Because of work, I’d gained quite a bit of weight, I wasn't fitting into my clothes. A choice had to be made: buy a new wardrobe in a larger size or loose the weight. As loosing weight was the cheaper option, it won. Consequently, like the rest of the people in a First World Nation, I looked closer at what I was eating. I didn't want to feel "deprived" or "unsocial." I wanted to enjoy life, eat "bad" foods occasionally. I wanted to be in control of food, not have food do a "Siren's Call" that would dash me on the rocks and force me to buy that larger wardrobe.
I love pizza and danish pastries. I’d been eating a LOT of them over the past year or two. So yummy. The gooey warm cheese on the pizza, the fruit and sweet cheese of a danish. I completely, fully, entirely enjoyed eating those foods. I really thought I loved them.
Turns out that I think they’re only ok…. maybe. If the stars align in a certain way.
I recently did a self-hypnosis session and found that what I loved was the feeling I got when I ate a pizza or a danish. A few things turned up in my session~
When my kids were little, there were very few special things I could afford to treat our family to. I established Friday Night Pizza Night. We’d get a large pizza and watch a rented movie. I was working two jobs, and it was one of the few nights I could spend at home in a happy atmosphere. It was wonderful. We’d talk about the week, eating pizza in front of a movie we could pause and comment on… those memories are amongst the happiest I have.
Except my children are grown, and even a small pizza isn’t very tasty when I eat it alone. What I was really wanting, craving, wasn’t pizza~ it was my family laughing, sharing, talking, and close again.
Danish pastries were the same. When I worked for a hospital in San Diego, California, I felt successful. I was administratively in charge of a division of pediatrics. I was told almost daily how valued I was; how happy they were to have me. I felt needed and that my contributions were appreciated. I started each day with a lovely pastry from the cafeteria and a cup of coffee. It would take me all morning to eat it, and many days I wouldn’t finish the small sweet.
When I started to build my business, I noticed I was craving danish pastries. I hadn’t cared about them in years, yet here I was, going out of my way to get one (or two) each time I went to the grocery store. I had attached a danish pastry to my being successful.
I found that I was literally eating my memories, and gaining weight! Weird, but that’s what happens when I get a pizza and eat it by myself, or have several pastries a week.
Taste and smell are linked together. We’ve all had the cold with the stuffy head that made all the food we ate taste pretty bad. Whether we know it or not, we link food and beverages to the events of our lives. We love repeating happy experiences, but what happens when we eat the food, drink the soda or alcohol when we’re not happy? We develop health issues chasing a memory.
It doesn’t help when the food industry sneaks sugar into our meat and vegetable selections. But the underlying problem for me, begins with a happy memory that I’m not even aware I’m trying to recapture.
After addressing the issue, neither a slice of pizza or a danish pastry are more than a food item. If I choose to eat one or the other, I’m free from the past relationship I’ve had with them. I found they don’t taste as good as it feels to be with my family, nor does it bring me success to not fit in my clothes.
I’ve lost 18 pounds in 3 months. I’m closer to my children than we’ve been in many years. I’m enjoying success in many areas of my life. But the best part of this is that pizza and pastries don’t evoke any feeling whatsoever. I can taste them for what they are, without the memory seasoning the flavor.
I’m happy, healthier, and making new memories…