I Almost Didn't Go!

Can a movie change your life?  Should it?  It seemed like a simple and straightforward thing to do.  Go see a movie with friends, a girls night out that I badly needed.  I wasn't thinking I would change my mind, let alone my life.  In fact, I had almost backed out of the whole deal, but I'll touch on that in a minute.

I have been a meat and potatoes kinda gal.  Maybe some sad, canned veggies would grace my plate occasionally, but not often and not in large quantities.  I viewed salads as a waste of time, bring me some cheesy fries!  I was proud of my pop swilling habit, and chocolate was my best friend, barring ice cream, of course.  Food was my safe haven, sometimes my only haven, and I sought out it's supposed security often.

I have spent years fighting with my fat, loathing myself and what I had become.  I felt powerless against food and it's siren song, wrecked on the rocks without hope of recovery.  I have considered  grastric bypass surgery, gone to fat camp, tried shake diets and numerous workouts, nothing stuck except the fat and the feeling of failure.  "What should I do?" was my weary and worn cry that didn't seem to have an answer.  Well, a good answer anyway.  Less calories, more exercise, bottom line.  But I had already failed at that, repeatedly.

I decided to take a look at my failures, what was the common denominator, how and why did I fail.  That was fun!  I have taken the last two years to work on my state of mind, more than my state of body.  Gradually, I have rebuilt my mind and how I process my experiences.  This has been the breakthrough I was looking for.  I couldn't fix a broken body with a broken mind.  Once I addressed my mindset, changing my habits has become soooo much easier.

I was already focused on changing many of the family paradigms, from homeschooling the two youngest kids, to planting our first garden, and cutting off the cable tv.  I was interested in learning more about healthy eating, reading recommended books and trolling through blogs day and night. Forks Over Knives seemed like a great opportunity to get more info and get out of the house.  Then I remembered my little social difficulty.  I have had problems squeezing into seats since I gained so much weight.  Booth seats, theater seats, and pretty much any seat with arms can cause me to break out in a cold sweat.  It was a struggle to force myself to go anyway and deal with being uncomfortably, embarrassingly squished for two hours. 

I am so glad I did, it was worth the squish.  I walked out of the theater knowing that I had found a good answer, finally!  Not for just my weight issues and all the underlying hazards that go with fat, but for long term sustainable health for me and my family.  I knew it would be a huge undertaking and tax all my new found mind bending skills.  I am up for the challenge, ready to leave the old, bad habits behind, becoming a happier, healthier me.

Can a movie change your life?  Yep.  Should it?  Depends on the movie! 

Viva la Veggie!

Jenni