Weight Loss Insights from a New Perspective: Up on the Roof

I was up on the roof the other day...we had a minor leak that I figured I could handle. Believe me, getting up on the roof is much easier now that I have 120 fewer pounds to hoist up there! And I am a lot less concerned about falling through!

Oh, I digress! The point was really that this experience gave me a couple of insights.

Insight #1

Just about anything can remind me of food!

Possibly this is partly because I am always looking for things I can blog about...but I also know that I have always had a strong visual connection with food.

Some people have thoughts triggered by smells or sounds, but my biggest trigger is sight.

That is why even now where I can have food in the house I find I feel more tempted if I SEE the food. So I put things on higher shelves or deeper back in the freezer, so they are “out of sight out of mind.”

Anyway, even the tar that I put on the roof reminded me of food! As I applied it I thought it was like frosting a cake...and I also noted the consistency was more like brownie batter.

What was great about this insight was the realization that I noticed the observation but was not consumed by it. I was detached from it and therefore I did not start craving either cake or brownies.

Insight #2

More is not always better.

I found in applying the tar that I could really ladle it on thick. But when I did that it tended to ooze out to places I didn’t want.

What worked better was several thinner applications and taking some time to allow each layer to settle.

In the end, the total amount of tar used was maybe the same...but the end result was much better.

I find this is true for eating as well. When I choose to eat large quantities at one time, I feel uncomfortable, bloated...and fat literally oozes in places where I don’t want it—on my body!

If I eat smaller amounts more frequently, the total amount may be the same, but by giving my body and mind time to let it settle I process it better. The end result is that I feel and look better.

Like the roof that does its job of keep things dry when I apply several thin coats of tar, my body does its job of keeping me energized when I feed it several smaller meals throughout the day.