Showing posts with label cars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cars. Show all posts

No looking back

Well, I did it. I'm done at the bakery, I've submitted my new insurance information, and I am now officially a full-time freelance writer.


Last night was my last day at the bakery, my last day as a bread slinger, pie wrangler, and muffin maven. I was getting ready to leave and drive home a woman who lives near me, when told her tonight was going to be a fun ride home. Her initial thought was that I was going to be all giggly and buzzing because I was leaving. No, I told her, the ride home was going to be fun because my rearview mirror fell off my windshield and was dangling by its wires. It looked something like this:


She laughed and said it was a very appropriate malfunction because for my life right now, there is no looking back. "So if you're not looking back," she said, "Why would you need a rearview mirror?"
(I'm fairly certain the police wouldn't buy this logic if I got pulled over, but I was prepared to use this line if it should happen.)

Right now, I'm scared. And exhilarated. And not a little in shock.

Although my rearview mirror is now fixed (super glue, not duct tape, for once), there is still no looking back.

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My Life as a Car


So I was having a rather interesting discussion with my dietitian today about my recent slide back into calorie counting. This has been quite a large sticking point of mine for many years. Counting is one of my OCD rituals, and I've tried many times and failed just about as many. I had about 2 months free earlier this year, but than slid right back into old habits.


I like to eat the same number of calories every day, the same number at breakfast, lunch and dinner, and the same number for both of my snacks. Period. End of discussion. One of the meds I'm on (that I need to be on) can cause weight gain. I thought, "Oh crap. What if this is going to cause weight gain again?"*

I love my dietitian. She rocks my world. I've been seeing her for about 6 years now (apparently I'm a slow learner), and she has provided much advice and counsel. On an intellectual level, I have learned that our bodies do not need the same amount of calories each day. I know our bodies can self-regulate. And so on. I get this. On an emotional level, however, the fear instinct just kicks in. I am still deathly afraid of gaining weight. I want my eating habits to be "perfect." I want my exercise habits to be "perfect." I feel like the pimply check-out boy at the supermarket is judging the content of my cart and thinking I'm a pig if I buy a bag of chips. My brother, having been a checkout boy, assures me this is not the case. He's looking for hot chicks. Period.

So. What does any of this have to do with cars?

This: We do not drive our cars at the same speed, for the same time, every single day. Gas mileage typically averages out the same- I use miles on the odometer to judge when I need to start thinking about filling up. We drive in residential areas at (theoretically) 25 mph. We cruise 80 mph down the highway. This causes our cars to burn gas at different rates. When I got stuck in traffic for three hours, that cost a pretty penny. But our car engines know how to use the gas. And they know how to indicate they need a refill. It's not exactly, precisely the same each time. It doesn't need to be.

It's the same with my body's metabolism. On average, I eat the same number of calories. My body, in spite of the last seven years, knows how to self-regulate. It's a learning process, but I do pretty well. Those days when I'm more active or more anxious, I might need more calories. On days when I loaf around in bed (mmmmm....blankets), I might need less.

Quite simple, actually.

If I did have to choose a car, it would be a lime green VW Beetle. Bar none.








*I had gained quite a bit of weight from a combination of meds in the past. These meds were NOT related to the eating disorder. However, the experience has definitely left its mark.

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I'm a science writer, a jewelry design artist, a bookworm, a complete geek, and mom to a wonderful kitty. I am also recovering from a decade-plus battle with anorexia nervosa. I believe that complete recovery is possible, and that the first step along that path is full nutrition.

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Have any questions or comments about this blog? Feel free to email me at carrie@edbites.com



nour·ish: (v); to sustain with food or nutriment; supply with what is necessary for life, health, and growth; to cherish, foster, keep alive; to strengthen, build up, or promote



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