This is something I've been hesitant to post for awhile because let's be honest we all have different opinions and often times someone will let you know it. Maybe I just have really nice people who read my blog but I don't get a lot of negativity. With that being said, I always try to be sensitive to the fact that we all have different opinions but this topic is something that I think is very important and I want to talk about it.
I have slowly stopped labeling all foods and it is for a very good reason. I also have stopped calling certain foods and meals "cheats", "splurges", "treats" etc.
My friend and I were talking the other day about how we just want to think of food as food. There are no good foods, no bad foods, no clean foods, no unclean foods, no superfoods, no lamefoods. It's all just food.
Why do I think this is important? Because I think it can make a world of difference in having a healthy relationship with food.
Now, I literally cannot fathom doing that. I hate that it's the truth but I know, I know I will get it back. I already have a much healthier relationship with food and my body, but this is my ultimate goal. More than feeling comfortable in my body, more than intuitive eating.
I simply want to just eat.
With this reverse, I made a promise to myself that I would not do "cheat meals". Rather I just consider it to be a break from tracking or an untracked meal. That is different to me than a cheat because first things first, it doesn't automatically imply something bad. The word "cheat" itself has such a negative connotation to me, like you're doing something you're not supposed to be doing.
I also don't like the connotations that splurge and treat have with regarding food. As if you have to earn your food so you get a treat or the way people use it to justify something. I think that is a mentality that needs to be stopped entirely. You don't have to earn any food. Your body needs food to survive. For me, I now think of as food to fuel my workouts not the other way around. I used to think that since I worked out, I got to eat. That turned out to be such an unhealthy way of thinking for me.
I also don't like the connotations that splurge and treat have with regarding food. As if you have to earn your food so you get a treat or the way people use it to justify something. I think that is a mentality that needs to be stopped entirely. You don't have to earn any food. Your body needs food to survive. For me, I now think of as food to fuel my workouts not the other way around. I used to think that since I worked out, I got to eat. That turned out to be such an unhealthy way of thinking for me.
Why can't it just be a scenario like this:
"I think I want a scoop of ice cream.
Yeah, Imma eat that ice cream.
Good decision, that hit the spot."
End of story.
That's honestly how I used to do it. I ate foods in moderation. I didn't have ice cream every day but even if I did it wouldn't have been the end of the world. You know why? Because I had a perfectly healthy relationship with food, and could stop at a small scoop. I wasn't pressured to fit in more or eat all of it that I could because come tomorrow, I'd have to be 'back on track'.
No, I knew I could have ice cream whenever I wanted so I would enjoy small amounts of it rather frequently. Same thing with any other food.
During this reverse, I challenge myself. If I want something, I make it fit. I don't tell myself "wait til Friday and then you can have it". If it's not the weekend and I want something then I will arrange my macros to fit it in. I have stopped doing planned untracked meals because I don't think it's healthy (for me) to deny myself something in the hopes of getting it in a much larger quantity in a few days where I can have the excuse "but it's my cheat..."
I think to get back that ability to eat whatever, whenever then I need to stop planning out cheats and calling them that. If something goes untracked, well then it's just not tracked. No panicked feelings, no stressing over it. And sometimes there are days where I feel like loosely tracking and that's okay. It's not going to hurt my progress and in all honesty it helps my mentality. Eventually that is what I want to do, have days where I eat intuitively and without thought.
I want that freedom back, and it is definitely going to be a mental challenge. It's all about baby steps, though, so stopping with the labels entirely was the first step for me. I already have a much healthier relationship with food compared to three years ago, but as always it's a process. I'm not saying everyone else needs to do what I'm doing, but I'm just being open with my experience and what works for me.
I'm not trying to argue that there aren't differences between foods. Obviously I realize that an apple and ice cream sandwich contain different nutrients and vitamins, but if you're looking at just carbs they're pretty similar. So if there's a day where I know I need to incorporate more micros, I will pick the apple. But, I'm not trying to say that the ice cream sandwich is a bad choice. All it simply is is picking what my body needs that day. If I've already hit my fiber and got plenty of micros in, I will enjoy an ice cream sandwich because to me it isn't "bad". It's just a carb source, and my body happens to be in love with carbs. A love story to probably rival Romeo & Juliet (except with a much happier ending and more food).
My point is overall I think it's better to move away from labels, and just looking at food as fuels. Depending on what works for your body and what you need that will all look different for us all. It can also be a personal choice where someone might not want to pick the ice cream sandwich over an apple, and that is 100% fine with me. If someone wants to eat only organic, I have no issues with that or judgment and I certainly won't laugh in their face as I'm eating an Oreo. I just don't want to consider that Oreo as a "treat", "splurge", "reward", or any of those words that hold a negative connotation to me. I also don't want to be told my someone that I'm killing my insides either.
To me, food is food. Whoever disagrees with me just has to realize that is a personal preference. It is a way to ensure that I keep myself as mentally healthy as possible. I only ask for mutual respect that my lifestyle might look different than someone else's. In the end, we are all just trying to do what is best for ourselves, and that is the thought we have to keep in mind.
I want that freedom back, and it is definitely going to be a mental challenge. It's all about baby steps, though, so stopping with the labels entirely was the first step for me. I already have a much healthier relationship with food compared to three years ago, but as always it's a process. I'm not saying everyone else needs to do what I'm doing, but I'm just being open with my experience and what works for me.
I'm not trying to argue that there aren't differences between foods. Obviously I realize that an apple and ice cream sandwich contain different nutrients and vitamins, but if you're looking at just carbs they're pretty similar. So if there's a day where I know I need to incorporate more micros, I will pick the apple. But, I'm not trying to say that the ice cream sandwich is a bad choice. All it simply is is picking what my body needs that day. If I've already hit my fiber and got plenty of micros in, I will enjoy an ice cream sandwich because to me it isn't "bad". It's just a carb source, and my body happens to be in love with carbs. A love story to probably rival Romeo & Juliet (except with a much happier ending and more food).
My point is overall I think it's better to move away from labels, and just looking at food as fuels. Depending on what works for your body and what you need that will all look different for us all. It can also be a personal choice where someone might not want to pick the ice cream sandwich over an apple, and that is 100% fine with me. If someone wants to eat only organic, I have no issues with that or judgment and I certainly won't laugh in their face as I'm eating an Oreo. I just don't want to consider that Oreo as a "treat", "splurge", "reward", or any of those words that hold a negative connotation to me. I also don't want to be told my someone that I'm killing my insides either.
To me, food is food. Whoever disagrees with me just has to realize that is a personal preference. It is a way to ensure that I keep myself as mentally healthy as possible. I only ask for mutual respect that my lifestyle might look different than someone else's. In the end, we are all just trying to do what is best for ourselves, and that is the thought we have to keep in mind.
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