(9) Stock Up

O-5 eating sounds very simple but it takes awhile to get the hang of it. It's not a get thin quick diet. It's a way of life. Your goal is not just to lose weight, but to live the rest of your life as a naturally thin person. The way to become naturally thin is to eat the way naturally thin people eat.
Think of how a baby eats. You can't force a baby to eat when they're not hungry. They'll spit out the food or push the spoon away. Or think of a naturally thin person you now. If they're not hungry, they'll refuse food of any kind, even if it's their favorite.
We were all born with the ability to eat only when hungry but somewhere along the way we lost it. We were trained to eat at certain times or to clean our plates even if we weren't hungry. There may have been a traumatic event in your life that you didn't know how to deal with so you turned to food for comfort. However it happened, at some point you learned how to overeat. The good news is that you can change this habit. If you're reading this blog then you probably recognize that you have a problem with overeating and that you need to change. I'll give you the tools to change but it's up to you to make the decision and then stick with it. If you want to live your life naturally thin then make the choice and don't look back. I won't lie, it will be hard sometimes. There will be slip-ups and slide backs. But that's the way we learn...step by step.

Stock Up
It's time to go out and stock up on all your favorite foods. Fill your cupboards, pantry, and fridge with everything you love to eat. Not only the junk food but anything healthy you like as well. Buy the best quality that you can afford. Some of my favorites are: Salt & Vinegar chips, buttery popcorn, lunch meat w/ crackers and cheese, jalapenos, oranges, Zingers, jerky, dark chocolate (well...all kinds of chocolate really), Double Stuff Oreos, Salmon Steaks, plain Ruffles, peanuts...
These are just a few examples of foods that I always have around. I eat many other foods but I always have these because they're my favorites. You pick your favorite foods and buy so much of them that it would be impossible for you to eat it all at one sitting. This way you'll always know it's there when you want it and when you're hungry for it.
You may be panicking a little right now because you think if it's here I'll eat it and once I start I won't stop. Don't worry, that's a normal reaction. And at first you may only eat junk but if you're listening to your body that won't last long. Soon your body will start craving healthy food, along with the junk.
I read a story about a guy and his family who loved a certain type of girl scout cookies. He filled a cupboard completely full of boxes of those cookies. At first he and his family would go through a box really fast. He'd open one and it would be gone within a few hours. After a couple days of having an always open box of cookies, he noticed that they weren't really getting eaten anymore. He didn't want any and his family didn't seem to want any. He ended up throwing quite a few boxes of cookies away because no one wanted them.
After awhile you'll notice that the foods you think you love may not taste as wonderful anymore. For example: I don't like candy anymore. In fact those little sugar bomb pieces are just gross but my kids still like it. We have a huge candy bucket full of junk that sits on top of the fridge. At first it was hard not to eat too much but over time it's not a big deal now. I don't eat any unless my body really wants some. There have even been times that I've thrown candy and chocolate away because it sat in the bucket too long and no one would eat it.
I do love chocolate but even my chocolate tastes have changed. I'll eat any kind of dark chocolate but I don't like the way cheap chocolate tastes and I'm picky about what type of candy bars I'll eat. I like Dominos pizza but not Little Cesears. I don't like white bread at all, only wheat bread, and I refuse to eat the crust. I like chicken breasts but not chicken thighs, they're too greasy. On diets I despised eating salads but now I really enjoy eating them (with my favorite dressing of course!)
Your body is able to regulate all on its own what foods you need and how much of it you need. So stock up on all the foods you feel like right now and when you're tastes begin to change then you change what foods you stock up on. Don't buy low-fat or fat free unless you like the taste of it. If you like certain brands better than others, buy them. (I like plain Ruffles, not wavy Lays or flat chips...plain Ruffles!) Don't run out of your favorite foods. If you run out you'll feel deprived and when you do get your favorite food again, you may binge on it for peace of mind.