There's no right or wrong way to eat. Healthy eating
is all about motivation, balance, and flexibility. There will
be times when you eat a high-fat meal or eat beyond fullness,
or when your schedule gets so busy that you miss a work- out.
This happens. It's normal. But it's very important that you don't
get down on yourself and abandon your new healthy lifestyle when
this happens.
If you're like most people, your reaction to these
diet/ fitness obstacles is guilt. You feel as if all your hard
work has been for nothing. "I blew it; I was doing so well. Oh
well, I might as well enjoy this weekend and start over on Monday."
Or even worse: "I just don't have the motivation or will power
to start over and be successful. I quit." Feeling defeated, many
people discontinue the healthy living and return to their old
routine until some mythical time in the future: "Maybe this spring
will be a better time to start over again." This kind of scenario
is a perfect example of the diet mentality at work.
An all-or-nothing attitude is why so many people
have so little success; we choose structured programs because
they relieve us from making choices for ourselves. A properly
designed program makes sense, but expecting to stick to a structured
eating and exercise plan for an extended period of time without
ever deviating makes no sense at all. In fact, this is so unrealistic
as to be a set-up for failure. If you begin to change your habits
with the assumption that any deviation from your plan will ruin
it, you might as well not even begin. Life is full of unplanned
obstacles, distractions, and temptations. Your best approach is
to prepare for them, keeping an open mind and maintaining a positive
attitude.
It's very important that you begin your healthier
lifestyle with an understanding that there will be days when you
will stray from healthy eating and exercising. Before you begin,
tell yourself that no matter what happens, rather than abandoning
your new lifestyle, you'll resume your healthy habits as soon
as you can; it is equally important that you feel confident, not
guilty, about doing so. What- ever the temptation or obstacle
is, keep in mind that it's not wrong or bad to eat fattening foods
once in a while or to miss a workout. Just remember to resume
your healthy lifestyle. If you keep moving forward and you don't
let guilt and discouragement stop your program all together, you'll
eventually have improved eating and exercise habits.
With this approach, there is no such thing as cheating.
When we feel we are cheating, we often punish ourselves; we make
ourselves feel guilty, frustrated and defeated. Replacing the
negative concept of "cheating" with the idea of "straying from
healthy habits" takes away the all-or- nothing emphasis on right
and wrong. If you treat every deviation from your plan as a failure,
you won't get very far
Substituting the idea of a brief straying away from your plan
instead of feeling guilty, and learning to return more and more
quickly to healthier habits, is more realistic. It's also easier
and more enjoyable.
In the non-diet approach, all foods are legal. There
are no "good" foods or "bad" foods. You must believe this. Sudden
changes and/or drastic restrictions of high-fat foods when you
have a preference or craving for fat will result in feelings of
deprivation. No one can or should go through life depriving themselves
of foods they really enjoy. You must learn how to make gradual
healthy changes to the foods you love while experimenting with
and learning to appreciate new flavors and textures.
A recent survey showed that more than 75 percent
of people feel guilty about eating so-called "bad" foods. The
greatest obstacle to adopting healthy eating habits is guilt.
Attaching a value to foods only makes you feel bad for eating
them. When you do decide to eat a high-fat food, enjoy it. Don't
beat your- self up over it. Just make a special effort to eat
low-fat the rest of the day. Remember, there is nothing wrong
with splurging now and then. It can even be good for you if the
satisfaction of a higher-fat meal that you've been craving helps
you stick with a low-fat lifestyle the rest of the time.
If you're having a special diet meal that's different
from what the rest of your family or friends are eating, you'll
feel as though you're being punished. In order to be successful
in changing your eating habits, you must look forward to and enjoy
each meal you eat. This doesn't mean that you have to learn to
like rice cakes and celery. It means you must learn how to make
simple changes in the foods you love.
Perhaps one of your favorite meals is fried chicken, a baked potato,
and salad. Small changes in how the food is prepared can turn
this traditionally high-fat meal into a low-fat well- balanced
one. Simply marinating a skinless chicken breast in sweet and
sour sauce, rolling it in bread crumbs, and baking it makes the
chicken a lot less fattening than if it's fried. Instead of butter
or regular sour cream on your potato, try low-fat or nonfat sour
cream or a reduced fat ranch dressing. Try using a non-fat or
low-fat salad dressing rather than a regular dressing and adding
as many vegetables to your salad as possible for their additional
flavor, texture and nutrients. Any or all of these changes drastically
reduce the amount of fat in the meal without sacrificing flavor
or feelings of satisfaction.
Healthy eating patterns can only occur when you're
enjoying all the foods you eat. If you're eating low-fat foods
just to be healthy but without enjoying the flavors and textures
or how they make you feel, this most likely won't be a permanent
change. However, if you begin enjoying healthy foods, you're far
more likely to stick with healthy eating for life.
Many people also enjoy eating out but associate
this with being "bad" or eating "illegal" foods. Fortunately,
it is very possible to eat a healthy, low-fat meal in a restaurant.
You don't need to forego your favorite foods or eat before you
go out with friends or family. The same decision-making process
occurs whether you eat at home or go out to a restaurant. Many
people think that they have two options when eating: eating for
taste and pleasure or eating for health. As you learn and practice
healthy eating techniques, these two options will become one and
the same. Good luck and enjoy all the wonderful benefits of a
healthy, active lifestyle.
