People often say to me, ” I bet you don’t eat a thing.” Ha! Quite the opposite. I’m usually hungry and eat all day long. A few weeks ago I started going weekly meal prep, so I have all my lunches and smacks ready to go and I just have to grab it on the way out the door. One f m new favorites is a take on dirty rice:
Measure 1 cup of brown rice, 2 cups of water, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a medium pot. Bring pot to a rolling boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer (without opening) for 40 minutes, making sure the water hasn’t all evaporated.
Dice a red onion, finely chop 8 cloves of garlic, and slice 4 scallions. Cook vegetables with 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 pound ground turkey and cook for about 10 minutes until browned, stirring and breaking up chunks with a spoon. Add diced red pepper and yellow pepper, season with garlic powder, thyme, chili powder, cinnamon, cumin, cayenne, salt, and pepper to taste and cook for a few minutes longer. Stir in half a bunch of cilantro, finely chopped. Stir in cooked brown rice and adjust seasonings to taste.
Yum!
Years ago I suffered from an eating disorder. My life felt out of control, but one thing I could have control over was my food. At my lowest I weighed 105 pounds and wore a size 00. You know the saying “you can never be too rich or too thin”? I don’t know about the too rich part, but you can be too thin. I just didn’t eat. I thought I was eating, but I’d just take a few bites and then push around the food on my plate for a while.
I came across this photo of me recently. I wasn’t at my smallest here, but close. I rarely weigh myself now, because it would be so easy to fall into bad patterns and obsesses about the number.
Just the other day I realized that I still have some degree of body dysmorphia. I borrowed a shirt that belongs to another person, and I was shocked to see that it was way too big for me. In my mind, I see myself as way bigger than I actually am. But the good thing is that I’m not trying to change my size. I’m extremely comfortable with myself and my body now. It’s not perfect, but it’s healthy and strong. My body suffered from years of abuse from both myself and others, but now I only allow loving kindness (also from myself and others).
I can’t say enough about how important it is to me to celebrate my body. Every day I thank it for all that it does, and honor its needs through great workouts, long showers, flossing my teeth, and drinking lots of water. Make a list of the things you need to do to take care of yourself so you feel healthy and grounded, and then schedule them into your day. It’s easier to feel good about who you are when you make your needs priorities.
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