What If....

I was reading an article this week about Mika Brzezinski's new book, "Obsessed," about living her life with an eating disorder. There was one thing in  particular that she said that has really stuck with me because it struck so close to home.

"Sometimes I wonder what I could be if 75 percent of my life wasn't obsessed with food."

I even over think food when I am on vacation. 

While I certainly have a much healthier attitude than I used to about food, and I don't have a "eating disorder" anymore, I do still spend what seems like inordinate time thinking about food. I think a lot about what I want to eat, what I should eat, what I am going to eat, making food, eating food, and then either feeling guilty or good about what I did eat. Along with that of course, is also the time I spend thinking about exercise. 

Some of this isn't bad. It does require a conscious effort to plan and prepare healthy meals and maintain an exercise routine. Food can be a great pleasure. But, I do also waste a lot of physical and emotional energy thinking about cravings, eating too much food that just ends up making me feel sick, and then feeling guilty. 

What if I was putting that energy into something else? What else could I have done already?

Could I have actually written the book that I have been thinking about for years? Could I have gotten better at the guitar? Could I have learned the play the upright bass like I have been wanting to? Could I have progressed farther in my career? Could I have volunteered more? Could I have spent more quality time with my friends and family?

What do you think about this quote? Do you think you devote a "healthy" amount of time to thinking about food?