Have you ever wanted something to eat so bad that
even the thought of it made your mouth fill
with saliva? That cheeseburger you saw a commercial
for, the donuts you can’t get your mind
off of, the potato chips in the pantry screaming your
name. You can feel your stomach growling
and the need for it growing in your stomach. So, you
give in and eat it. It’s the best tasting thing
you have ever put in your mouth. It satisfied the
urge you had. But now something else is
growing inside of you. It’s that terrible feeling
of guilt eating. It was a small moment of
satisfaction but now what you are feeling is much
worse. I have been there more times than I
want to admit. Guilt eating doesn’t rear its ugly
head for me until after I have eaten it. So what
can I do to prevent this? What can I do if I give
in to those unhealthy foods?
So how can I prevent guilt eating? The easiest way
is to avoid any unhealthy foods. Well, that is
so much easier said than done. Sometimes it’s just
easier to run to Burger King and grab a
cheeseburger than make a healthy meal. From my own
experience I meal plan. Every
Wednesday I sit down and make a menu for the following
week. I pick the days I want to go out
to eat and the days I want to cook. I plan for healthy
meals so no unwanted cheeseburgers can
creep into my meal planning. When I want to go out
to eat, I plan ahead for that as well. I figure
out where I want to go and just a simple google of
the menu with calories can tell me what my
best options are.
If I really want that cheeseburger,
calorie counting helps as well. Have a small
breakfast and a small lunch. This leaves room for
your calories for the day to have a large
dinner. This alone can take away the guilt because
you have left room in your calorie count to
enjoy something you really wanted. I have done this
on many occasions. I love pretty much any
unhealthy food you can think of. Sweets, ice cream,
fried foods, hot dogs. Just about everything. I
didn’t think I could do this. I didn’t think I would
be able to give all of them up. So instead, I didn’t.
I just ate those in moderation when my calorie count
would allow. I would skip snacks and have
really small breakfast and lunch so I knew I could
indulge. The biggest thing for me is ice cream
and most days I would allow myself to have ice cream
every day because I meal planned and
counted those calories. And the best part was no guilt.
What happens if you give into those unhealthy foods
and don’t plan for it? The biggest thing you
can do is forgive yourself. In a perfect world, I
could fight those temptations. But we all know we
don’t live in a perfect world. Forgive yourself. You
are after all only human. Making a bad
decision while on your diet does not make or break
your diet. Let me say that again…Making a
bad decision while on your diet does not make or break
your diet. You can still lose weight and
get right back on track. Maybe work out just a little
longer or even take a longer walk than you
normally do, burn the extra calories you took in.
This helped me when I took in the extra calories
I wasn’t planning on.
The best part for me personally about eating healthy
is feeling no guilt. When I stick to my meal
plan and calorie count to the limit of calories I
allow myself for the day, I feel on top of the world.
There are so many healthy alternatives to what I love.
Ice cream, they make a low-calorie ice
cream. Cheeseburger? They have delicious turkey burgers
that I top with sauteed bell peppers
and onions. Tacos? Make a veggie taco with black beans
and taco seasoning. Top with low fat
sour cream and you got yourself a delicious taco. I also eat a salad with every meal. Top your
salad with cherry tomatoes and bell peppers. It can
add a lot of flavor when you’re trying to cut
down on dressing. Just because you are on a new lifestyle
journey doesn’t mean you don’t
enjoy food anymore. Find the best healthy food for
you and know that when you do find it you
won’t hold on to the guilt if you eat it