Losing My Addictions


My weight has varied by less than three pounds for going on two years now. Not gaining is great, but I really want to shed the oldest fat in my body — fat that settled around my waist decades ago and is now firmly entrenched. The weight is less the issue than a desire to end the jiggling.

If losing weight was 100 percent about exercise, my old fat would be gone. Resisting temptation isn’t my strong suit, so eating anywhere but home is a potential problem. Receptions and buffets are particularly dangerous. Throw in a tendency to feel entitled — especially on days I workout AND run — and my progress toward svelte hasn’t been what it could be.

My food addictions sabotage my efforts. Months ago, I dealt with three bad boys — the most recent additions to my addictions. I quit buying ginger snaps, have been making my own lemonade, and kicked my Dunkin’ Donuts habit…mostly. A few weekends ago, a really bad cold induced me to buy a half dozen old fashioned doughnuts which I ate in as many hours. I try to listen to my body. Weird cravings can mean some kind of deficiency. I must have needed the nutmeg.

Only my oldest friends, ice cream and pizza, are left. I know they’re not good for me, but we’ve been together for so long, letting go is hard. Besides, I love them more than my luggage.

Whether cause or coincidence I can’t say, but my first two jobs were in ice cream shops. Dipping ice cream for a living at fourteen started a lifetime relationship with the frozen treat I blame for most the weight I’ve gained since then. It’s certainly not MY fault.

I’ve rarely met an ice cream flavor I didn’t like, but prefer the basic flavors of the past over the junk-filled, multi-branded concoctions of today. Ice cream shouldn’t have to be chewed. Nuts and bits of fruit are okay, but adding cookies, cake, candy bars and other solids is on the other side of a line I refuse to cross — unless of course, I add them myself.

Pizza — the other of my oldest food addictions — also entered my life in a big way when I got a job and had my own money. I’d scarf down a large cheese pie from the Pizza Hut up the street on the way home from school and then sit down to dinner when I got home. Pizza was my go-to choice for breaks when I worked in shopping centers or malls and for hanging out with friends after football and basketball games.

For decades, we ordered pizza once or twice a week when cooking was too much trouble or there wasn’t anything in the house to eat. No one will ever know the number of whole pies I’ve consumed in one sitting all by myself. These days, carryout pizza is a rare treat. I eat half or less and throw the rest away, along with any remaining breadsticks or chicken wings. Tossing even a slice of the giant hot chocolate chip cookie, however, would just be foolish.

Despite my addictions, I’ve kept the weight off, which is a huge accomplishment. Working out helps. Since muscle is heavier than fat and my weight hasn’t changed, I’m burning up a lot of fat. Sooner or later, I’ll vanquish the last remaining cells. And when I do, as God is my witness, I’ll never jiggle again!


8 responses to “Losing My Addictions”

  1. You’re doing an awesome job, even having those last few hold-over addictions 🙂
    We (usually) do pizza once a week, but it’s home made, so I get to control everything that goes into it, from the super simple spelt crust (spelt flour, water, and a little baking soda–oh and sometimes ground carrots), to the toppings (usually all veg, and lots of ’em). I don’t make the sauce, but we’ve found a canned tomato paste that’s as nutritionally sound as that stuff is going to be. Of course, I’m still a cheese addict…. 😉

    • Thanks, Helen! I’ve been buying frozen pizzas. They’re admittedly not as good as carryout or homemade, but they’re easy–and I can select a brand/variety that’s at least a little better nutritionally speaking and don’t have to worry about breadsticks, chicken wings, or those yummy chocolate chip cookies!

  2. Won’t that old fat that thinks it has tenure for life in your body is served with a notice that it has been re-assigned to the engine room to be burned as fuel! Keep at it, Michael!

  3. Hello, I myself have nearly come out of the “just accept your body” movement. It is difficult to make changes, and I commend you on your weight loss success. But I would not totally give up my favorite foods. An occasional slice or two of pizza will not sabatage weitloss nor a small bowl of ice cream once a month. Moderation is the key. Smaller portions, not total exception. Keep up the good exercising too!

    • Thanks, Rhonda. You’re right. Moderation is the key–and not something I’m good at, in general. If I could just have two slices of pizza delivered instead of the whole pie… Hahaha.