Dear FF Diary,
Maybe this is like an addiction and I needed to hit rock bottom before changing my life around.
Do people get some kind of clarity? Is it a light bulb moment when everything just falls into place and they can act on their desires?
I sit here, stunned at what my boyfriend said to me tonight. He was disappointed yesterday, when he took time out of his work day to call me around 2:45 PM when he knew that my cravings/hunger would come into play. He was hoping that by distracting me, and by encouraging me to eat something healthy, I wouldn't dig in to the junk food.
But he was probably 15 minutes too late -- I had already started on a bag of chips.
He was so disappointed to later find out that his call had been for naught.
But the clincher was hearing that my snack today was some pasta. It turned out to be my dinner -- dinner was a salad. But it was measured and it didn't take me over my calories for the day... but he was still disappointed because I need to be on a low-carb diet.
*sigh*
Then, he went on to tell me that he just didn't want to talk to me about the diet thing or the food thing anymore. He explained, eventually, that he really loved me, and he couldn't understand why I wasn't willing to put the effort to do the right thing.
He told me that it's not just about what I want to do or am too lazy to do -- that the right thing is the right thing, and for me, the right thing is to lose weight to be healthy. Because... at the end of the day, he's older than I am, and invariably, he's going to need me to be healthy in order to take care of him in the future.
And then he went on to say that what he really needed was to know that I had the discipline to also take care of him -- to remind him that he needs to eat healthy and to lose weight, because he has a history of heart disease and stroke in his family, and he needs my help. But if I can't even help myself... how can he possibly expect me to help him?
If that wasn't bad enough... He told me that I needed to put myself first. That I had to love myself more than I loved him, because how could we possibly have perfect love if I didn't love myself? And clearly, I wasn't loving myself because I was letting my body down by not feeding it the right food, and not taking care of it.
Yes, I am on the path to getting diabetes if I don't treat it right. My father has it, my uncle has it, my grandfather died of it. My father was able to treat it with exercise and diet. My uncle is on insulin. My grandfather is buried.
He also said something that put in question our relationship -- but I don't know if he meant it or if it was a manipulation tactic. I'll talk to him about it, eventually.
Either way, what he said was harsh. But it was also the truth.
I do sit here and worry about never eating another cookie or piece of cake or pasta or candy or chocolate.
But it's not really about what I
want.... it's about what I
need.
He's right, though. I don't love myself enough to take care of myself. At least, I haven't shown it. I may feel like I have high self esteem... but doesn't everyone around me have not only the self-esteem, but also the cojones to act on it?
I have a friend who lose 77 pounds. She did it. In about 18 months. But she put herself in a position to do it -- she did the Jenny Craig system. She never ate out. She didn't drink alcohol for a year. She still went out and was social, but she stopped herself from eating dinner or drinking.
I have another friend who says she was heavy in high school (I didn't know her then). And as I see her eat, she eats small meals. And she's skinny.
Everyone around me is thinner. I weigh more than my father right now.
I've been searching for the answer as to why I am fat. My therapist wants to know if I do emotional eating. My mother doesn't understand why I don't eat healthier (or, rather, become macrobiotic).
I sit here, and I don't get it either. I'm not running to the fridge when I have a bad day. I've never been the girl to crack open a pint of Ben and Jerry's because I broke up with a boyfriend.
I just love food. And I let myself indulge.
What my boyfriend (I'll call him Deer), what Deer was saying today was that it wasn't enough to indulge myself. That's what 5 year olds do. I needed to be an adult, and just take care of myself.
Is fatness an addiction? Am I addicted to food?
I don't know the answer to that. I know that I had the idea of having to control myself. But as I see those around them, they are constantly controlling themselves -- they are thin, and not because of their magical metabolism. I've been keeping watch for a few months now -- because I want to be thin like them -- and I see that they aren't eating everything they want. They do control their portions.
Why didn't I learn that?
But Deer is right. I am not acting like an adult that has a health problem. I'm acting like a five-year old that just wants her candy bar.
I don't know if my relationship is at risk because of this. But I do know that my health is at risk, and I've been sitting in a boat on the river Nile. I recognize that I can't continue this way.
----------
First step. Admit that you have a problem.
I am 201.5 pounds as of this morning. I started in this forum at 199. I've gained weight. I can no longer continue to gain weight.
I am 5'5.5" -- I should weigh anywhere between 130 - 145 lbs.
My waist is at 38 inches. Too high.
My calorie goal is 2000 calories a day. Can I go lower? No, I am still feeling hungry at that level. Should I go lower? Eventually, at some point.
*sigh*
I have to do it. This is no longer a question of wants. It is a question of needs. Of being an adult. Of being responsible. Of having a healthy lifestyle so my boyfriend can also be accountable for his own health. We both need each other to be committed to this.
I can't allow him to sabotage me... and conversely -- I can't sabotage him.... not when he's doing it for a good reason... so we can have another thirty or so more years together.

... I shouldn't be... but I am. This is hard.