Webster’s dictionary describes persistence as: “To go on resolutely or stubbornly in spite of opposition, importunity, or warning.” In order to make a complete change in your life, you have to be persistent. You must dig in your heels and totally immerse yourself in the new way of doing things.
“To go on stubbornly” is one of the best ways to describe how I have felt this past year. I had a serious addiction to potato chips. Even saying I had a serious addiction doesn’t fully describe the severity of the problem. I could eat a plate of spaghetti and recognize when I was full. I could eat a bowl of ice cream and recognize when I needed to stop. The connection from my stomach to my brain did not work when potato chips were involved. I could not tell when I was full or had enough. It was like a drug. I could inhale an entire bag in one 30-minute sitting and still be ravenous for more. It had become a massive problem.
I’m not blaming the potato chip industry for my obesity. They didn’t force me to dip my hand into a delicious bag of sour cream-and-onion flavored chips. When I decided last January I had to make a change, I knew that I would have to “break up” with chips. I couldn’t allow them to be in my life anymore. They were the bad boy of the snack world, and I had fallen prey to their sneaky ways. I broke free from their spell and have never looked back. I haven’t eaten a potato chip in a year and couldn’t be happier.
Who knew fresh cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower, dill pickles, radishes would come in and sweep me off my feet. I don’t feel guilty after eating a cucumber; I feel good! I can walk upstairs and not be winded. I can check out at a grocery store and not be overtaken by the tiny chip bags. The break from the chip addiction has had an amazing effect on me.
It is an everyday decision not to eat the chips. I have a wonderfully supportive husband that packs my nutritious lunch almost every day. I make sure I have plenty of snacks in the house that help curb any craving I may have. I try to focus on how far I have come in this journey. January 20 will be a full year of my total life change. I cannot wait to report back to all of you what my grand total for the year is. I’m feeling so much better than I did this time last year. I am wearing a pant size I haven’t seen in a long time. I can’t wait to see where I will be by January of 2021.
This week’s recipe is a classic casserole that you and your family will be sure to love. It is a cauliflower baked ziti that is perfect for cold winter nights. It will fill up your tummy without making you feel guilty. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4
