Food addict?

I'm not going to lie: losing this weight has been one of the hardest things I've done in my entire life.

My husband has smoked for almost 30 years (he's on an e-cigarette now and has cut back to 1-2 regular cigarettes per day.  Yay!) and we have the discussion often about how difficult it is to quit smoking.  I'm happy he's making this change to improve his health.  But then he starts rambling on about how it's impossible to completely quit....he'll never get it 100% under control....it's an addiction and he's been doing it for almost 30 years.....blah, blah, blah.

And then I trump him: at least you don't need cigarettes to survive.

I'm a food addict.  At least I think that's what it could be called.  Sure, I know food is fuel and not entertainment or meant to make me feel better.  But it it is and it does.

So why is this important for me to say out loud?  Well, because I'm sure I can't be the only one.  Even after all this weight loss and all this time on Weight Watchers, I still have quantity issues.  I like to see a big, huge plate of food.  I like to know I'm still getting to eat the wonderful, gooey, cheesy, or chocolaty things I've loved for so long.  Honestly, I still like to eat like I'm a glutton.  I'm a pig and I'll admit it.

The catch is that I've found ways to make the foods I love fit into this new lifestyle.  I still eat mass quantities of many foods but I know which ones I can and can not eat on a regular basis.  And I've learned how to adapt recipes to be more friendly to my body and the Weight Watchers program.

Here are some examples:

* I use nonfat, plain Greek yogurt to make creamy sauces, dips for my veggies, and in brownie mixes (yes, I'm serious!).
*  I use cauliflower to make "mashed potatoes" and make quinoa salads seem bigger than they are.
*  I use butternut squash as most of my sauce for macaroni and cheese.  Because, let's not forget, I could swim in a tub of mac'n'cheese and totally call that my happy place.
*  I use high fiber anything as often as I can.  The fiber helps keep me full and can lower the Points Plus Values of foods (sometimes).
*  I make a mean sandwich.  And it's usually about 4 inches thick because I've loaded it with lean protein and LOTS of veggies.
*  I use applesauce in baked goods instead of oil.
*  If a recipe calls for veggies, I'll see if I can double the amount of veggies without altering the consistency or flavor too much.
*  I measure.  Everything.  This sounds like such a simple thing, but it makes a HUGE difference.

There are more, but these are the most common things I do.

So being a food addict can be a good thing.  I like food.  For me, that means I'm willing to eat almost anything (I hate green peppers and coconut with a passion.  Not together.  Ewwww.  But there's just as gross to me separate).  Being able to eat like this let's me try more things, eat better, eat different, and never get bored with what I eat.  I can always find or create new ways to cook and experiment.

And this works to my advantage as a food addict.  Because how could you enjoy losing weight if all you eat are chicken breasts and steamed broccoli.

Although this has been one of the most difficult things I've ever done, losing weight has been one of the most rewarding things I've ever done.