My Two Cents ...

... on relationship with food
Most girls (at least those I know) complaints about weight management (either just internally in their mind, or actual physical issue).
Perhaps it's because most of my friends love food as much as I do, or perhaps it's because we can't help but compare ourselves to others.
Some worry about it to an extreme, some others worry secretly while pretending that they don't care at all and some to a good level (is there such thing?).

To me, my weight (or more so the way my clothes fit) plays a major role in setting the tone of the day.
When I wake up or go to bed with chubby belly, I get very annoyed.

Yes, I realised that I probably spend too much time measuring, worrying, thinking and talking about this.
It's tiresome really, especially for me.
I want to put it away and let it rest once and for all.
I wish for my relationship with food/weight is like my relationship with money.
Good and controlled most days, with small amount of bad for the sake of fun.

About two years ago, I decided to deal with my weight problem.
It wasn't easy, but once I gathered my willpower and get into the rhythm of it (sticking to a planned calorie intake), the weight just keep falling off (Big thanks to the Hacker's Diet).

At the start, I got big rush and excitement from the way my clothes getting loose.
When I get to where I wanted to be, I revamped my wardrobe.
I cleaned out old items, bought new things with plans for them to stay in the wardrobe.
Honestly, that is the hardest part.

I'm a practical person.
I'm all for comfort and time efficiency.
I don't put on make up for it's too much hassle.
I got my hair done in such a way that I don't have to do much about it on a daily basis.
I laser-ed my upper lip and under arms to not have to worry about waxing or shaving.

While I used to enjoy buying things, I've come to realisation that I love minimalism and simplicity MORE than the temporary excitement from getting new things.
Though I gotta admit, I still fall into this trap - sometimes.

Hence, not having to worry too much about what to wear anymore changes everything.
I fell in love with the ability to 'just pick something from the wardrobe, put it on and walk out comfortably and confidently.'
The only problem is - weight maintenance is NOT easy. Seriously.
When compared, it made weight loss seem like a walk in the park. Grrrrrr!

The thing is - I still love my food a bit too much and I still have an awkward relationship with it.
I haven't dealt with it properly.
I still reach out to food for comfort (even though I know it's a TEMPORARY comfort) when I'm stressed or tired or sad.
When my belly feels uncomfortable (I have some bloat issue which I haven't quite figure out why), I reach out to food (which is stupid cause its probably the culprit).
When I feel yucky cause I overeat, my brain send signal telling me to eat more, but different thing.
WTH?? You must think I'm crazy. I know many people do. I sometimes think so too. LOL :D

Anyway - I'm sick of this.
I want to deal with it and get rid of the issue.
I need to!
I want to be able to maintain my weight EFFORTLESSLY (and perhaps lose a little bit more.. if I'm lucky).
Not with lots of planning, counting calories and watching what I eat. I'm sick of that too.
Others seem to be able to do it. Why not me?

I do Bikram Yoga 3x a week.
It's 90 minutes exercise in a hot room and it helps make me feel great, awake and healthy.
But that alone is obviously not enough when I continue to eat like a pig.

So, armed with the incentive of practicality from having a wardrobe which fits my body now; I'm on the lookout for weight maintenance tips.
Anyone?

... on being a creature of habit
I am a typical creature of habit.
I go to the same restaurants (most of the time) and eat the same meals (I have favorites from most places).
When my hair need a fix, I go to the same hairdresser (have been for the past 5 years).
When I go back to Jakarta, I have a list of to-eat to-do to-go which don't really change much over the past 10 years.
I listen to the same songs again and again when I first like them.
If something works, I just keep going back for the same thing.

Every now and then I shake thing up a little bit, try something new, but mainly, I just stick with the same thing. :P

For example, the photography course (especially the artsy part of it) shake thing up big time for me.
It works on my "creativity" side which I am not quite sure on the existence, which is great.
But it has forces me to open my eyes and look around.
I'm starting to see all these events and venues to attend and visit in Melbourne.
Oh yes, I'm pretty lucky to live in Melbourne.

So - I thought - I should really utilise this and work on building up the habit of grocery shopping and meal planning.
Hmmm - there's a thought.

... on Facebook
The creature of habit thing is probably how I got addicted to Facebook.
When I'm bored or doing nothing, I go on Facebook and check people's statuses, or photos, or profile.
After a while, when I'm idle, my mind naturally wanders off to Facebook.
Which is kinda sad.

So I have imposed a self-ban from accessing Facebook as of 11 AM this morning.
By this time at night, I have thought of logging in and check whats going on Facebook over 30 times.
Pretty scary to realise that.

It is a lot of wasted time if you ask me.
Especially when I keep claiming that I'm busy and don't have time for anything.

I realized the potential of it being a great (not to mention free) marketing tool and allow easy networking ability.
But to be checking it as often as I did, is NOT a good thing.
So - yes, I'm banning Facebook for 2 weeks to work on other more useful things instead.

In conclusion,
Yes - I know I should probably spend my time worrying and talking about global issues, poverty, global warming, etc.
But, I've learned it's easier to contribute and help other when you're at peace with yourself.
So, that's where I start, working on being at peace with myself.