Evaluating Value

So many things changed for me, inside and out, as I lost 126 lbs. on this program.  Some of the changes were expected (or at least hoped for!), like getting to a healthy weight, being able to wear small sizes and getting healthy again.  Other changes were completely unexpected.

One of the unexpected changes was a shift in how I evaluate the value of things, especially food. 

I was raised by a mom who was frugal by training and necessity.  My mom was born in May of 1929, just months before the stock market crashed in October of 1929, plunging the country into the Great Depression.  Money was scarce and nothing was wasted, and my mom learned early on how to stretch a dollar and look for the best possible value.  Her skills were further developed during World War II, when ration books determined how much you could buy and individuals learned how to either stretch those limited commodities or do without.  As a young wife and stay-home mother working with a very limited budget, my mom watched sales and clipped coupons in order to keep our grocery costs to a minimum.  She prided herself on having the lowest grocery budget in the neighborhood.  Now at 82, Mom is still always on the hunt for a bargain and still very frugal and unwilling to waste a thing.

That's the training and one of the values that was drilled into me from the earliest age - look for the best possible value and don't waste a thing.  However, as I lost weight and got healthy, and especially now as I continue to work to maintain a healthy weight (and yes, it IS work!), that early-learned value is sometimes in conflict with another value I have: staying healthy.

I eat fresh fruit and vegetables year-round and I try to avoid pesticides whenever possible, so much of what I purchase is organic and more expensive than things grown with chemicals.  Because I try to avoid preservatives in my food, I read labels and select the grocery items that are labeled "all natural" or "organic."  These items are always more costly than other similar-looking items on the shelf.  But staying as healthy as possible is a higher value to me than saving a few dollars on my grocery trip, so I am willing to spend a little more to get food that I believe is healthier for me.

Being frugal and getting the best deal and staying at a healthy weight briefly came in conflict recently.  We don't keep dessert items or any sweets in our house because both my husband and I have terrible sweet tooths.  A couple of nights ago, we were both in the mood for some ice cream and I suggested we go to a local favorite spot of ours and each get a serving.  My husband thought it would be more economical to go to the grocery store and pick up a half-gallon.  He was right - it would have been much more economical.  However, because I am committed to staying healthy, and because I know my own triggers, I knew having the better part of a half-gallon of ice cream in my freezer would NOT be a good thing for me. That stuff has it's own siren song that calls my name and despite the fact that the carton lists a serving size as 1/2 cup, I doubt I've ever self-served a mere 1/2 cup of ice cream to myself in my life.  I told my husband that I knew it would be more expensive to go to the local shop, but I also noted that by doing so we could thoroughly enjoy our treat and then be done with it.  He smiled and nodded and said, "Ah, portion control, right?"  Right!!!

I'm not sharing this to say that anyone else has to make the choices that I've made and that I continue to make.  My intent is to get you thinking about how you evaluate value.  You may find, as I have, that by elevating the value you place on your own health, the value you place on other things shifts.  For some of you, being on 5&1 is a financial sacrifice and a real stretch, but you are doing this because you have elevated the value of your own health. 

And value isn't just limited to money, of course.  You may value time to yourself when you get off work, or you may value sleeping in a bit later in the morning, but you will work out first thing in the morning or at the end of your work day because you value being healthy more than having a little extra time to do something else.

What you value will influence the choices you make when it comes to your health.  Choose wisely :-)