I Broke Up With My Spaghetti Last Night
Those stringy, wonderful, and easy to cook noodles. The endless varieties of sauces and meatball recipes fed my cravings for years, ever since I made friends in early childhood with something that looked like worms.
I relished the opportunity to experiment at home and when eating out, "playing the field" to experience as much joy with pasta as I could while trying to remain faithful in my relationship with Spaghetti. I remember fondly the early days when I was slim, in excellent health, and could indulge my passion as much as I wanted. While I experimented (like any young adult would) with penne, lasagna, linguine, and other relatives of spaghetti, I always came back.
Like others, I eventually grew out of my wild days and finally settled down with a family recipe that became a staple item in our little household, and that we were happy to introduce our children to when they were old enough to understand the importance of building good friendships and being surrounded by reliable companions.
As the relationship stretched into its 30th year, however, secrets that had been successfully hidden from me over the years began to emerge - possibly it was the fact that Spaghetti was letting its guard down, or perhaps I was getting wiser and able to see past the facade that had been maintained for so long. Regardless of the reason, I began questioning behaviors in our relationship that had been festering for years.
I had always blamed others as my growing belly forced me further and further from the dinner table, making me work harder to continually maintain our close relationship during meal times. I looked elsewhere as my energy levels lessened, and as my doctor showed me what was happening with my blood pressure and body fat index. They say love is blind, and in my case that was definitely the case. I could never look upon my love and relationship and ever think that under that white pasty exterior there e ulterior motives lurking.
Boy was I wrong. I became the stereotypical betrayed lover. When I finally made the break, everyone had the usual "why did it take you so long" reaction. They had seen that this was a destructive relationship, but I refused to listen to them, blinded by love and lust over the years.
What went wrong? Why didn't I see that Spaghetti had such a high glycemic index? Why didn't I realize that behind my back it was toying with my blood sugar and insulin levels? Why did it always look the other way when I was discussing my growing belly, cholesterol, and borderline diabetic condition?
I thought it was because it was being sensitive and didn't want to upset me - but in reality it was feeling guilty as it knew it was partially responsible. Now that we have parted ways completely, others are coming forward and telling me what they couldn't while I was with Spaghetti - how refined carbs and grain based products are all playing games with my body, and preventing the good guys from getting close to me. You know, the ones always on the outside of the window looking in - fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and nuts.
After getting through the initial breakup period, and vowing never to see Spaghetti again, I'm finding my true friends who I ignored through the years are really helping me, and rather than the simple physical pleasures I enjoyed with Spaghetti, I'm now seeing the results of a real relationship blossom.
Losing 2 inches of fat in 2 months, feeling healthy for the first time in years, lowing my cholesterol levels, re-establishing my relationship with the neglected bathroom scale. I'm even in such a better place after the breakup that the treadmill forgave past transgressions and welcomed me back tears in its eyes.
Sometimes you have to step back and recognize a destructive relationship, and make the hard decision to end it. Your relationship with food is one of the most important ones you will have in your entire life - it's time to re-evaluate how good your relationship really is.
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