“January…”
Shared by Breanne Smedley
Last week, I really wanted to go on a diet. That sounds odd to say out loud.
But here’s what happened…
Back when the holiday season rolled around, I promised myself that I would enjoy the holidays and the food that comes with them without punishing myself come January 1st.
My mindset used to be,
“Enjoy it now, because come January you’ll be paying for it.”
And,
“Feel free to eat whatever you want, because, on January 1st, it ends. No sugar, dairy, grains, or alcohol. Exercise hard every day of the week. Drink lots of water. Don’t mess up.”
I’ve since realized that different seasons represent different eating habits. That it’s okay to eat foods during the holidays that you don’t normally eat, barring any allergies or intolerances.
It all evens out in the winter and spring when those foods just aren’t around. When I’m not attending parties, and baking things I only bake during Christmas time. Plus, who wants to drink an Egg Nog latte in July?
It just doesn’t happen, because it’s not the season for it.
But, there it was again. December 31st. After weeks of enjoying treats and drinks, I was ready for a reset.
The funny thing is, the diet industry was waiting there for me as well. They know how these things work.
Come to the end of December, my social media was filled with messages and advertisements about Whole 30, Keto, and new fancy gym equipment that you just have to turn on, crank up, and you too can have super toned arms, endless energy, and lose those pesky few pounds!
It was really tempting.
But, I know that those things are just a Band-Aid. The diet industry is an unbelievably profitable business trained to keep us coming back for more.
They’re not selling solutions, they’re attracting customers for life.
Customers who are just like me, going through the same cycle every year.
30 days, 60 days, 90 days. Whatever it is, it’s not addressing the real issue. Sticking to something for a short period of time is tangible. It’s doable. That’s why so many people do it.
I can muster up enough willpower to be super restrictive for 30 days. And every time, I get results.
It’s so much easier for someone just to tell me what I can and can’t eat, rather than make my own intuitive eating choices based on what my body needs, knowing how certain foods impact me.
But every time I finish a restrictive plan, my relationship with food gets worse.
Because, on day 31 it ends. Maybe not right away, but eventually the foods that I restricted start entering my diet again.
But now, I feel bad for eating them. Because I’ve classified all of these restricted foods as “bad.”
When really, they might not actually be bad for me, but since I’ve said no to them for 30 days, they must be.
So, I took the hard road this year. Because I’m not looking for a 30-day fix.
I had to ask myself:
“What is it that I actually want that I am trying to find in this restrictive diet?”
“What is this ‘Golden Ticket’ way of eating promising me that I feel like I need?”
And then:
“How can I achieve that without a restrictive diet?”
My answer was surprisingly really simple:
I want to feel healthy.
Could I achieve this without a restrictive diet?
Absolutely.
When the time came to go back to work after the break, I got back into my routine.
I drank more water, ate cleaner, exercised more, slept better.
Not because I willed myself to. But because it was easier to do these things when we weren’t traveling, visiting, and party-hopping.
We went back to eating a healthy breakfast and eating healthy, home-cooked meals most nights of the week.
And it’s been working.
I feel healthier and more energized.
Without having to be perfect, and say no to every little piece of food or drink that doesn’t fit into the “plan.”
Because perfection isn’t sustainable.
I’m on the long, slow road for improvement. Not the road with quick-fixes, 100% restrictive, 100% of the time mentalities.
The 1% life-long journey, not the 30-day journey.
#IntegrallyRelational
#MindfullyEvolving
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