Break Up To Make Up - Habit Three

In the midst of the holiday season and as we approach a new year full of new possibilities, I am going to encourage you to break up with the idea of being perfect. Break up with the idea that you’ll eat perfectly at every party over the next week. Throw out the new years resolution to give up all junk food and eat better. Don’t start the holiday’s telling yourself you won’t eat a single barbecue coated fried chicken wing or even a piece of cake on New Years.

Didn’t see that one coming did you? Yes, this is still a nutrition related blog post and it is still being written by Jackie. However, I know for a fact, the all or nothing mentality, when it comes to diet, typically turns into nothing fast. Not only does it turn into nothing on the healthy end of the spectrum, but it will quickly turns into everything on the junk side of the spectrum.

This week, I am going to offer a very simple tip. Simply say not now, I’ll have one later. Then let yourself have one cookie or piece of pie later. I want you to actually eat it and enjoy it and not feel guilty. When we completely deprive ourselves of something we tend to crave it even more. Then when our will breaks and we give in we go big! If you tell yourself it is okay and you’ll just eat it later, chances are you’ll be more satisfied with just one cookie instead of 10. Maybe, you’ll even forget it all together.

Take this tip and apply it your everyday diet as well. If you LOVE pizza, don’t try to just quit eating it. Pick a day that you’ll allow yourself to have it. That way it won’t be as tempting every time it is near you. You know you will have it later.

When we try so hard to follow a perfect diet we tend to feel a lot of guilt when we screw up even a little. The biggest problem with that is in our society we’ve been trained to drown guilt in our favorite pint of ice cream, candy, drink…etc. So one simple mess up isn’t nearly as bad as the flood gate that opens afterwards due to simply feeling guilty. My suggestion is to anticipate mess ups. When they happen, enjoy what you're eating! Don’t flood yourself with guilt. Chances are your very next choice will be a healthier one.