Labels
Everything, every place, every person has a label whether we like it or not. Labels can be things such as, cheap, tacky, ugly, mean, quirky, smart, scary, dangerous etc. Most any word can be used to describe a thing, place or person. Labels are like adjectives; they are descriptive words. Labels are everywhere. Have you ever used a hashtag? Yep that's a label. Heck, on this blog I can add 'labels', or words, that best describe the blog post so it can reach it's intended or inspired audience. That's life, we can sit there and preach how we are such a good person, but we are all using these 'labels' in some way, shape or form in our daily lives.
I have fallen victim many times to labeling people, locations etc. and have been labeled by others. You can judge me all me want, call me all sorts of names, and yes it will bother me, but I will get over it...eventually. One label, however, I have not separated myself from is a label that you all know very well, and I guarantee use it on a daily basis. That label....wait for it.....
a Food Label. aka the nutritional information on the back of food. I know the suspense was killing you and I set you up for the lamest climax ever. But this little guy on the back of your candy bar is something I cannot kick.
Whether you are using this guy to see the ingredients, or other nutritional information, you are using it for some reason. I used him to tell me how fattening the food I was about to consume was. I used him to see how many calories were in the food I was about to eat. And that was pretty much it. I used the nutritional information the way people use oxygen. You need it to survive, without it you'll die. Unless you're some type of alien or something (and no I'm not saying that aliens' exist so calm down, I'm just using that to convey what I'm getting at...for all I know you might be a potato).
For much of my adult life I used this label as a way to live my life. I almost broke down (and by almost I mean definitely) when I was in treatment, when we had no access to labels, and if we did we were supposed to avoid them. As I have mentioned, I learned how to have a healthy relationship with food and to not worry about what the labels on food read.
I have gone a long period of time without reading the labels. I have learned what foods are equivalent to good sources of protein, grains, fats etc. and because I typically eat the same things every day I got that down to a tee. When I have branched out in my dining choices I know how to read a label and convert grams to protein, grains and so on. I have even learned to not look at the calories! Woot Woot
There are many days that I feel successful in my eating habits. There are also many days when I find myself fearing that I had way more grains than protein and I am going to gain even more weight. There are times when I go grocery shopping and think about getting a new type of snack, but am fearful. I am fearful because it is not a food I am familiar with. I am fearful that because I'm not familiar with it, I will read the label with an unhealthy mind. I am fearful that reading a stupid label in an unhealthy state of mind will cause a slip. A slip will cause a relapse, and a relapse will cause the inevitable rock bottom that I've know all too well before. I know that I just need to challenge myself. I need to make myself uncomfortable and just do it. If I don't, not only will I never know, but my fear will grow.
As I sit here and write this I am almost humored by how some words and numbers can control someone so much....yet, I am also saddened because this is a truth for many people, and I do not foresee any areas of the media changing this. It takes a proactive step in ones life to forever change this thought process.
If we can kick the labels that other people give us. Then we can certainly kick a label that is not very significant. I am ready to take a big step. I am willing to do so with our without you, but it's so much more fun if you join me. Shall we?
I have fallen victim many times to labeling people, locations etc. and have been labeled by others. You can judge me all me want, call me all sorts of names, and yes it will bother me, but I will get over it...eventually. One label, however, I have not separated myself from is a label that you all know very well, and I guarantee use it on a daily basis. That label....wait for it.....
a Food Label. aka the nutritional information on the back of food. I know the suspense was killing you and I set you up for the lamest climax ever. But this little guy on the back of your candy bar is something I cannot kick.
Whether you are using this guy to see the ingredients, or other nutritional information, you are using it for some reason. I used him to tell me how fattening the food I was about to consume was. I used him to see how many calories were in the food I was about to eat. And that was pretty much it. I used the nutritional information the way people use oxygen. You need it to survive, without it you'll die. Unless you're some type of alien or something (and no I'm not saying that aliens' exist so calm down, I'm just using that to convey what I'm getting at...for all I know you might be a potato).
For much of my adult life I used this label as a way to live my life. I almost broke down (and by almost I mean definitely) when I was in treatment, when we had no access to labels, and if we did we were supposed to avoid them. As I have mentioned, I learned how to have a healthy relationship with food and to not worry about what the labels on food read.
I have gone a long period of time without reading the labels. I have learned what foods are equivalent to good sources of protein, grains, fats etc. and because I typically eat the same things every day I got that down to a tee. When I have branched out in my dining choices I know how to read a label and convert grams to protein, grains and so on. I have even learned to not look at the calories! Woot Woot
There are many days that I feel successful in my eating habits. There are also many days when I find myself fearing that I had way more grains than protein and I am going to gain even more weight. There are times when I go grocery shopping and think about getting a new type of snack, but am fearful. I am fearful because it is not a food I am familiar with. I am fearful that because I'm not familiar with it, I will read the label with an unhealthy mind. I am fearful that reading a stupid label in an unhealthy state of mind will cause a slip. A slip will cause a relapse, and a relapse will cause the inevitable rock bottom that I've know all too well before. I know that I just need to challenge myself. I need to make myself uncomfortable and just do it. If I don't, not only will I never know, but my fear will grow.
As I sit here and write this I am almost humored by how some words and numbers can control someone so much....yet, I am also saddened because this is a truth for many people, and I do not foresee any areas of the media changing this. It takes a proactive step in ones life to forever change this thought process.
If we can kick the labels that other people give us. Then we can certainly kick a label that is not very significant. I am ready to take a big step. I am willing to do so with our without you, but it's so much more fun if you join me. Shall we?
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