When I was younger I didn't have a good relationship with my body.  I was tall and gangly but a little wider around my middle, which I still am.  My weight fluctuates, I get spots, I have wobbly bits where I'd prefer there weren't any but not enough to do much more than have a healthy eating plan.  Now I have a much better relationship with my body.

Twice within the last five years, I've noticed I've put a bit of weight on from not making the best food choices so I made the decision to track what I was eating when I was eating it and then think about why I was eating certain things at certain times.  Was I actually hungry?  Was I bored?  Was I lonely?  Was I anxious?  Was I just thirsty?

I only get weighed once a year at my pill check which is every year in January.  I'm not too bothered about the numbers as it's winter and always a couple of weeks after Christmas as well as being generally mid-morning. So when I get weighed I'm dressed, I've had breakfast, drunk a lot of water, maybe had a snack and with it being winter and post Christmas I've most likely overindulged a bit the last few months.  I'm always within the height to weight scale all be it a little more towards the overweight line. But It's all good.

I eat different foods in winter and summer.  Winter is more comforting and stodgy foods of white potatoes with root vegetables as well as bolognese or a Mexican style bean mix with rice whereas summer is lighter foods like salads and sweet potatoes.  Within a few weeks of looking at the food choices that I'm eating I reduce certain foods; crisps, biscuits, cake, chocolate ice cream and I eat more vegetables, salad items, sweet potatoes and fruit.  

I may have touched on some of this in the 'weight' post a few days ago, so forgive me if I repeat myself.  It's all about making smarter choices.  I've stopped buying frozen oven chips and I make sweet potato fries at home instead.  I still allow myself some treats of what I listed above that I limit but I only have those at weekends or on my days off.  So they are more of a treat rather than a dietary choice.  After a few weeks of limiting those foods I notice a change in my body; my clothes start to fit me a bit better, I'm moving more, I'm happier and less anxious as I make poor food choices when my anxiety is bad.  I still eat healthy foods I just eat too many of the treat foods.

I have found that writing a menu plan for my evening meals when I'm planning my week ahead is helping me.  I hadn't done that for this week so that's possibly been why I've been struggling with getting a hold of my anxiety this week.  I have the same sorts of menus but generally, alternate a few over a few weeks.  Friday is generally pizza night, (a small 4-5 inch one), while Saturday has recently become Quorn burger with homemade sweet potato fries night.  I also tend to have Quorn chicken pieces and salad in wraps at least once a week, the other nights are jacket potato with salad, potatoes, veg and a veggie main of some variation.

I'm happy with the body I have.  I am very grateful for the body I have. It's healthy and it gets me from a to b.  

What's your relationship with your body like?  Do you love it or not?