When I first started eating healthier, I realized something about myself: I have very little self-control when it comes to food. I was so used to eating anything I wanted whenever I wanted. I admit it, I used to eat a whole bag of mini Reese cups in 1 day! It didn't take long to discover that in order to NOT eat the junk food, I just couldn't have it in my home. However, I also believe in not depriving yourself of your favorite foods. I tried that once, and it resulted in the marshmallow meltdown of 2009. The goal here is to get healthier so that we can enjoy life, not to zap all of the joy away by taking away things that bring us pleasure.
This baby step is 2 parts. First, simply don't bring the junk food into your home. That means when you're craving it and want to treat yourself, you'll have to work for it. You'll actually have to get dressed, spend your hard earned money on expensive gas to drive to a store, and buy that treat. It may be raining or it may be freezing outside. You'll likely think twice about whether that junk food is worth it. You'll also make sure you enjoy each bite more since it wasn't so convenient.
The trick here is to buy enough to treat yourself only ONCE. Buy one candy bar, and you'll only eat that one. Buy a caseful, and you'll eat the whole caseful, Ok, maybe not all at once unless you're like me, but it will sit in your house and tempt you each and every day until you do eat the whole case of candy.
Little Debbie Cakes were my downfall - all that chocolate, cream, and cakey-goodness filled with preservatives and loaded with sugar. I told my man that if he still wanted to eat them, he would have to buy them, not tell me he bought them, and then hide them before I saw them. HE COULD NOT EAT ANY AROUND ME OR EVEN LET ME KNOW THEY WERE IN THE HOUSE. That was the rule, and it worked.
The second part to this baby step is to fill that junk food void with healthier alternatives. Where ice cream once filled the freezer, opt for popsicles of 100% fruit (store-bought or homemade). When you buy produce, wash it as soon as you get home so it's available for a quick, convenient snack or meal. Apples, bananas, berries, cherries, oranges, peaches, pears, carrots, and celery are great go-to foods.
My one exception to having junk food in the house is dark chocolate. Unlike white and milk chocolate, dark chocolate has enough health benefits to make it a good convenient snack or dessert when eaten in small amounts. However, if you are addicted to dark chocolate and can't stop after one bite, you should probably keep it out of the house as well.
0 comments:
Post a Comment