advertisement

Fighting food addictions, sickness make the journey tough

Cookies and pancakes, doughnuts and cakes … “These are a few of my favorite things.”

Each day brings a new challenge, mainly in the realm of dieting, and I find myself struggling.

A couple of weeks ago Girl Scout Cookies infiltrated my home and I thought my willpower was strong, but late night cravings took over and soon the entire box was gone.

Not only did I instantly feel regret and shame, but my body ached and it made me feel horrible.

Sugar coats my mind and I conveniently hear The Beatles in the background, “You've really got a hold on me.”

The fact that I'm not only fighting this food addiction, but also burning fat gives me this insatiable hunger that refuses to idle.

I am tormented with this struggle, but my hope is that one day it will fade away, as new habits develop and I'll eventually look back at the folly of the situation.

Keeping sweet temptations out of the house, out of sight and out of mind seems the key to fighting this bad habit, but sometimes outside factors break the barrier and control is taken away from me.

Mark and I enjoy the occasional weekend breakfast date on the seldom days we have off together.

In the past these breakfasts included the full spread — omelet, hash browns, a sweet caffeinated drink, and pancakes doused in sweet syrup.

This time around, I was seconds away from making the wrong decision, but luckily I was strong enough to set my health upon the pedestal and leave the pancakes and sweet drinks for others to enjoy.

I could have done with less or no hash browns, but that is something I'm working on.

Another recent struggle was during birthday celebrations for Mark.

During a family get-together cake was offered and my walls collapsed. I justified it by being a small piece, but I want to lose weight and this is not the time to cheat.

I suffered later that day, not solely from the cake but a nice stomach virus decided to settle into its new home, leaving me sick the following days.

My diet was destroyed — nausea struck and I couldn't keep anything down.

Fearful to eat anything and body weak, I eventually was able to eat some toast, blueberries, and soup, but now, a week later, I am struggling to get my diet back on track.

Another difficulty from this recent blunder was tolerating with the weak state of my body during routine training sessions.

Despite the difficulty, I showed up for training and did my best, and I'm grateful for doing so, because knowing that I at least tried is an accomplishment in itself.

Life's journey is full of fumbles, but there is a reward with overcoming these challenges and it begins with not giving up.

• Kat Polomsky is a Daily Herald events specialist and also helps manage the Fittest Loser At Work Challenge.

By the numbers

<span class="fact box text bold">Starting weight:</span> 155

<span class="fact box text bold">Current weight:</span> 148

<span class="fact box text bold">Week weight lost:</span> 4 lbs.

<span class="fact box text bold">Total weight lost:</span> 7 lbs.

<span class="fact box text bold">Percent weight lost:</span> 4.5%

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.