Let me talk for a moment about expectations. Not the ones we hold for ourselves but the kind that comes from others. Yesterday a family member brought in a beautiful cake to thank the staff for taking such good care of her mother. It was a beautifully decorated homemade cake. She brought it at change of shift and the day supervisor was cutting up small squares for the off going and on coming staff to enjoy.
I picked up a plate with a two-inch square of cake to enjoy (though I admit I picked the corner because the frosting is the best part. I've always said that cake is really just a frosting delivery system.) Well, you would have thought that I had ripped off all my clothes and started doing patient care buck ass naked, such were the looks I got from several of my co-workers. This isn't me being paranoid, one of the looks was even accompanied by a naughty finger wag!
There was time when this would have enraged me enough to justify eating five pieces of cake, but it's different now, I'm different now. I had a laugh to myself, savored my cake and went to work. My co-workers seem to think that I only eat carrots and apples like a quarter horse, after all, how else have I managed to lose weight. HA! My journey to health and fitness isn't one of deprivation and white-knuckle moments. It was a small piece of cake, I don't eat it every day but I will be honest, I would never have been able to lose 93 pounds if had been told to do so that I would never be able to eat cake again.
Many times over the years have expectations from external sources kept me from losing weight or keeping it off. But I realize now that it was just another excuse to carry on in my old habits. My health is my responsibility and no one else's. The only expectation I have now is that this journey is for life. Life that will include carrots and apples, roast chickens and fresh juice, long walks and yes, even the occasional piece of cake.
I picked up a plate with a two-inch square of cake to enjoy (though I admit I picked the corner because the frosting is the best part. I've always said that cake is really just a frosting delivery system.) Well, you would have thought that I had ripped off all my clothes and started doing patient care buck ass naked, such were the looks I got from several of my co-workers. This isn't me being paranoid, one of the looks was even accompanied by a naughty finger wag!
There was time when this would have enraged me enough to justify eating five pieces of cake, but it's different now, I'm different now. I had a laugh to myself, savored my cake and went to work. My co-workers seem to think that I only eat carrots and apples like a quarter horse, after all, how else have I managed to lose weight. HA! My journey to health and fitness isn't one of deprivation and white-knuckle moments. It was a small piece of cake, I don't eat it every day but I will be honest, I would never have been able to lose 93 pounds if had been told to do so that I would never be able to eat cake again.
Many times over the years have expectations from external sources kept me from losing weight or keeping it off. But I realize now that it was just another excuse to carry on in my old habits. My health is my responsibility and no one else's. The only expectation I have now is that this journey is for life. Life that will include carrots and apples, roast chickens and fresh juice, long walks and yes, even the occasional piece of cake.
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