fluffy little things

I love them. Puppies, stuffed animals, fuzzy socks and slippers. But mostly I love the fluffy little things which are edible. Cookies. Cake. Pie crust. Pizzelles. Brownies. Buttery white bread rolls. Pasta. Mashed potatoes whipped light as air and full of sour cream and butter. Cream cheese frosting. Boston Creme donuts. Sticky white rice. Croissants. Ahhhhh.... all of it.

I have loved these things for years and years. My excessive - and at times obsessive - love for them is without a doubt what made me a heavy child and a heavier adult. (And, thanks to Weight Watchers, I became less heavy, which is a real tribute to their program for being able to teach me about portion control.) I could write volumes on weight loss, weight gain, the validity of diet studies, successful weight loss programs and behavioral modifications which contribute to weight loss and weight gain just using MYSELF as the control group. But even though I *could* write all this, I won't. Not here, anyhow.

What I will say is... It's coming up on New Year's, and a large portion of the American population is getting into "diet" mode - thinking about how they will go about losing 5, 10, 50 pounds in 2013 and planning for it. If you watch ANY TV these days, you might come to the conclusion that it's like we're in election season, with Planet Fitness, Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers vying for our votes come January! But with all the weight loss programs I have been through and with all that I have tried and been successful or failed at, I have finally come to understand the simple (and admittedly brutal) truth is that if you eat fluffy little things, you will be fluffy yourself. I have finally realized that carbs are like a friend or boyfriend who is not really good for me: while I may enjoy being in their company for a short while, I definitely feel better overall without them.

I still eat carbs, but only after a workout and definitely in moderation. I am never hungry. I am never tired. I never 'crave' the carbs. I have plenty of energy for lengthy runs and bike rides. I do eat carbs freely on my birthday, Christmas, and any day I deem to be a special occasion. (There have been about six days total in the past four months.) I drink alcohol (again, only after workouts). The result? I'm more lean. I feel better physically, and mentally I feel better about myself. Eating less fluffy things = having a less fluffy me.

It really is something to think about. I can definitely vouch for the effectiveness of this method using Yours Truly as the test case. Seriously, I am the *last* person I ever thought would admit this worked, in the sense that it was something I would willingly do and stick to. Obviously there is plenty of evidence that low-carb diets work for losing weight, I just can't believe I found a method of eating lower-carb which I can, and am WILLING, to keep up!

However, seeing as how it is Christmas, I have been enjoying eating some of these fluffy little things without worry - and by enjoying, I mean thoroughly savoring each fluffy and delicious bite. But it's definitely not something I'll do every day, now that I know The Truth. I'm just happy my truth still lets me have some carbs some of the time. I've found my balance with food, and I wanted to share it in case you are looking for a way to find yours.

Happy New Year! :)