Thirty For Thirty reminds me of an AA challenge called 30 IN 30 which is comprised of attending 30 AA meetings in 30 days in an effort to get a struggling alcoholic sober, or at least dry. I participated in this during my twenties when I was in the process of putting an end to my college drinking career. It worked! Once the alcohol was out of my system I had a new group of friends with whom to create new habits and activities. As any self respecting former drinker does, I continue to flirt with the seductive powers of alcohol but I am a far cry from that person. Alcohol has been just one of my many addictions and the only drug related one. Food has not. I have no addiction to food. I just don't care to be hungry, I am not a fan of food preparation, I detest throwing up and I am too busy to cook. So as a Division I Track Athlete in college during the 1980's, a time when the prevalence of eating disorders among distance runners was high, this did not affect me. "I have no issues wih food". I would proudly state. And for the most part this was true, except that there in lies the rub. I absolutely DO have issues with food. I do not like beng restricted by a food plan or diet. I want to eat what I want when I want it in the amount that I choose. Given my thin build and apparent ability to consume high calories with no weight gain I have fooled myself into thinking that I can eat what ever I want. And I can, calorically speaking. Except being a person with a chronic medical condition (asthma) and an elite athlete (running and crossfit), eating the right food should be as imortant to me as completing a workout. I never miss a workout, and I seldom turn down a Hostess Honey Bun. So there it is, I am a health educator married to a guy who sells junk food (Faretra Vending) and outwardly it would appear that I have found my perfect life! All I have really done is prove that for me, and many others, food is about far more than noursihment for the body. It is personal, it is cultural, it is used to bring people together and drive them apart. It is emotional. Typical diets vary vastly by geographic region, socio-economic status and personal preference. There is nothing simple about food.
So back to the 30 for 30. I belong to White Mountain Crossfit here in Concord, NH. We periodically shake things up at the gym by having "challenges." For the next 30 days the challenge for anyone willing to take it is to "eat clean". This essentially means no sugar, no processed carbs, no grains and no dairy. Many Crossfitters follow a generally Paleolithic Diet which places a heavy emphasis on animal protein, vegetables, seeds, nuts and some fruits. Basically anything a caveman could have hunted or foraged for and eaten in it's simplest form. As a person of slight build I need calories, so I include moderate amounts of dairy. I also supplement with a whey protein shake twice a day. I add frozen fruits to this shake as well as plain yougurt sometimes. It sounds easy and relatively simple to follow, but when Gary (my husband's partner) leaves me a honey bun on the porch steps tomorrow morning I will have to consciously choose NOT to eat it. This makes me mad. It frustrates me. I really do not want to have to think about this. But for atleast the first few days, think about it I will. No licking the extra fluff off the knife as I make lunches for my daughters, no diet coke, no grabbing a Klondike Bar from the freezer on my way to bed. I will have to think about food.
In my years as a health educator and track coach the subject of food and addiction came up alot. I always encouraged my runners and students to try with all thier might to avoid flirting with eating disorders and/or disordered eating. As a typical college binge drinker, all I really had to do was avoid alcohol to break my pattern of unhealthy behavior. There is no avoiding food. I will have to create new and better habits as I am surrounded by anything and eveything you might buy in a vending machine. That white vending truck in my driveway is no less sweet than the candy house in the forest stumbled upon by Hansel and Gretel. I will be the alcoholic getting sober at the corner pub.
As I write this I am 2/3 through day one. I am not hungry or craving food. So far I have had 2 bananas, a carrot, and a bowl of trail mix for breakfast chased down by three cups of coffee (with local farm fresh milk) and a protein shake. My lunch was a three egg omelet with peppers, onions, homemade salsa and a small amount of cheese) and I have had raw almonds and an apple for a snack. I feel pretty good. I am drinking water and will make a shake for my pre-coaching afternoon snack. I haven't thought about dinner yet, and I won't. I refuse to have any issues with food. I will create an acceptable dinner when the time comes, I refuse to be consumed by this. (This refusal being my biggest issue...). Day one is on it's way to being over...let's hope the frozen grapes taste as good as the Klondike bar come bed time.
No comments:
Post a Comment