Guilty!

The truth is.... I am Guilty! I LOVE food.... Like a lot! always have. Even when I was a kid, you could sit there and see the difference between my brother and I. He did not like food, and was forced to finish his plate. Me on the other hand lets just say that was rarely a problem. And to this day it rarely is. 

So how do I deal? Well, it has taken me a LOOOONNNGGGG time and many lessons. I have been on soooo many strict diets, no diary, no cheese, no this, no that, Paleo, "Clean eating", you name it, I have probably tried it.... well except gluten free because you know what, I love bread! and that is where I drew the line. 

Okay, I have to be honest, I even tried not eating much of that at times, but you know what happened, I was miserable, and more out of shape then ever!... did I mention I was working out twice a day! CRAZY RIGHT!

So here is my confession:
I LOVE FOOD and 
I have learned that having a healthy mind is more important than a healthy diet!
I eat what I want!
I never SKIP a meal.
and I drink plenty of beer! or wine... I like that too.

You might think I am lying but I want you to listen closely so that you can understand the truth.

Ever wonder why you meet people who seem like they eat what they want and are more fit then you.... 
Immediately you start to assume or even accuse them of things... 
they must workout a ton... like all the time, they must not eat a lot when alone,  or even going as extreme as thinking they have a disorder.

what a horrible way to feel about others..... not that you don't want the best for them but come on... it can't be healthy... you are healthy and thats not you...

I know this because that was me.

But you want to know their secret.... 
and I didn't believe it for a long time... 
Their secret is MODERATION and positive mentality.


THEY DON'T STRESS.
THEY DON'T RESTRICT 
THEY DON'T PUNISH THEMSELVES
They strive to be healthy not skinny... and that is the key
(now I have to clarify there are people out there that do have health and mental issues, and should address those issues, but what I am discussing here is about inner reflection, I may discuss other eating issues at another point but not in this blog)

Once I stopped worrying about everyone else, every other diet, and every calorie, I began to listen to my body. 

Thinking of food in terms of fuel. And recognizing when I wasn't fueling my body and just eating for enjoyment.

while doing so learned about how my body uses different food types.
And to recognize when I am tasting something as opposed to consuming nutrients.
  
Now I know how to control and guid my goals. Right now I am not in the best shape I could be, but I know this because I make the choice to ignore my body sometimes and go for that extra cookie because part of my balance is letting my mind feel relaxed about what I eat when I am not training for something specific. 

Another way to think of food is... if you restrict so much that you get around junk food and you cant get enough even though you know your blood will feel like glue, your heart will race and your head will pound, you do not have a healthy mind... so even if you have the healthiest diet your mind will not be healthy and that is where we find the Yo-Yo effect of dieting. 

SO Yes I am guilty of eating un healthy, but now I don't have to worry that I will go on a rampage and murder an entire box of cookies.... I mean their have been Oreos and Chocolate bars in my house non-stop and they have not been demolished in a fit of.... "I better just eat these all now so they wont tempt me later" mental madness. 

I am guilty of finding a balanced life.