Financial Costs of Obesity: Part II, Developing a Healthy Eating Philosophy

Good Morning, it's time for another edition of "Frugal Fridays." This week, we'll pick up where we left off before a bit of the stomach flu last week! In the second installment of "The Financial Costs of Obesity,” we’ll talk a little bit about frugal options for healthier eating. Today, I want you to ask yourself some questions and develop your own healthy eating philosophy, a mission statement to post on your fridge or in your cabinet to help you win “the battle of the bulge”. By developing a mission statement to guide us as we battle obesity, we’ll be able to conquer come of the costs of obesity, financially, physically, and mentally.

What in the world is a healthy eating philosophy? Let me begin with a caveat…our family has realized that continuous dieting does not work. The Weight Watchers commercial has it pretty dead on when they say “diets don’t work”. Our healthy eating philosophy is basically a combination of a realization and acceptance. Our realization is that we are basically food addicts, who have tried many diets as forms of “rehab” for our problem.

The first question you should ask yourself is, “What is my relationship with food?”. I will be the first to admit that I have a great relationship with food. I love it! But that’s the problem. Instead of using food as a fuel for my body, I am an emotional eater. I would say that’s probably my biggest problem when it comes to food. If I get bored, I tend to eat. If I’m sad or stressed, I like to eat. Growing up in the South, I’ve come to associate foods with funerals, baby showers, weddings, and other important events. I’ve used food as a reward to motivate myself or congratulate myself for doing something. It’s an unhealthy perspective on my relationship with food, and I need to change my outlook.

Next, ask yourself, “What purpose does food serve in my life?” As I mentioned, as an emotional eater, food has been a source of comfort to me. I’ve gained the most weight after bad breakups, when I was struggling to find a job, or after tragedies. I actually decided to take the time to really examine what the definition of “food” is and what it should be used for. I think Merriman-Webster’s site puts it great, defining food as “material consisting essentially of protein, carbohydrate, and fat used in the body of an organism to sustain growth, repair, and vital processes and to furnish energy” or “something that nourishes, sustains, or supplies”. Now, my challenge is to look at food as a source of fuel for my mind and body, instead of as a source of comfort. I’m going to post that definition of food on our refrigerator and in other prominent places, so that I can remind myself of the true purpose of food in my life.

Our third question in our quest to develop a healthy eating philosophy, asks, “What steps do I need to take to change my perspective?” As I’ve realized in step two that I need to change my perspective, how must I do that? As I mentioned, I’m going to post the reality about food, that Merriman-Webster definition, in places where I can read it multiple times a day. I’m also going to make time in my weekly planning session to review how I did over the previous week while I also look ahead. Setting goals for myself will be an integral part of changing my perspective about food.

Finally, I want you to ask yourself, “What is my ultimate goal? How do I want to look/ feel/ think about myself?” In this step, I really hesitate to have you ask yourself how you want to “look” after you lose weight. Although many people do choose to lose weight based on their appearance (and often because they want to “look good for person X”), I hope you will choose to lose weight or change your eating habits based on how you feel, physically and mentally. I feel like I can say this because I was the queen of the “Oh, I’m going to make Mr. X regret he lost me, because I’m going to look like the finest thing since sliced bread.” Yeah, that’s not really healthy for my self-esteem, is it? My ultimate goal is to improve my health. I have fibromyalgia and some other health problems, and I know my body would benefit from a healthier lifestyle including a healthy diet and exercise. I have to make my health my top priority. My goal is to conquer my obesity physically and mentally so that I can build a healthier “me”.

So, what is my healthy eating philosophy? Let’s combine the answers from those five questions into my philosophy: “I, Amy, realize that I am an emotional eater. My relationship with food has not been healthy, as I have looked to food to fill emotional needs. Food serves a purpose in my life. Food is a fuel which sustains and repairs my body and gives it energy. I need to focus on the real purpose of food in my life and set goals for myself which reflect my greatest goal—to be healthy, energetic, and fit so that I can better serve God, my family, and my friends.”

I would encourage you to develop your own healthy eating philosophy. We’re challenging ourselves to battle obesity financially, physically, and mentally. By conquering the physical and mental aspects of ourselves which have contributed to our obesity, we’ll be able to save ourselves money in the long run. Please join me next week on “Frugal Friday” for the third part of our “Financial Costs of Obesity” series, as we look at how we can choose to eat healthier and save ourselves some money!