Eat Shrink And Be Merry

Here’s a little story:

A member of a diet club bemoaned her lack of willpower. She’d made her family’s favourite cake over the weekend, she explained, and they’d eaten half of it. The next day, however, the uneaten half beckoned. She cut herself a slice. Then another, and another. By the time she’d polished off the cake, she knew her husband would be disappointed.

“What did he say when he found out?” one club member asked.

“He never found out,” she said. “I made another cake and ate half.”

The moral of the story: Diets stink. They don’t work. They’re temporary and unrealistic. Because they require so much deprivation and willpower, you’re bound to fail (as 95% of dieters do). We’re all familiar with the ol’ “cheating” mentality that goes hand in hand with dieting. In a moment of weakness, we eat a couple of chocolate chip cookies and then all hell breaks loose. “Okay, now I’ve really blown it! I might as well eat the entire batch! What the heck!”

It’s much better to make small, gradual changes towards a healthy lifestyle, with the goal that those changes will become a permanent part of your life. Healthy eating isn’t temporary. It should be an everyday, natural thing. And it’s not so hard to do. It’s all about balance, moderation and common sense. Greta and I have said it before and we’ll say it again–a realistic guideline to follow is the 80/20 Rule: 80% of the time, choose nutritious, whole, natural foods (foods filled with fibre, good fats, lean protein and good carbs) and 20% of the time, have whatever it is you’re craving. If you’ve just gotta have that slab of chocolate cake, have a small piece, enjoy every bite of it, and then get back on track for the rest of the day. That way you won’t feel deprived. And the thing is, the more you follow the 80/20 rule, the more you’ll discover that it soon becomes 90/10. Your body will start to crave those foods that are good-for-you and that help each and every cell to thrive. Trust us, it works!

The problem is that most people have that reversed: they eat healthfully 20% of the time, and 80% of the time, they eat junk and processed, refined food. Which one are you? C’mon, be honest! Not to worry. There’s no time like the present to get on the healthy eating bandwagon.

Remember, dieting is only wishful shrinking!