Eat. The. Donut.
Do you crave donuts, chocolate, cookies, cake, ice cream? Do you feel guilty for eating your favorite foods? Is restriction on your mind when you try to lose weight? What if I told you that you could eat your guilty pleasures every day and still achieve your fitness/health goals. As a registered dietitian, I am a full blown advocate for the phrase “all foods fit” because it is absolutely true.
In fact, when we restrict ourselves to never eating certain foods or eating them only when we’ve “been good,” it is almost always inevitable that there will be a period of binging somewhere down the line. Those “off limit” foods become more and more desired when we tell ourselves that we can’t have something. So how can we prevent this and how is it possible to enjoy the food we love?
The key to healthy diets and overall well being is balance. It is so common in our society nowadays to become extremists and take one drastic approach after another. How often do you see people becoming “vegan for a couple weeks” or going on a keto diet or doing a “juice cleanse” or cutting out all added sugars? Our diet culture is insanely unhealthy because people want to see drastic changes but do not think about sustainability or reality. However, when you can learn to have a sense of balance and really focus on making small improvements over time, your quality of life and progress will be exponentially better than any fad you try to follow.
Follow these simple tips to practice balance throughout the day so you can enjoy your favorite things on a daily or weekly basis:
Plan ahead - If you know that you are going to eat out for dinner and indulge a little more on carbs/fats, try to limit the portion sizes of carbs/fats during breakfast or lunch. This is NOT the same as cutting out carbs. It is simply rearranging your calorie and macronutrient intake throughout the day so you are not overconsuming calories.
Eat your favorite foods MORE often - When we only allow ourselves to eat certain foods once in a blue moon, chances are that you will overconsume that food the minute you get your hands on it. If you love chocolate, have chocolate every day if you want! BUT try to limit it to a couple pieces at a time. The more frequently you have it, the less excitement and spark you will likely feel each time it comes around. The key here is not to binge though, so having smaller portions on a weekly basis is important.
Eat more fruits and veggies - If you still feel like you may binge on your favorite foods once you get started, eat at least 1 serving of fruit/vegetables beforehand so you at least get some quality nutrients and increase the feeling of fullness. Perhaps you might not eat as much of that sugary or salty craving as you had anticipated.
Drink plenty of water - Let’s face it, most of us aren’t craving meat all the time and the foods we do crave tend to be high in carbs and fats. So if you’re worried about bloating after eating these foods, make sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day to decrease the bloating and improve your body image while eating these foods. If you think about it, the more we have negative feelings about how we look when we eat certain things, the more your brain will associate “bad” with whatever food is on your mind, therefore, leading to more restriction and guilt. Plus, your body tends to hold onto more water when you have more carbs so increasing fluid intake helps flush the fluid through your cells.
At the end of the day, there is always tomorrow. Enjoy your favorite foods, but keep in mind there will be a “next time.” Balance is key and sustainability will keep you going.
