I used to think I was a healthy eater. Oh, of course, I would bend the rules here and there. You know. ‘Everything in moderation’ is what they say.
But for some reason, I started to notice that my belly was slowly creeping over my belt. Not too much. But it was noticeable to me.
People would often say to me, “You’re so lucky that you’re so slim.” However, I knew the truth. I was getting heavier and my body wasn’t as fast or flexible as it used to be. I could try to fool myself that it was a part of the aging process, but I knew better.
Eventually, I was 20 pounds heavier than my personal ideal weight. Ugh!
I asked myself, “If I was eating healthy meals most of the time, how could I be gaining weight most of the time?”
I made up excuses why for I was gaining weight.
My metabolism was slowing down.
This is what happens as you get older.
I’m not burning calories like when I was younger.
I’m too busy to exercise.
However, when I listened to these excuses, they sounded like I was a victim of something outside of my control.
I started to think about all the excuses and exceptions I made for eating unhealthy foods. I was reminded of a phrase comedian John Mulaney used about sharing french fries with a friend: “Let's be bad.”
I knew that I wasn’t alone as I often heard people say, “I could do with losing a few pounds.”
There are a lot of excuses we use to give ourselves permission to eat poorly, or not so healthy, or to “be bad”. And with so many excuses, the lines around 'everything in moderation' start to blur pretty quickly.
Here are just some of the excuses to “be bad”:
New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day
Valentine’s Day (and post-Valentine’s Day chocolates)
Mardi Gras
Easter and Post-Easter Leftovers
Halloween (before, during, and after)
Thanksgiving / Post-Thanksgiving Leftovers
Holiday Parties
Religious/Cultural/Traditional Holidays
Three-Day Weekends (e.g., Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day)
Birthdays (Family, Friends, Coworkers, and your own birthday)
Spectator Sports and Events (e.g., Super Bowl, World Series, NBA/WNBA Finals, World Cup, School Games, Any sporting event)
Anniversaries
Engagement Parties, Weddings, Bridal Showers, Bachelor/Bachelorette Parties
Baby Showers/Reveal Parties
Supermarket Sales on Ultra-processed, Processed Foods, and High Saturated Fat Foods
Eating Out, Take Out, and Fast Food Restaurants
Socializing: Date Night, Drinks, and Dinner with Family/Friends
Treat-Myself Days
In an effort to make it easier to consistently eat healthy, I gradually increased the proportion of whole, plant-based foods in my meals. Whether it was a social event, a restaurant menu, or cooking at home, I learned how to navigate my food choices to help me improve my health goals.
By changing my mindset, my eating behaviors began to change, which had a positive effect on my body and energy level.
Eventually, these behaviors became a habit.
My world opened up, and I began eating meals that supported my health rather than restricted it. In fact, my meal choices helped lower my risk factors for developing chronic illnesses that run in my family.
My eating habits supported my body's natural ability to heal itself, allowing me to experience something I call unrestricted healing.
In addition to exercising and practicing relaxation techniques, my meal choices also supported my body's natural healing processes by helping to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress.
As a result, I lost weight, brought my cholesterol and blood pressure into normal ranges, and no longer needed medication to control my heart rate.
Over the years, I learned how being bad was contributing to my bad health.
Now, I don’t let the instances of being bad contribute to having bad health and that ‘everything in moderation’ needs to support my health goals first.
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