In my last article, I gave you a hint as to why I named this
website,
‘The Potato Sack Diet.’ Today, I’ll let you in on the full
story today.
A few years ago, we were living in Northern Queensland. It
was a romantic place with a lake, coffee plantations, banana farms, avocado
orchards and exotic tropical rainforests on our doorstep.
Another less glamorous crop of the north is potatoes. This
particular year, there was a problem and the potato farmers weren’t getting enough
money for their crops from the big stores and many, sadly, were turning their potatoes
back into the fields.
Consequently, there were many roadside stands advertising
large bags of potatoes for very little cash.
I drove past one and decided to grab a huge 20 kg sack for
something like $10. I pulled over and put my money in the honesty box and then
struggled like crazy to hoist this big dirty bag of potatoes into the back of
my car.
That was the moment
the light came on… The weight of the sack was the exact amount of weight I had
put on over the past 15 years. 20 kg or 40 pounds!
It didn’t happen over night. But none the less, it was there
and feeling the external weight of that sack really brought it home to me.
The cool thing is that I find a sniff of opportunity in the
craziest things.
By the time I got home, I had hatched a plan to begin a new
diet craze, “The Potato Sack Diet!” This would be a fabulous way to lose
weight, one potato at a time… Gain back your life, let go of those potatoes,
etc.
I was going to write a book, start a movement and get rich
and famous because of my extreme cleverness… I even hired a web designer and
got on with quite a detailed plan, nothing was going to stop me!
But then, I found out the truth. You see, the potatoes in
‘my sack’ have names. I’ll share just a few…
Guilt
Bad Knee
Anxiety
Painful Conversations
Financial Stress
Fatigue
Stress
Depression
Muffin Top
There was also Fluffy, Pierre and Chip. It was a pretty big
sack, so you get the idea.
The problem was, these ‘potatoes’ were so attached to me that it wasn’t as easy as thinking a ‘happy thought’ and wishing them away.
But, no matter what, even when the website had long expired
and the realization that this idea wasn’t going to be a cute and clever fix to
my weight, or any one else’s… the concept still stuck with me. I knew there was
still an element of truth to the whole process of letting go.
None of the potatoes I carry around actually serve me. So,
yes, I am trying to let them go. I know for me, weight gain and stress go hand
in hand. Studies show that even when we eat with a happier heart, we lose
weight quicker… but more on that later.
For now, I am signing up. I am committing to sharing this
‘potato sack’ journey with you. It’s not really about losing weight. It’s about
letting go. It’s about getting on with life, despite those awful things that
happen. It is about moving forward with guts and determination to change the
tide.
If you want to hear more about my journey and to join me in
taking up the challenge of letting go of all those nasty potatoes in your life,
then please pop your email in the subscribe box or like my Facebook page, The
Potato Sack Diet.
See you soon,
Heather
PS On a funny note, I was looking at this website last night
before bed, and I noticed my very first post was on May 16, 2014. That’s pretty
much where I left it again… and then I saw the date on the Begin Again post,
May 16 2015. Maybe there is just something right about this season to begin
afresh… xoxo
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