Don’t eat this, don’t eat that. Restricting your diet will never get you where you want to be. There is an emotional component in being healthy that is often ignored and why restrictive diets fail time and again. I once had a client following my Eating Free philosophy of weight loss and one day had a craving for marshmallows. Because she thought marshmallows were “bad”, she tried her hardest to ignore her craving. Instead she reached for an apple or what she thought was a healthy sweet alternative. When the craving still didn’t go away, she thought she may be hungry and made herself a lean chicken sandwich. Still unsatisfied, she continued to reach for healthy alternatives, some pretzels, low-fat mini-crisps, and 800 calories later, realized she still wanted those darn marshmallows. Next time, I told her, just enjoy the marshmallows and move on! By next appointment she came back and told me that she had 4 marshmallows about 100 calories that she pleased her pleasures and moved on!
Eating healthy doesn’t mean you stick to a strict regimen of eating foods you don’t necessarily want to eat. In fact, it is the exact opposite. At Eating Free, we believe in eating what you like, when you like, in appropriate portion sizes. We will never take the marshmallows away, but will let you know how many marshmallows to eat to satisfy your urge while not going overboard. Let’s face it, we have the ability to feel pleasure. Let’s not deny the pleasure of the delicious foods we love.
