Resolution Tip #2: Quit Torturing Yourself

So lots of resolutions revolve around eating healthy food.  In order to eat "healthy" we need to cut out the "junk", right?  The biggest--and I mean THE BIGGEST (and most avoidable)--thing I see derailing people from eating healthy is...(wait for it)....

...People buying junk and keeping it in their own houses!

Yup.  I kinda think we like to torture ourselves.  We make these great goals to eat healthy, get fit, reduce our chances of getting chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease, and then we walk into the grocery store and see a sign that says, "Ben & Jerry's--On Sale $3.75!" and we're like, "Yeah, you're totally coming home with me.  But don't worry, I'll put you in the freezer where I won't see you...'cuz I'm eating healthy these days!"   

Then, plop, plop, plop...three pints go into the cart.

What are we doing????

You wouldn't put a crack addict in the middle of a bunch of crack, would you?  Why do we torture ourselves?  

If junk food is in our house, we have to use a constant stream of willpower to avoid it.  And we only have so much willpower, right?  Eventually, it crumbles and we dive headfirst into that ice cold pint. And then, if you're like me, you look at the damage you've done and you say, "Well, I've eaten half of it already, I might as well finish it off so I don't get tempted by it tomorrow."  And then you eat the whole thing and go to bed feeling like total crap (physically and mentally).  

The next day you're all bloated and sad and you go to the freezer to take out the meat for that evening's healthy dinner and you see the other two pints just staring at you. Darn.  Now you gotta finish those too, or they're going to torture you all day like the other one did.  

And so starts the downward spiral lined with junk food and bad feelings.

We are not bad people. It is not our fault that we feel this way...not really.  We are food addicts--mentally and physically.  Especially when it comes to sugars, carbs, and packaged goodies.  We are bombarded with commercials that tell us how yummy these foods are. There are scientists working for all the big name food companies whose sole job it is to find just the right combo of chemicals, additives, and flavors that will make us crave more junk.  As kids, we are rewarded with junk food when we do something good ("You won your game!  Let's go get pizza and ice cream!!!").  And, as if we don't have enough outside forces steering us towards junk, inside our bodies, sugar affects the opiate receptors and neuropathways in the brain in the same way as cocaine and other addictive substances!  The more we eat sugar, the more hardwired we are to crave it.  The deck is stacked against us!

So let's do ourselves a favor.  Let's stop the torture.  Don't buy the junk in the first place. Don't keep it in your home.  Let it sit on the shelf in the store--on sale, or not.  Take THAT, Ben & Jerry!

And for those of you who are saying, "But my kids like it!" or "My significant other likes it!", think about this....

YOU know the dangers of too much junk food and sugar. 

YOU know that junk food causes health issues (obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, leaky gut, candida overgrowth, autoimmune disorders, etc.).
  
YOU know it makes you feel crappy.  

YOU know all these things, otherwise, you wouldn't have made the goal to kick it to the curb. 

Now, your family is important.  You don't want them to feel crappy, struggle with their weight, or have health issues, right?  Maybe your quest for good health will help them to feel healthier and happier too! 

Oh, and by the way, I'm not saying you and your family should never eat junk food ever again. That would be totally silly.  Part of life is enjoying its sweet little pleasures.  

What I AM saying is...give yourself a fighting chance to break your addiction first (a few weeks maybe?)--clear your home of junk.  Quit torturing yourself by surrounding yourself with foods that you're addicted to.  Break your addiction.  And then, when you're "clean" and you DO have junk food, it doesn't become a downward spiral with a face full of Oreos and a heart filled with guilt and shame.  Instead, it's just a small, wonderful treat...as it should be!    :) 

     

So that's today's Resolution Tip #2:  Quit Torturing Yourself.  Stay tuned for Tip #3...Rock Your Inner Boy/Girl Scout and BE PREPARED!

Hugs to you, Friends!  Wishing you much success!

-dorothy