have gained weight. I have lost weight. I have gained more weight.  I have tried pills, magic shakes, a pre-meal fat-blocking liquid of some sort, high fat, low fat, low calorie, pre-packaged meals, and food journals, to name a few.  I kept seeing the same results.  I was successful for a while, but I never understood what it was to be a fit and healthy person. 

I started the nutrition program with Crossfit Fulshear a little over nine months ago.  I didn't have much hope.  I could see myself starting with a bang, holding on for a while, slacking off a little, and then a lot, and finally ditching it altogether. That wasn’t the case.  This program taught me a lot about myself and my relationship with food.  I have learned that doing everything right is not the goal.  Losing weight is not even the goal.  I now know that my main goal is to eat like a fit and healthy person and to try to be a little better at it every day.  I have learned to love myself in spite of my poor choices.  I no longer give up on myself or my goals just because I don’t get it right that day. 

In a few short months, I have made cooking meals an integral part of my life.  I have learned to recognize when I'm physically hungry and when psychological hunger is knocking on my door.  I have learned to take control of my portion sizes and to be mindful when eating. I am learning to eat like a fit and healthy person. Slowly but surely, I have learned to eat real food, mostly plants, not too much. I am still not perfect (and that’s okay), but my habits have changed dramatically, mostly without my noticing it.