What My Boyfriend Taught Me About Healthy Eating (W/o Saying a Word)

1. Eat when you are hungry. Seems simple enough but I think most of us know that it really isn’t!  Some of us snack mindlessly (guilty!), eat when we are not hungry (guilty!) or when we are full (guilty!).  If we simply listen to our body — it talks to us, why don’t we listen?! — it would be so much easier to have a healthy relationship with food.
2. Eat what you want. My boyfriend eats what he wants and for this reason he never binges or suffers from angry moods spawn from restrictive eating.  The thing is – since he listens to his body, the actual portions of what he eats are so much smaller in comparison to how much I would eat of that same food.  If I had a huge slice of cheesecake, I would want to eat it all even if I were not hungry or full.
3. Stop eating the second you are full. This boy stops eating the SECOND he feels he might be full. He just drops the fork and exclaims he’s done.  As someone who is accustomed to cleaning her plate no matter what, this has always shocked me.  “How can you leave that cookie on your plate?!  How did you not finish your french fries?!” I’ve asked almost in panic. “I’m full” he says with a shrug.
4. Share your food. He’s never hesitant to share his food.  You will unceasingly catch him trying to fork me over a tiny sliver of this or that.  Why is this important? Because he realizes that food is delicious and it’s not something to be shunned.  But that also doesn’t mean you should eat a pound of chocolate cake in one sitting.  He will kindly pass me a fork-full of a treat he eats knowing that, in reality, one bite of a treat is really all one needs to get the satisfaction of having it.  Plus, sharing food is such a sweet gesture that really reminds me that food is about nourishing mind, body and spirit.  It’s not this demon lurking in the corners or a Siren singing you to doom. It’s f-o-o-d.
5. Talk while you eat. He loves to chat while he’s eating and this is genius!  When I eat it’s like an event and the guest speaker is my food.  My boyfriend takes a bite and starts talking (yes, sometimes while still chewing LOL). The fact is — he doesn’t have food on a pedestal.  He’s eating because he’s hungry.  Food is a way to bring us both to the table, face to face.  He relishes his companion at the table (that’s me *cue the awws*), much more than his food.  Plus, taking breaks while eating to discuss Aristotle’s Poetics gives his tummy time to say “hey, I think I’m getting full over here!”

So there you have it.

I said in a prior post that I no longer wanted to lose weight, that it was now about being fit and strong.  Unfortunately I do continue with a bit of a scale addiction and have watched my weight continue to maintain and even go up here and there.  But there’s one thing the scale has not been telling me that I know it means to…

I’m a Bad-Ass

There’s a budding bicep there, promise!

Gotta love how *amazing* it feels to be getting stronger.  I can see definition coming into my arms and back.  My one cherished chin-up is turning into two and three.  I’m holding my planks and L-sits longer.

Being physically stronger makes me feel emotionally stronger. Craziness.

Has anyone in your life taught you a very important lesson without saying a word?  Do you have a healthy attitude towards food? How are your budding biceps?