Don’t restrict! 🍔🍕🍰

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Let’s face it, we all go to BBQs, birthday dinners and other celebratory occasions, so there is always going to be times when we indulge. Holidays are especially a time when I tend to enjoy less nutritious food, but I have a few strategies that I use to keep me on track.

 

When I find myself at an event, I eat small portions and I avoid drinking my calories. I try to stick to staying hydrated and grabbing a donut if I want one. I call such occasions, “celebratory meals” because I eat whatever I want in moderation. I grab a plate of food and include protein and veggies, then I have another serving of a particular delicacy and/or less nutritious food.

 

I won’t even lie, there are times when I feel guilty about eating a donut, but I realize that too much restriction is unhealthy. While I enjoy eating nutritious food such as broccoli and salmon, it is inevitable that I won’t eat a cupcake, for example.

 

I stopped thinking of my fitness journey as being perfect. Instead, I vowed to maintain a lifestyle that focuses on health and fitness, while enjoying certain food in moderation. Why? Because it is sustainable for me and I have maintained my weight for years.

 

When I first started my fitness journey, I was deceived by diet culture in many ways. This is why I am such an anti-diet fitness junkie. Diets DO NOT WORK. Diets are marketing schemes that are meant to affix consumers with fad fixes.

 

So, the next time you stop at a BBQ, don’t restrict yourself. Food doesn’t have a moral compass. There is no such thing as good and bad food. However, there is some food that has more nutritional value. The point is that there will be times when you cannot avoid food that you normally don’t eat, so don’t be hard on yourself.

 

A fitness journey is a called a journey for a reason. I have been on my fitness journey for three years and I am still learning about my body.

 

Disclaimer: this should NOT be substituted for medical advice.

 

Graphics

Fries: FAVPNG

Burger: PngTree

Strawberry Shortcake roll: Made in Canva

Cinnamon roll: Made in Canva