A New Book Obsession

I have never perused the self help aisle of a bookstore, but recently I made an exception.  I purchased Bethenny Frankel's book Naturally Thin.  Let me just say that I have really liked this book.  It is not a diet book, but a way to put yourself into a new mindset.  It is supposed to be a mindset of how naturally thin people think when it comes to food.  Basically saying, naturally thin people don't really think all that much about what food they can have or can't have.  If you binge for a day, don't beat yourself up about it and stop eating healthy because you are ruined.  Just be better the next day.  Don't not eat foods that you really want to eat because you think you are not supposed to have them, just eat them, taste them and then you are satisfied.  And...don't worry, you will always have a chance to eat fries so don't think you need to eat every last one. 

So I took my new knowledge out to a restaurant for the first time.  I did my best to follow her naturally thin rules.  The restaurant was a brewery where they brew 8 different kinds of beers.  There were four that I wanted to taste, so instead of ordering four pints, I opted for ordering 4 oz of each kind.  Also, I really wanted the calamari appetizer.  So I ordered it, had two or three pieces and then passed the rest around the table.  The menu was large so there were many options for my entree.  There were sandwiches, salads, pasta dishes, and what they are famous for which is their pizzas.  I could have gone the diet route and ordered a salad, but salads are not always that healthy, and it really wasn't what I wanted to eat.  So I weighed my options and I was down to a grilled chicken sandwich, shrimp tacos, and pizza.  The sandwich and tacos came with fries, and I honestly didn't really want fries, but if they were there I was sure that I would eat them anyway.  Also I think the pizza would taste much better than the other two options, so I went with the pizza.  I got the mini mediterranean that was loaded with good vegetables.  Because of the beer and the calamari, I got full really quickly.  So rather than stuffing my face with the mini pizza (which did happen to be mini), I ate until I was full.  I canceled my membership in the clean plate club, and didn't feel bad about not getting a box to take it home.  Prior to this book, I would have taken it home because I knew I was going out and would want late night food.  Instead, I offered it to a friend.  It didn't go to waste and more importantly it didn't go on my waistline. 

So even though I ate pizza and beer and calamari at a restaurant, I didn't feel bad about it.  I really like this new way of thinking.  I can eat whatever I want and that is kind of liberating.   I will admit that over exams and the holidays I did a lot of excessive eating, but since I have been back to Gainesville, I have gotten down to a comfortable weight and well on my way to getting back to where I was last summer.