The first time I lost weight, I did it by cutting calories and exercising. Eventually, I wound up with an unhealthy attitude toward food. While working toward physical goals, it’s important to keep a balanced viewpoint of food.
“Recognize that when it comes to nutrition, you have free will to eat whatever you would like. Then make choices that are from a place of self-love. No restriction, no rules, no diets, just a principle of eating food as an act of self-love to nourish your body as a vehicle for your heart, mind, and soul.” ~Katie H. Willcox
Calorie Restriction Isn’t Sustainable
I found myself obsessing over the numbers while I lived in a calorie deficit, because I didn’t have a balanced viewpoint of food.
Hubs would work hard to give me a night off from cooking dinner and would make an extremely nutritious meal (we’re talking grilled chicken breast with mashed cauliflower and a side salad).
Inevitably I would wind up furious with him for using a recipe that didn’t give the calorie counts.
Not being in the kitchen, knowing exactly how much of what ingredients were used, it would be more work for me to calculate the calorie count before eating (so I would know how much I could eat) than it would have been just to cook the meal myself.
My life was being completely taken over by calories and measurements and portion sizes and calculations.
Logic wasn’t totally involved.
As I’ve said before, the method worked, but it wasn’t a long-term solution to healthy living.
What’s Changed Since Then – How I Keep a Balanced Viewpoint of Food
These days, I’m paying attention to my body.
I only eat if I feel hungry and I stop eating when I’m satisfied. I’m centering my meals around real, whole foods without additives and preservatives. I had to remind myself that I am an adult, who is capable of knowing how much and how often I need to eat.
There are no numbers or calculations involved in my meal prep anymore, because I keep a balanced viewpoint of food.
I no longer spend my days obsessing over what I am going to eat. And, it’s easy to say “no” to unhealthy treats and snacks on a regular basis, knowing that it needs to be a special occasion, not an everyday occurrence.
Eating should be easy and natural, not another chore to add to your already-busy life.
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