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| Image by Amy McGrath |
As I'm writing this, my husband and I have just returned home from dinner at our favorite locally-owned retaurant. (If you're ever in Norfolk, Virginia, you have to check out FMC Garden Cafe. Order the Risotto Croquettes. You're welcome!) Anyone who knows anything about me knows that I'm a foodie. I enjoy food in its endless varieties from the simplest "down home" cooking to high-end gourmet restaurants and everything in between. This, however, is somewhat of a problem.
You see, all my years of eating just for the sheer pleasure of it with little (no?) regard for the long-term effects of the choices have caught up with me. I'm now 50 years old and have a serious weight problem. Food has always been a source of comfort to me, a trusted friend. But I've come to understand that this "relationship" has come at a price and it's time I made some changes.
A few months ago, I heard an author speaking on NPR about his new book. The book was "Always Hungry", the author is Dr. David Ludwig. The science behind his book captured my attention. I bought a copy and read it. I then began implementing some of the changes he recommends and have learned, probably for the first time in my life, to really LISTEN to my body and to feed it in a mindful way. I'm also finding better, healthier ways to comfort myself - drawing, painting, writing are so much better for me than stuffed crust pizza or a pint of ice cream.
The best part of making these changes is just how satisfying it is to have something tangible to show after processing some difficult emotions rather than the extra weight and chronic health issues that my old habits were causing.
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| "Andy" - pastel drawing series by Amy McGrath |
The Prompt
What does satisfaction taste like?
What's your favorite food and why do you find it so satisfying?
In what ways to you taste satisfaction?
Allow answers to one or more of these questions to flow onto the page for you as you free write for a few minutes.
Word Prompts
taste
satisfaction
food
sample
accomplishment
Remember, our prompts are only suggestions, you can find your inspiration wherever your muse leads you. Please visit the other participants, share the hashtag, #OctPoWriMo on social media, and share your link in the comments below. Let us know how this journey into poetry is going for you.
I look forward to a satisfying taste of your poetry!
I wish you words,
Amy McGrath
Posts
an Epulaeryu from me :)
ReplyDeletehttps://ladyleemanilablog.wordpress.com/2017/10/25/day-25-taste-of-satisfaction/
HI All,
ReplyDeleteHere is my entry for today
https://thoughtsandentanglements.wordpress.com/2017/10/25/22230/
If I hadn't found size acceptance and health at every size at age 45 (seven years ago now) I would be 52 and still hating myself and calling myself horrific names like "fat pig" and "disgusting land whale." Thanks to my myriad of endocrine problems plus DNA (my mother's side of the family tends to be heavy, and to have endocrine problems) I will never be thin unless I develop a deadly disease such as myelogenous leukemia as my great-grandmother did. She went from 300 pounds to 95 in the space of a year, and it killed her.
ReplyDeleteIt isn't being a "foodie" that determines a person's body type. The multi-billion dollar die-t industry has doctors and the FDA in its pocket. Most so-called diseases of obesity are actually diseases which become more likely with aging in people of all sizes.
I worked with the elderly for close to 25 years. There are elderly people of all sizes. The idea that there are no fat old people is a fallacy. Fat old people are no less healthy than old people of other sizes. In fact many of the fat older folk that I worked with were reasonably healthy. There was one portly gent in his nineties who was a diabetic and still taking care of himself. I worked night shift and only heard from him on one occasion: when he hurt his hand.
Nobody needs to apologize to anyone for their body type. It's really not something we can help and trying to change it tends to result in temporary weight loss with more weight ensuing. Dieting is horrible for the metabolism.
I am not the best person to explain the science behind this. I recommend these blogs:
danceswithfat.wordpress.com
bigfatscience.tumblr.com
Ragen Chastain, the blogger behind Dances With Fat, is a competitive dancer who participates in marathons. She is five foot four inches tall and weighs 280 pounds.
For my own part, I sometimes can't afford more than one meal a day and I work a very physical job. Still fat. However, unlike in the past, I don't give myself added stress by hating myself for my weight.
I hope you'll consider my thoughts. Too many people hurt themselves hating the bodies we were given to live in. There's nothing wrong with your body or your love for good food.
Thank You for the affirming message. Every time I go to the doctor for a checkup I'm told I'm in perfect health, even though it seems to p*ss the doctor off that I'm "overweight" but still nothing to treat. lol
DeleteThank you.
DeleteSome people have a harder time with weight than othrs.
I seem to be one of them.
I know part of it is due to the amount of stress I suffer from. I'm hoping it'll slow down soon. I'm doing my best.
My redeeming factor is that the man I love still loves me, even with added weight. It helps shut the small voice down that still tells me I'm unlovable.
Hugs and power to you!
Posting for Sudha Reddy.
ReplyDeleteInspiration
1. Mom gets a tremendous satisfaction in feeding us and many more..than eating for herself
2. From watching my daughter bake at home....some times 6 hours to complete the whole process.....
Culinary Art
The Art is meticulous in every aspect
From inception to completion
The colors coordinated
The shapes are a visual celebration
The consistency feels heavenly
Intrigue in the flavors mingled with aroma
The presentation to its perfection
'Til the end it is a precision
Love and devotion as special ingredients
Vitality of spices, the positive energy from preparing and serving
Ambience consumed with calm and peace
Company from within, feeding the soul
Company that is courting to feed the friendship
Each bite takes you to taste heaven
Every sense is aroused to gentle savor
The quality takes precedence over quantity
Soul is satisfied, with the amalgam of sensual pleasures
The soul takes precedence over the mind satisfaction
Such bliss needs to be shared with as many as we can afford
For
Satisfaction from senses is in the collective enjoyment
Happy food preparation and sharing
Happy thanksgiving ������sr
Thank you for writing about food so honestly. Yes, food is a great comfort, and it's so easy to just keep eating because that snack or dinner or dessert is far too tempting. I'm with you on this issue. My current resource for change is THE MAYO CLINIC DIABETES DIET, a 'no blame' positive approach that helps me see a healthier (and still rewarding) way of eating. Thank you, Amy, for a lovely prompt.
ReplyDeletehttps://kryptic.blog/2017/10/25/beneath-the-surface/
ReplyDeleteSweet and Calming
ReplyDeletehttp://missdragonlady.blogspot.com/2017/10/octpowrimo-day-25-satisfaction-ode-to.html
ReplyDeleteDay 25 poem: Ode to a Satisfying Meal experiencewriting.com/2017/10/25/writober-day-25-childhood-fears/
ReplyDeleteToday's poem. No ode for me, but the theme inspired me.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.awritersuniverse.com/2017/10/stuffed-dry.html?m=1
Risotto croquettes...=arancini?
ReplyDeleteMmmm...yes! Love them!
DeleteMine is a different take on the prompt. After a terrible day, the poem reflects my cranky mood.
ReplyDeletehttps://stepstimestwo.wordpress.com/2017/10/25/exasperation/
It is easy to write about my favorite food. Day 25's offering: http://tao-talk.com/2017/10/25/day-25-octwripomo-ode-to-loving-asparagus/
ReplyDeleteTwenty-fifth Day of #OctPoWriMo 2017: Today's Theme: Taste of Satisfaction
ReplyDeletewww.poemsbyannis.blogspot.com
On the day jobs we do while we wait for art to happen.
ReplyDelete'Shipyard Men'
https://medium.com/@tolu/shipyard-men-f2d89526bd27 …
#OctPoWriMo
25/31
A cinquain http://hittingthemark-jones.blogspot.ca/2017/10/hunger.html
ReplyDeleteHere's mine for this prompt: serendipity756.wordpress.com
ReplyDeleteCatching up bit by bit - here is my Day 25 poem https://zwabisabi.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-taste-of-words.html
ReplyDeleteYou should take a look at this good persuasive essay topics
ReplyDeletehttps://mandibelle16.wordpress.com/2017/10/31/octpowrimo-day-25-saturday-mix-poem-triolet-waves-and-white-sandy-beaches-saturdaymix-poetry-amwriting/
ReplyDeleteA relaxing Triolet