The word “DIET” can be a scary word. Particularly on a Monday! We indulged over the weekend and want to start over with the beginning of a new week. “I’m going on a diet” is a phrase we hear from so many people every day. Those five words are a set up for failure.
I think of three words when I hear someone say they are going on a diet:
- Desire
- Deprivation
- Disappointment
We obviously attempt a “diet” because we are desiring something different about our health, body, or weight. Usually the diets people go on deprive you of food and things you love to eat to make you feel full and happy. Most of the time we can only stick to this “diet” for a day, sometimes a week, but it almost always sets us up for disappointment when we fail to stick to it and don’t reach our goal.
What if we think of the word “diet” to mean something different. A permanent way in which we live our life and feed our bodies. It’s impossible to eat perfectly every minute of every day but more realistic to try and eat mostly clean and healthy with moderation in dipping into our favorite foods.
When you feel hungry eat something! On Sundays we cook up a pot of hard boiled eggs, peel them and put them in the fridge for the week. We also cook up chicken or turkey tenderloins and store those as well. We fill our fridge drawers with fruit and veggies. My downfall is cheese so there is always a bit of that in the fridge as well when I crave it! (IN MODERATION!) When hungry there is something easy and healthy to grab that is filling. Preparing for the week is the best way to avoid the cookie jar!
The most important thing is to give yourself a break. Allow yourself downfalls! Go ahead and eat your favorite meal once a week, or grab your favorite treat a few times a week. Making it a lifetime commitment rather than a week or a monthly commitment is much easier to do. Don’t starve yourself, do your best, and everything in moderation!
Moxiemom 