The feeling of loss

Today I truly felt sad. My wife came home from Costco with egg nog. EGG NOG! Now, I know what you are thinking. First, why is egg nog on sale in September? The second may not be so obvious. Let me explain. Egg nog means holidays. Holidays mean food. Food means happiness. My birthday is wrapped up in the middle of it all, too. It's a season I love. I love all the home cooking. The cookies that are baked. The pumpkin seeds that are roasted. The stuffing and the gravy. Oh, the gravy! The holiday beers. Popcorn. Nuts. Winter squash. Turkey, ham, lamb. Cheese plates and veggie trays. And the parties. Any excuse to gather around food.

So when I saw that egg nog I realized for the first time what this diet actually means. Sacrifice. Going without my favorite foods during my favorite time of the year is going to be very difficult. Earlier I wrote about saying no to myself. While I knew that this would be difficult, I didn't understand the full weight of that statement. I am going to have to sacrifice something in order to achieve my goals.
noun: sacrifice; an act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else regarded as more important or worthy.
My health and fitness goals are more important than my enjoyment. A fit life has more worth than an unfit life. Sacrifice is not a bad thing. It only requires me to make a choice. On my quest for a whole new self, I will have to learn how to experience the holidays differently.

The sadness I felt when I realized that I could not have any egg nog will mean nothing when compared to the joy I will feel when I accomplish any of the 10 things on my list.

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