“What’s one day? Treat yourself!”
“It’s a holiday, indulge a little!”
“You have so much willpower, I could never do
that!”
, I have heard statements like these a thousand times over the last 5 years. People commenting on how I’ll eat a couple French fries, or a few bites of a dessert, or skip starchy sides at holiday dinners or could take or leave the bread basket.
Which still kind of shocks me, not because I don’t think it’s a normal response, but because for the first 30 years of my life, those things were the opposite of me. I was
all-or-nothing, deprive-then-binge, hardcore or no-core lol.
I’d make myself sick at the movies eating Sour Patch Kids until my tongue was raw and I had a stomach ache. I’d routinely go out to dinner and eat an entire greasy appetizer, the most disgusting thing on the menu as an entrée and then order dessert, obviously, only to have to literally unbutton my pants. One time my partner even had to rub my stomach to help with my digestion because I was so full!
Lmao.
YOU GUYS.
Moving from someone who is preoccupied with food and all-or-nothing to someone who is less obsessed with food, enjoys it and never overdoes it, like ever, is possible.
But it is not easy.
And it doesn’t just take a month. And it doesn’t happen automatically. And you don’t just slot yourself into some random coach’s plan and expect instantaneous
results.
The way you make the transition from all-or-nothing to #moderation365 is by putting in the time and the work to learn about you own metabolism. By practice mindfulness and embracing resiliency and learning from your missteps.
And these things, by nature, take time.
But here’s the thing. When people make those comments to me, here’s what they miss:
- I know it won't kill me, but I honestly
could take it or leave it. Saying no isn't hard.
- I don’t need to “treat myself” because I feel treated daily with my #moderation365 approach. It’s a preemptive approach so I don’t ever reach the point of feeling like a need a reward.
- I don’t need to indulge on holidays because I already eat exactly what I want, every single day of the year. It just doesn’t look like the binging that it used to.
- I don’t have any more willpower than anyone else, I have just been
practicing this stuff for longer, and as such, it’s second nature now. Automatic. I'm also so grateful I just had the courage to try a new way.
It feels really good to share that. But what feels even better is that I know it’s possible for you, too.
My girl Kyla recently emailed me with this, and it is 100% spot-on in terms of what the journey looks like:
