Good morning ,
I've been eating on the same piece of cheesecake since Saturday. I grabbed a piece of Cheesecake post dinner the other day. My hubby and I decided to have dessert at the Cheesecake Factory. If you know me, I love cheesecake, more than cake.
Not the cutest picture but it sure is yummy. I'll probably finish it off today!
You eat what?! That's the response I get when I tell people that I eat sweets,
candy, bread, white potatoes, etc.... Why, yes I do. I love them because all foods can be part of healthy lifestyle.
Carbs, sugar, dairy, gluten, or whatever foods that the powers to be have deemed evil are not inherently bad for you. It's fear mongering at its finest, and somewhere along the lines we've decided to believe it and place these stringent rules on food. In the long run, they have created unhealthy relationships with
food.
There was a time when I banned many of the foods that I mentioned above because of a diet mentality. They were banned until I binged on them on the weekend (cheat meals, anyone). So, how the heck is that healthy - eat clean during the week and binge on the weekends? IT'S NOT! A vicious, vicious cycle that I pray that I or any of the women that work with never embark on again or
start. How does one arrive at this place of food freedom? It was not an overnight success. Many trials and many errors, but the alternative was deprivation, orthorexia, which is a proposed distinct eating disorder characterized by extreme or excessive preoccupation with eating food
believed to be healthy.
Orthorexia is not healthy and does more harm than good. I was obsessed with clean eating, and only eating certain types of foods, but in the same breathe I was eating with abandon on the weekends and starting the clean eating cycle over on Monday.
Sundays were go H.A.M., the last supper so to speak because Monday meant it was time to eat squeaky clean.
Sound familiar? I felt awful, and the guilt and remorse were ten fold.
How is that healthy? So when folks tell me, they eat clean. I am instantly concerned because I know what that means for most. How is that I still have some cheesecake four days later? How did I get here? Several ways, but today, I want to share three tips with you, well maybe 4. For one, you can have any food anytime you want. Am I right or Am I wrong? Cheesecake is always available- it's
not going anywhere. So, knowing that food is always available takes the urgency and FOMO away. I'm not missing anything because I can have it anytime.
1. Exposure: Eating the foods that I banned. Having the banned foods around me. Sure, it was hard at first, and sometimes I did overeat them - no one is perfect. Practice and grace
all.the.time. I knew I couldn't go back to where I used to be if I wanted to enjoy life and actually enjoy the way I love to eat.
Know this - fitness and nutrition should Enhance your life, not Hinder it - the way I was going, it was hindering me and my life, just ask my husband.
If the way you are eating today can't be maintained for life then it's not sustainable nor is it
a healthy approach. If you don't like or enjoy the way you eat, you won't stick to it and be back at square 1.
It's a practice, not something is instant, unless you're super human! With time and patience, just like anything else in life, you will get there.
2. I started to view food as food. Nothing more, nothing less. Not bad, not good, not clean, nor
dirty - just food and no labels.
The food was neutral. We need food; it's fuel, it's nourishment, it sustains, we can't live without it, so why not build and cultivate a healthy relationship with it?
3. Eat the dang slice of cake, cookie or two, maybe even 3, or that piece of
candy. You're not bad or good for eating it or not eating it. We don't instantly gain all the weight from consuming these things.
I had to re-learn how to eat from years and years of dieting. I had to learn that food is
not the enemy and that I could enjoy my food.
Don't deprive yourself and you won't feel the need to eat the whole bag of cookies. It's a fact! The more you ban and eliminate foods or foods groups, the more you want it. Eventually, you will go all the way in and eat everything in sight. It's not if, it's when and you will.
It really breaks my heart to hear some women I know
say that they have a love/hate relationship with food - food shouldn't be hated; food is a good thing. We have to eat, and it doesn't have to be bland and boring - no matter your goals. Food is from our creator, you may not believe that, but I do. So anything made by God is good in my eyes, even sugar. Don't mean to offend anyone, but this true to my
heart.
I think the problem also lies in our mindset about food and our bodies. Also, that we allow food to have control and power over us.
There's so much noise from the diet industry, the diet books, etc. that we fail to be in touch with ourselves - what we actually like, what we enjoy, etc. We are so scared to eat, scared to enjoy even a few bites of cheesecake in fear
that we may automatically gain weight.
So far from the truth - gaining weight from eating a banned food. We even think banning will help. Yes, probably in the beginning, but it's not a long-term solution. Ask anyone that has eliminated carbs, or did a diet, if it worked long term.
I will say it till I'm blue in my face, whether folks believe it or not. We will have to agree
to disagree. It's overeating, over consumption is the cause of weight gain. Not the food itself. Yes, certain foods may cause you to eat more - because they weren't satiating, etc. When you are not satisfied and fulfilled, you will reach for more.
And that's all I have to say about that!
Thank you for reading. Have anything to share or if anything resonated with you, hit
reply and let me know! I love hearing from you.
Have a wonderful day and the rest of your week!
Yours in Strength and Health, Candace
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Call: Need help reaching your physique goals, tired of dieting and ending back in the same place? Let's hop on a call and chat about getting where you want to be without dieting or depriving yourself of the foods that you love. P.S.S. Have you signed up to Trip With the Smiths?! We are officially hitting the road today. I'll be blogging and video blogging all things travel! If you liked to follow along, sign up here! |
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