There is an old saying that absence makes the heart grow fonder. While there may be some truth to this saying as far as relationships are concerned, it is a little different with food. For most of my life I have been a potato chip addict. They were my comfort food, my stress reliever, and on occasion, my best friend. I sometimes would wait until my kids were in bed and my husband (now ex) was upstairs asleep and I would sit in the recliner, turn on whatever I wanted on the television, and savor a few chips. And a few more. And a few more and oops, where did that bag of chips go? If I was really stressed I would add a little (okay, a lot) of dip. When I was single and my son was away at college and my teenage daughter would be out with friends for the evening, I would have chips and dip for dinner, followed by peanut M&Ms for dessert. Hey, I had a very stressful life. The point here is, I love potato chips. Anytime. Any place. For any reason. Potato chips, however, are like a dysfunctional relationship; you may love them, but they are harming you.
Getting out of a bad relationship is not easy. Trust me on this one, I have been divorced twice. I have first hand knowledge of bad relationships. Fear of the unknown is a powerful thing. It makes you continue doing whatever it is you know because you are afraid of what may happen if you change your lifestyle. But bad is bad, whether it is a relationship with a person or with a bag of rippled chips and French onion dip. You must choose to stay or walk away. A few months ago, I walked away from my old friend. I chose to commit to a healthier lifestyle. I have been eating mostly vegetarian food and cut out lots of fat and most bad carbs. You know what? It hasn't been that bad. I find that I crave chips much less than I did before. I will admit that I have had them on a few rare occasions, but they just weren't like I remembered them. Oh they were good, just not satisfying. I found myself wanting tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions with a little Italian dressing.
Sometimes I do not believe that this is me. That I want to eat vegetables and fruits. Where did this person come from? I hope she stays. My new cravings are for watermelon and Honey Crisp apples. I love my new vegetarian chili recipe and eat it at least once a week. I never knew how good whole grain pasta with vegetarian sauce could be. I love to cook and have been experimenting with lots of recipes. They are good. I would order them in a restaurant. The best part? My pants are getting looser and my tops are getting longer. I have a very long way to go, but I am going. I am headed in the right direction and am enjoying it. My son is coming to visit in a few weeks and he already knows that we are having veggie chili and vegan sloppy joes. I do not consider myself a vegetarian or vegan, but my diet includes mostly those types of food. If I can figure out how to post some pics on this blog, I will post a few pics of some of my meals. They look as good as they taste.
Anyway, my relationship with food is improving and finally becoming a functional, healthy relationship. Now if that would just carry over into my choice in men. Well, we can't move mountains all the time.
