Instant Gratification

That is a catch phrase that we hear a lot in reference to our culture. We want to feel good, successful, complete, satisfied – NOW. While we don’t frown on hard work, we actually revere it, we do frown on what we view as a misuse of time, and that includes waiting. I’ve been told often that I am an impatient person. I accept that. Actually, I have been observed to give off an air of impatience, so one can imagine the strength I must use as I try to lose weight once again.

This time I am giving myself a year to get to my goal weight of 140 pounds, because I am obviously not 18 years old anymore and can not lose 6 pounds in a week. Apparently, I can not even lose 2 pounds a week even when I constantly calculate my calories and cardio. For some reason, my body does not fit into a mathematical equation. Go figure. F0r real - Fk math, lol.

I decided to view my weight craze as an addiction. Coincidentally, there was a slew of celebrity drug addict shows on cable this past week. For someone who doesn't have cable, when I get access to it, my reality junkie comes out full force. On one particular show, a recovering addict said that going to a drug rehab program was the easiest part of the process, it was staying recovered that was the difficult part. Being thrown into the same situations and expected to respond in new, yet foreign, ways is difficult.

I am addicted to food. It makes me feel good instantly. It helps me avoid certain thoughts that I have no idea how to handle or deal with. As a matter of fact, the mere feeling of not kowing how to handle something stresses me out. Family issues, relationship stress, job stress, money troubles – all melt away instantly with fried and salty foods. Then, as my waist line expands, I go back to detox a.k.a. dieting. My emotional issues are displayed on my figure like a flag of failure.

I am great at dieting. I know all there is to know about caloric intake, eating times, metabolism, good fats, bad fats, fat fats. I need to become great at lifestylin’

Therefore, my focus this summer is to come up with ways, reteach myself, how to handle stressful situations—particularly the lack of time and energy that will come with the school year--without sippin chard and eating.

New Favorite Recipe

Noodle-Less Lasagna – Use any lasagna recipe, but replace the noodles with thinly sliced eggplants. Use about two medium sized eggplants, season them with salt and pepper, bake at 350 for about 10 minutes.

The eggplant soaks up all of the flavors and you never miss the noodles. I prepared mine with fat free ricotta, ground turkey (you can keep it veggie), and reduced fat mozzarella. As always, add fresh herbs.