Have your Cake and Eat it too

If I could give one piece of advice to someone trying to lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle, it would be everything in moderation.

Hopefully, you can see from reading my blog that I try to practice moderation. I do not believe in deprivation because I feel that in so doing, one not only forms an unhealthy relationship with food, but also sets oneself up for failure.

I know that many of you will probably disagree with me here but let me explain why I feel this way. In life we are going to attend birthday parties, weddings, and other social functions where food is just part of it. It’s just the way it is. Food is a part of any culture. There is nothing wrong with food itself, it’s overindulging that is the issue.

I do not feel that there is anything wrong with having a piece of birthday cake at your birthday party or at a friend/relative’s birthday party. Is it ok to ask for a smaller piece? Absolutely. That doesn’t mean you eat a piece of cake whether you want it or not- it means that if you would love to have a piece of cake, it’s ok to eat a piece of cake. You are not going to ruin your diet over one piece of cake. You are not a failure for doing so. It simply means that you are living life, and food is a part of it.

Now if you keep that birthday cake in the house and you eat 3 pieces of it every day for the next week until it’s gone- now that’s a problem. The key is moderation.

What I have found is that if I try to deny myself certain foods- that it makes me want them all the more and when I do finally eat the said food, I will overindulge. Deprivation is setting yourself up for failure because at some point- you are going to eat that food that you have deprived yourself of. How many times have you said to yourself, “I’m going to this wedding, but I’m not eating any cake,” only to find yourself eating a piece of cake and feeling guilty about it. Not only do you feel guilty about it, but you feel like since you “cheated” you might as well just eat a cheeseburger and fries the next day. Cheating is no longer in my vocabulary. I do not ever cheat on living healthfully. I feel that living healthfully includes enjoying all kinds of foods. Enjoy the little moments that life brings and practice moderation in all things.

I think it’s safe to say that all of us are trying to lose weight to gain a better life for ourselves. Social events are part of life. All I’m saying is don’t stress out so much about those events that are meant to bring joy to our lives by worrying about how many calories are in the piece of cake (or whatever food). Practice moderation. That doesn’t mean that you will always be perfect- but if you work on it, if you practice it- you will learn to master moderation and I truly believe that life will be more satisfying in the long run.

That being said, eating healthfully the majority of the time is of utmost importance. Eating your fruits, veggies, healthy proteins, and all things good for your body on a daily basis consistently is the key. We all know that exercise has both physical and mental benefits. It’s also important to maintain a healthy mental attitude and outlook on life, even if it’s just finding one thing a day that we can be thankful for. There are so many aspects to healthy living and if we are consistent in practicing moderation and living healthfully in all things everyday- we can have our cake and eat it too. Without guilt and shame.

Like I mentioned, I know that not everyone is going to agree with this post. But it is my opinion and I firmly believe in what I wrote. I’d love to hear what you have to say, too!