You don’t have to adhere 100% to meet your goals. That’s right. 10% of the time eat whatever you want.
Say what?
Let’s be honest, food is one of life’s greatest pleasures. It’s a way we share experiences, celebrations, tragedies, and can even express our love (come on and tell me that you could not taste the love in grandma’s chocolate chip cookies). On the flip side, poor food choices can also lead to chronic disease, obesity, and overall dissatisfaction with life.
So, how can one enjoy their food without feelings of guilt or worry and still reach their weight loss or body composition goals?
Diet culture has taught us one thing consistently. Diets don’t work. Do you think the cabbage soup today is sustainable? When it comes to weight loss or health, historically there seems to be this all or nothing approach. Either you’re all in 100% with your “clean” carbs, proteins, and fats and you NEVER deviate from your meal plan or you’re just not committed.
Inevitably, there will come a day when even the “strongest” succumb to their cravings and one cookie will lead to a whole pan, 3 pizzas, 12 donuts, and a tub of ice cream later.
Do you think that’s a healthy relationship with food?
It is my dream for each one of you to feel confident and secure in your food choices. Follow your meal plan 90% of the time (carbs, proteins, and fats) and for the other 10% of the time, eat what you really want ( I know you don’t love brown rice ;). If you eat 5 meals per day, 7 days of the week that leads to 35 meals per week. That means 32 meals should be food from the approved foods list/meal timing sheet. The other 3 meals are free meals. Eat what you want.You want to eat pizza and drink a beer after Crossfit with your friends? Do it. Just don’t go overboard and have a side salad with your pizza to get some veggies in. Are you craving sushi? Enjoy a roll or two but add miso soup and some edamame or seaweed salad before your sushi. Can you easily down a pint of Ben & Jerry’s? Maybe reconsider something like Enlightened Ice cream or Halo Top instead. My point is this, you are free to make choices about how you eat. Indulgences look different for everyone.
Now some of you might ask, well Kyla what is a treat? How much can I eat it? Is it bad if I drink a beer and have pizza and ice cream?
That’s a tough question to answer because again, treats look different on everyone. You can always use the palm, fist, cupped hand method to gain an idea of how big your serving should be or you can try some of these eating practices.
When you’re taking in your treat, limit outside distractions. Put away your phone, tv, laptop, etc and take a minute to really look at your food. Appreciate the beauty of your meal. Say a gratitude before you eat your meal which can be something simple like “Thank you for this food. This food will nourish me”. Take a bite. Chew slowly and truly appreciate the different flavors you might be tasting. Take a sip of water. Notice how you feel and how that food makes you feel. Take another bite and repeat. Savor your food and eat slowly. Stop eating when you feel full.
After you have your treat, check in with yourself. How do you feel? How do you feel the next day? Did those extra calories fuel you during a workout or did you feel lethargic all day? Consider how those foods might be working for you or against you.
Okay, but what happens if you fall off the deep end and you just binge?
If you can, try to stop the binge. Distract yourself with something else besides food. Call someone, step outside and take a walk. Do what you can to take your mind off the food.
Do not beat yourself up.
I repeat, do not beat yourself up. Do not engage in negative self-talk. Do not be cruel to yourself. Imagine if your friend called and was in that situation asking for your help. What would you tell them?
Falling off the wagon does not mean you are a failure. The next time you eat, eat normally back on your regular meals.
For more nutritional advice, visit me, Kyla Gavlin at Remedy Health and Wellness TODAY!!
