Here’s to the second half of my life

Today is my 46th birthday. I’m spending it with Joey in downtown Chicago. The weather is beautiful and it inspires me to get started on my Happiness Project.

This 4-week cycle I’ll be focusing on changing my relationship with food to increase my happiness. I use food in several ways, not all constructive. Here are my resolutions; the goal is to appreciate food as a sensory experience sometimes, and use food as physical nourishment instead of temporary comfort, which actually leads to feeling guilty and frustrated.

Try a new recipe once a week: I enjoy cooking and exploring new tastes; summer’s bounty will help a lot

Limit sugar to artificial in coffee and what is present in unprocessed food: while I’m not going to give up sweetener in my morning coffee, I am ready to avoid it in processed food as much as I can

Limit alcohol to social occasions with other adults: having a glass of wine with dinner is ok, unfortunately it leads to me binging on sweets. So, it will have to go.

Track everything on Calorie Count: it’s easy to do and it will keep me aware

Increase protein and fiber: this will help me stay satisfied and support my active lifestyle

I put these as tasks on Outlook so I can stay focused.