I remember Christmas in 1979, it was about a year after I had gotten my health in order and lost close to 50 pounds ( weight loss followed my healthy changes). Anyway, I had been eating healthy food for about a year and I was heading to my Grandparents house prepared to overindulge in holiday fare. I felt that I had deserved it because I really hadn’t eaten any unhealthy food in so long. I picked up my plate and headed towards the buffet table. Of course my eyes were bigger than my stomach, but hey, I “deserved” to eat all of the foods I had denied myself for so long, so I took one of everything. What I didn’t realize is though I thought I wanted all of this food, the reality was my body had been trained to crave what it needs not what I wanted. I realized at that moment, it’s all about listening to my body, NOT my “diet head”, it’s about being healthy.

We are so conditioned (due to years of dieting) to listen to our “diet-head” that we are completely out of touch with listening to what our body needs. Let me give you an example:

You go to a holiday event and your diet-head says, “Hey, it’s the holidays I can have all of this food, besides once January hits, I’ll eat better.” But if you really stop for just a minute and listen to your body, it really does crave the good-for-you foods. It’s just that we’ve become accustomed to making bad choices out of guilt or “the diet starts tomorrow” syndrome. But that’s all stuff in your head, not your body. Granted, your body does become addicted to sugars and junk food, but if you become consistent with good eating habits, your body will crave the good food, that’s what happened to me. 

This week, try to listen closely to your body. Granted, this time of year poses more challenges when it comes to eating healthy, but if you’re not in the “diet-head” you’ll make better choices versus eating something you swore you wouldn’t and then living with the guilt for the next week! Whether it’s the holidays or not, do your best to eat well and remain committed to activity. Let go of the diet-head and begin to be more thoughtful about making the choices that are right for you because your body and ultimately your mind knows best. Think about it, when you eat well, you feel well – enough said.

Here’s to your health!

Nicki