Put Down the Stale Halloween Candy

If you are like me, you know what a diet is. And, if you know what a diet is, then you are familiar with the many thoughts and feelings it can provoke.

The diet usually starts off on a positive note. We complete our shopping list and food prep with hope and excitement. We follow and believe in our new “lifestyle.” But over time, the shopping list looks longer, the food prep seems harder, and we are not making the progress that we think we should.

How do we navigate through this all? What is the answer?

You should probably sit down while I reveal this truth. The answer may be hard to accept because of what it implies. But, the answer lies within you.

You have all the tools to attain the food freedom that you desire.

This type of freedom is completely unique to you. This is not something that you can copy from your neighbor; that tactic won’t work long term.

Everyone has a reason for wanting to manipulate their food consumption. Some want to gain weight, some want to lose, and some want to attain the better health that is promised by certain foods.

If you believe that your reason is worth the trouble, then likely you will take major action to reach your goal. What if major action is more than following a scripted exercise and nutrition plan?

Lasting results will only be possible if you are ready to go to work mentally.   

What do you want your results to be? Personally, I want to be strong with an optimal body composition while eating foods that I enjoy AND fuel my body. And even more important, I do not want to obsess over food. To get these lasting results, my thoughts have to be convincing.

These new thoughts have to be so powerful and believable that they can replace the old ones.

And remember, old habits are hard to break.

To develop your plan, you need to identify the foods that will nourish your body, and eat these foods “all of the time.” The other foods, eat “sometimes.” This is a description of the 80/20 rule. Let’s be honest, it could be 60/40, 90/10, 50/50, does it really matter? The point is that you are making an effort to eat healthy most of the time.

I won’t be talking about which foods to eat. You will pick those. But I do want to give some tips as you begin to create your forever “eat healthy most of the time” plan. Your “sometimes” foods may not be eaten as often as your “always” foods, but they are just as important. In fact, they may even be more important. 

This is what you need to remember about your sometimes foods. If there were ever a time to splurge on good quality - this is it. If you are going to eat chocolate, eat the best chocolate. If you are going to drink wine, drink the best wine. If you are going to eat buttered bread, please eat it warm and crusty out of the oven. Eat it slow. Enjoy every bite. But for the love of, put down the old stale Twix bar… make sure that bad boy is fresh and fabulous.

Happy Halloween… and remember... get snobby with your candy.