What is your favorite guilty pleasure? I’m a brownie addict. I’m fully confident that I could easily win a brownie eating competition if I had the opportunity. Although, I’d have to try very, very hard to refrain for entering this competition. Why do I enjoy brownies? Let’s face it: they taste great and they can sometimes put a smile on my face after a rough day. While I’m guilty of the occasional brownie, my theory is moderation is perfectly okay. You can’t deprive yourself of all the good things in life that will just make you want them even more.
Let’s take a look at some common excuses for eating unhealthy, shall we?
“I deserve it!”
I know you’ve used this one before. You deserve that chocolate bar or that chocolate cake. Don’t we all? We work hard all week and sometimes even on the weekends! Keep in mind that you also deserve to be healthy, happy and comfortable in your own body. Rewarding yourself with food can become a dangerous habit. Instead of rewarding yourself with food, try a less dangerous reward. Maybe a new pair of pants…pants you will actual fit in if you lay off the unhealthy snacking rewards.
“My workout today was intense, I’ve earned it!”
If you’ve ran three miles then splurge on an unhealthy meal, you are essentially doing all that hard work for nothing! Again try rewarding yourself with non-food related items. A trip to spa or the mall are a much healthier alternative.
“I’m extremely stressed.”
Are you a stress eater? Is good your ultimate comfort when things go wrong? Stress eating increases your stress in the long run. Cortisol, the stress hormone, makes you crave fat-filled and sugary foods. Also, when you eat sweet treats, your blood sugar spikes and then drops which can make you more irritable.
“Celebrities are often photographed enjoying high-calorie coffees and ice cream and look so thin!”
This is just a photograph or two. These pictures do not show the eating habits of celebrities behind closed doors. You cannot see everything a celebrity eats and every workout they engage in from a photo. You can also not judge how healthy someone is based on their weight.
“Life is short, I’m going to eat what I want!”
Life can be even shorter if you are not eating healthy foods. Obesity is the second leading cause of preventable deaths next to smoking. Balance a healthy diet with delicious snacks in moderation.
“Guys will think I’m one of those girls if I only order a salad.”
If a guy frowns upon healthy eating habits, he probably isn’t the guy for you. If anything, a guy should think you are a smart girl for eating healhy.
“It’s impossible to give up soda.”
If you think you are addiction to soda, it’s not impossible to give it up. Take baby steps. Start by replacing one soda a day with a glass of water. Keep replacing soda with water or other healthy beverages until soda is completely out of your diet. You’d be surprised at how many calories you won’t be consuming each day!
