It seems like every Monday morning starts with the same
feeling: “I ate way too much crap this weekend.” Any Friday morning resolve
dissolves by 5 o’clock and before we know it calorie-loaded margaritas and a
gargantuan plate of nachos surround us. And that’s if you’re lucky enough to
end up at Sunset.
From there on it’s pizza, Chinese, and goldfish. It is a
spiral of bad eating. Once you’ve starting down the path of unhealthy eating it
seems like there is no going back.
As it turns out, there is a way to stop the cycle. No,
it doesn’t begin with, “I’ll start my diet on Monday.”
First, forgive yourself. Okay, so you had a huge brownie
Sunday because you were out for dinner. Was it the healthiest choice? Of course
not. Does that mean you should lessen your guilt by adding more junk food to
your stomach? No! Deplane from the guilt trip you’ve sent yourself on and you’ll
find it a lot easier to be reasonable about food choices afterwards.
Second, think of food as fuel. It’s easy to rationalize, to
forget the sluggish side effects, and to say, “I could get hit by a bus
tomorrow.” But when you really think about what you’re putting into your body
and how you’ll feel afterwards, you’re more apt to opt out of the two-pound
cheesecake. It’s hard to get used to thinking this way—especially if you’re a dessert
lover like me—but once your body starts to feel good, it helps your mind gain
resolve too.
Third, stop thinking in terms of a diet. For most of us putting
the diet label on our eating habits instantly makes us think of
restriction. You can’t have carbs, you can’t have dessert, and you can’t have
the things you like most. It’s more important to choose healthy options the
majority of the time than to suddenly enforce strict limitations that you are
likely to give up on. Once in a while, allow yourself a small scoop of
ice cream, split the dessert with a friend, or do an extra five minutes on the
treadmill if you know you have dinner plans.
It’s not about perfection; it’s about living healthy.
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