Cheese and a Challenge

Good things about today.

1. My run went very well--went in to do 4, finished 5 in 46 minutes.
2. Made excellent (and healthy) oatmeal blueberry muffins.
3. Read loads of books with Luke.

I started this blog almost a week ago to keep myself honest about my eating, weight, and exercise. So far I've written a couple entries about food, the rest have just been items on my mind. Today, we're back to where it started.

Food. I recall I said pizza was my vice--it is, but I noticed something much more scary this weekend. I cannot stop eating cheese--all kinds and varieties make my palette tingle. Yesterday I actually told Ben to physically remove the cheese from my sight, and I took the dog for a 30 minute walk. I knew I should stop, or at least slow down my intake--please, I think I looked like a vacuum, but I couldn't do it. Why? What power does cheese have over me? I have no idea, but it's clearly something I should be more conscience of daily. Daily, yes, daily--because here's the problem--we probably have pizza once every couple of weeks. As a vice, I adore it, but I can avoid it for 13 days. Cheese, however, is a different story. The dairy drawer in our fridge literally bursts with cheese. It doesn't help that today I went to Yutzy's (our local farm market) where they sell cheese ends--I buy them because they are perfect for casseroles and soups, that is if they ever make it home. Once I was in the car, without a second thought, I opened a package of cheese ends and ate with an almost reckless abandon. I've discussed my issues with self control before, but I'm not really sure I actually recognized it as a problem. Today, with the cheese, I clearly identified that it is, in fact, a problem, and it's one I'm going to have to work on if I want to shed the weight.

The educated inner me knows there is more to this than being hungry. If that's all it was, wouldn't a few bites have satisfied that craving and taken then edge off my hunger? What part of me feels the need to keep eating when I am CLEARLY not hungry?

On a lighter note, I ran 5 miles and THEN went to Yutzy's--so I made it there in all my sweaty gym glory. :)

Here's the challenge part for all of you readers. (It's a two parter, get ready.)

1. Identify your vice (or vices) and really work hard to figure out what is triggering the need to eat. I'll be slugging through the process too, you won't be alone.

2. Make the commitment to run/jog at least ONE race in the next 6 months. I'm not talking a marathon or even a half marathon here (although anyone who wants to run in Columbus with me May 1st is welcome to the guest bedroom.) I'm talking about committing to run or even run/walk a 5K or a 10K. Make the decision to do it, and I promise you will be able to accomplish it. I had never run a race (not even one) before I ran the April 2008 Half Marathon---NOTHING. I made the promise to myself that I would finish---there were no time goals associated with this race, I simply wanted to finish. Together we can all do this. Let me know if you accept the challenge. (For you Fremont readers isn't there on during Baby Food Festival?)

Who's in? Come on.....

God Bless.

Beck

Oh, and don't forget to make a trip to the library this week. :)