I spent many collective years in the restaurant business and enjoyed it to no end. Hard work, so-so pay but boy can you eat to your hearts content and beyond too. That's where all the trouble starts. Personal, gaining of excess weight, bad habits and even addictions too. It is also an arena to make you better too
FIRST THINGS FIRST
Imagine if you worked in a chocolate manufacturing place. I have seen people who do and they either got handle on the dynamic or it has a handle on them. Same with working in a bakery too. If something comes out of a oven hot and ready...it's got my name on it....Whoa
MANAGER PERK
When I first got into the business, I couldn't believe the access to food that a manager has. I mean think about this. A menu that you would normally look at it as a patron and have a hard time with as to making a decision was to me a check-off list of things to try and have without end...but it gets worse
YOUR WHIM IS OUR WISH?
I can get it customized and made to specifications exactly the way I want it. Crisp or non-crisp bacon, toast, salads, burgers, fries, concoctions, more than one piece of anything anytime I want it too. Ribs, steaks and seafood made to personal perfections...Whoa again
IT'S WHO?
The day that I saw how all this good opportunity was not what it appeared to be was the day I went to put on my pants and they fit a little tight. My first thought was, boy these things don't last like they used to citing the shrinkage of the clothing. When all your pants from different clothiers do that IT'S YOU!
PAVLOV'S DOGS
What to do was challenging. Fasting doesn't work and makes things worse. Moderation worked for a while but the smells drive you crazy after a while making you want whatever the smell is. Don't believe me? Try frying some garlic in olive oil or frying up some onions and peppers. Your saliva glands flood your mouth...Pavlov's dogs was proven and is no myth
COLD TURKEY (huge pun here)
There was only one way to go and that was to stop it. Before that, I even tired bringing food from home and sticking to that. I gave that up and went to having meals at certain times of the day with portion control. That helped. But something else helped even more.....
NEED A MISSION
Keeping busy. Now not the busy where you are spread out and doing many different things but the type of busy where you have something meaningful and productive that you start and must finish. Think: A project of some sort. Then, when the project was over, a break with a drink and some conversation
THE ARENA
Next thing you know, your shift is over and food was not the focus of it. Now, the hard part is to repeat that until you can get a grip on yourself via discipline and master the eating PUSH and PULL world. Remember, I am in the arena of food trying to learn this and believe it or not, it is the best place to be
SUFFERING FOR THE RIGHT REASON
You see I slowly got into the bad habit of eating which can help you through boredom, stress and even unpleasant memories and replaced it with real life solutions. I knew that the new way would need time to kick in and I also knew the suffering that went with it. After a couple of weeks, things improved
EPILOGUE
I rarely ate for the wrong reasons and when I did eat, it was good food portioned correctly and I substituted fat and "taste good" for filling and healthy foods. I met a guy once who was going to the doctor for high blood pressure and he was kinda young. I inquired how he had gotten ill..He replied
THE COLONEL DID THIS TO ME
I used to work at KFC and it was all you can eat and it was so good and I couldn't stop. I ended up gaining so much weight, got sick and had to quit. My friend...I smiled and said...you'll be okay. Just fine
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