Milk chocolate, 500 calories per bar, 36g maltitol (sugar alcohol natural sweetener) and 8g net carbs (after taking out the fiber and sugar alcohols).
Now, we can talk about sugar alcohols and the not-so-enjoyable side effects of
maltitol in a different email ;) but the bottom line was that for whatever reason, I loved the taste of this bar and was working it into my eating daily. I didn’t eat the entire thing in one sitting, but throughout the day. I’d normally have 1/3 after each meal.
Is this “healthy?” Not really. Like wine, I don’t actually recommend people start eating this bar. It’s not like this is some magic food, and honestly, if I kept everything the same and just quit eating this
bar, I might have lost weight.
BUT.
Here’s the thing: this acted as built-in relief to my eating day.
When I had it, it helped curb my cravings for more and worse crap later. It acted as a preemptive cheat, and though it feels kind of ridiculous to say, “I ate a whole chocolate bar every single day,” it was part of my process. And while, again, I don’t consider it healthy, and certainly it’s not “perfect,” it was an
important piece of my journey – this 6 month period of semi-O.D.’ing on chocolate.
The other night on the #moderation365 webinar, many questions were asked around the concept trying to wean ourselves off the foods that are “bad” or that we tend to overindulge.
I have two strategies for that:
1) Find a comparable
alternative.
Maybe you don’t have to go full-on sugar with your treats. Maybe you can create a healthier alternative that uses stevia or almond meal instead of sugar and all-purpose flour, respectively. Like
this or
this.
This goes along with the “navigating the middle” concept of #moderation365. Nutrition is not all-or-nothing. Just because you’re not going to have a huge-ass cupcake doesn’t mean you have to settle for hot tea. Find a moderate alternative that still satisfies, but doesn’t put you
over the edge.
2) Consistent exposure.
This might be a little counterintuitive because I'm sure you've heard people say, “Well, I just can’t have ice cream in my house!” and I would agree that the out-of-sight-out-of-mind approach works for a time, but it’s what I’d consider the 1.0 version.
But here’s the thing – at some point, you are going to be
faced with ice cream. Whether it’s at a friend’s house or someone’s birthday party or out at a restaurant. And I want you to be able to handle it without having to either deprive yourself completely OR dive in head-first because you just can’t help yourself. Those are two extremes, and of course the more deprived we feel, the more likely we are to overindulge later.
So wouldn’t it behoove you to start to learn how to have ice cream around? Without having to polish off
the whole thing?
For me, the 2.0 version is actually allowing yourself to have the very thing you are so scared of having. Expose yourself to the food, have some. BUT, here’s the key: you have to stay mindful during those moments. Portion it out, enjoy the hell out of that portion and then mindfully put the rest back and stay aware of how you are feeling – do you feel satisfied, not stuffed? Could you allow that portion to suffice for right now? Focus on the
physical sensations and where your mind goes. And of course this is a practice, and you are not going to hit a home run every time, but you need to begin in order to get better.
So back to the sugar-free chocolate bar.
Again, not the healthiest thing, and I am certainly not saying it has any special properties EXCEPT that it represents both a stage in my journey that I honored without judgment (i.e. I didn’t beat myself up over it every day, I
just incorporated it into my day and it helped take the edge off) and also allowed me to move past the illicitness of chocolate.
After 6 months doing this, it started to become like, meh. I could take it or leave it. I’d buy the bars at Trader Joe’s and then I’d naturally and without effort start leaving them in the cabinet. I’d have a piece or two here and there but just didn’t need or want the whole thing. Over time, they lost their appeal and I got over it. Is
six months a long time? To me, it's not when you consider the lessons I learned and the outcomes I achieved. It's worth every minute.
THIS IS HOW IMPLEMENTING MODERATION WORKS.
You allow yourself those small nutritional gimmes. You don’t judge them as “not perfect” or “a failure” – but instead you honor your process and stay mindful.
This is all part of the journey toward a sustainable eating strategy. And
this chocolate-bar phase was one of many phases I’ve gone through. It’s just one example of many built-in relief strategies I’ve had. And it’s all good!
So now for you. What is that one food that you can incorporate that helps you take the edge off? What’s that one thing that can act as built-in relief so that you don’t feel the compulsion to go back to the all-or-nothing approach again?
Don’t be scared to honor your process. Don’t be scared to
honor YOU. Your journey looks like no one else’s, and THAT is what is perfect.
Have a great week!
Jill
P.S. If you love Jen and Neghar as much as I do, consider signing up for our
3-day Radiance Retreat in March – we just opened 4 more
spots!
