Weekend Quote: Root Cause

By On October 12, 2012 · 10 Comments
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Last night all I wanted was something.

Something chocolatey. Something gooey. Something sweet. Something I could just grab and mindlessly eat while vegging on the couch.

Why?

Why? Why? Why?

“For every effect there is a root cause. Find and address the root cause rather than try to fix the effect.” -Celestine Chua

I ended up with a pint of Ben and Jerry’s in my hand instead of finding the root cause of the craving.

Honestly, I kind of knew what the root cause was but I didn’t care. In the moment all I wanted was to forget the stress, throw away the to-do, ignore the messy house, relax on the couch and dig into a pint of ice cream.

And that’s exactly what happened.

*sigh*

I’m not mad at myself and I don’t think I ate anything “bad,” I’m just making a mental note to do a little more work on finding the root cause before asking the husband to pick me up a pint of ice cream on his way home.

Moving on!

Tomorrow I’m running the half in the Baltimore Running Festival. I’m a little nervous considering I haven’t really trained. It was a spur of the moment decision since I felt the need for a little inspiration in the running department.

Events always inspire me, regardless of how well I do. My plan is to bring the goPro and have fun with it.

Side note: Thanks to @foodPorn for the photo

 
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  • Lauren Seserko

    I’ve been struggling with late night sweet cravings too!
    I’m running the baltimore half tomorrow. It’ll be my second! I’ll be the girl in corral 1 with the purple and black tutu!

  • Michele

    Hi Roni, I hardly post here but I want to THANK YOU for your honesty with all of this! I can personally relate to the last few posts you’ve put up and it’s good to know I’m not the only one going through these issues :-)

  • Mindy

    This hit home for me today. I’ve been frustrated with myself for not giving myself enough time to find the root cause before giving up. I give the cursory few minutes and then give up and go get some food. It was a real aha moment for me so your post was so timely! I am going to inch my way there and try to wait a little longer and a little longer each time. Hopefully practice will make progress. Thanks again and good luck tomorrow!

  • RunnergirlEN

    roni:
    have you tried arctic freeze? someone recommended it to me. I just bought some today and have yet to taste it but you might want to look into it. although, I concur having the real deal once in a while is exactly what a girl needs!

  • http://www.facebook.com/kdjaffe Karen Jaffe

    There’s no root cause for a craving (urges are different, but this wasn’t an urge since it was premeditated). We all tend to prefer the taste and consistency of certain types of foods. I prefer crunchy to creamy. I don’t think it takes a rocket scientist to figure out why anyone would like Ben & Jerry’s! I’ve been following your blog for a while and you tend to “go off” in the evening. You use food to relax and to reward yourself. It’s very common and I did it for years, especially when my children were young. It was the hardest “habit” to break. Finding healthier substitutes is often the key initially (like your banana ice cream), and then working on finding another way to unwind in the evening. Still, it’s okay to have something really decadent now and again, especially within the framework of an overall healthy diet.

  • Kathy

    Some times we just WANT ice cream, and we deserve to do the splurge every now and again. You have done such an awesome job with evolving from overweight to athlete. You’re a wife, mom of two little guys, blogger extraordinaire, and an athlete to be admired. I say ice cream is well deserved, and should be enjoyed with no worries when the urge hits. You’ve proved you’re in control of your life with food.

    I also want to thank you for being an encouragement to me. I keep thinking about running, although I’m still in the walking stage, trying to convince myself that I start running, even at my ripe old age of 58. I have walked a couple 5k’s and a half marathon last year. This year another couple 5k’s and I have the Girlfriends half marathon tomorrow.

    One of the 5k’s I just did was the Color Run. When I saw it advertised I remembered you wrote about it, so went back and re-watched your post and video on it. You’re right, it was a blast. My son agreed to do it with me, and we both had a great time. Great mom and son time.

    Thanks for your blog, and the great encouragement it gives me to keep on trying to increase my activity. I know that I must have an athlete deeply buried inside me that’s trying to dig it’s way out from under my pudgy body. :)

  • Ms. Seaweed

    you would have placed in top 20 in my AG- 60-64! congrats!

  • http://gardengirlkp.blogspot.com/ Karen P

    There is great importance in searching for root causes when using food emotionally. It’s very hard to do, but it is sooooo worth that work. It makes the weight maintenance experience much easier- IMO. But it is tough to do the work. Here’s to looking at our root causes. I applaud you for searching. And for thinking ahead to what your actions will be next time. Food does not solve any of my problems or feelings. It’s a tough behavior to examine. Onward!
    Karen P.

  • RunnergirlEN

    I came back to report. I tried that arctic freeze ince cream- YUCK. DON’T DO IT!

  • http://twitter.com/toledolefty PerfectImperfect

    I so understand the feeling of knowing there is a “big issue” beneath my craving but wanting to forget about thinking and just have the snack. I think it’s somehow comforting to see that someone who has been as successful as you have still struggles with this.

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