Integrity & Treats

This post comes on the heels of the blog I put up last week about YOLO. One concept that is kind of woven in there that I didn’t specifically talk about is how we handle treats and special occasions.

This is a tough topic for a lot of people, myself included.

When I was growing up my parents could get me to do ANYTHING for food. I was a little Hoover. I wanted ALL THE FOOD, all the time. I have noticed a similar trend in my 5-year-old niece. You can turn that kid from a complete heathen into an angel through the mere mention of dessert.

Sounds familiar, right?

As children, our parents bribe us and reward us with food.  As adults, we do it to ourselves. After decades of conditioning, it is second nature.

Got promoted -- Go out for a cocktails to celebrate.

Had a great work out -- Earned a chocolate bar.

Celebrated a birthday -- Deserve birthday cake.

Stuck to the 30 day challenge -- Celebrate with pizza.

Made it through a hard day at work -- Haagen-Dazs is warranted.

There are lots of diet gurus who cite the benefits to this. They may suggest that if you have something to look forward to it will help you stay on track.

I have fallen into this trap before. In my dieting days, I often gave myself a “cheat night” or allocated an off track meal. If you have ever done this, I’m sure you can relate to how much harder it is to get back on the bandwagon after you have leaped off into a pool of french fries, ice cream and grilled cheese sandwiches.

Another confession from my past is that I have justified dessert on the grounds of it being Thanksgiving… Christmas… Easter… First day of school... Last day of school…Date night... Movie night…Friday night … Sunny Out...Rainy out… Snowing…

Are you starting to see the trend here? Everyday can be a special day if you want it to be. A once-in-a-while indulgence can very easily become an everyday occurrence that sabotages your goals and hurts your health.

The big issue here is your beliefs surrounding food.

If food is one of the only ways that you reward yourself for working hard or achieving success, it becomes loaded with all of the feelings that come along with these events. Emotional eating happens just as much with positive emotions as it does with negative ones.

I have spent a lot of time reflecting and journaling on my beliefs around food. I encourage you to do the same. Toxic food is toxic food. Whether in the form of pizza or a cupcake, whether you eat it once a year or once a day, it is TOXIC in your body.

I love my body. I want the best health possible for today and tomorrow and for my whole life. “Treating” myself with toxic food should not make me happy. This subtle but very important change in my beliefs has helped me enormously in my By Design journey.

Sometimes I am still tempted to eat a huge piece of chocolate cake on a ‘special occasion’ but it is becoming easier and easier to tell myself that it is not actually what I want - and to BELIEVE it.

Next time you do something that you feel guilty about, such as splurging on some ‘off track’ food item. Investigate that feeling. Why do you feel guilty? I guarantee it is because you have done something that goes against your values.

For me, eating junk food violates two of my highest values: My health and my integrity.  It is much more important to me that I am healthy and that I live in integrity with all of the things that I talk about and recommend to other people.

I have found other ways to reward myself for good behavior. Instead of getting personal with Ben and Jerry I now spend alone time with a good book, snuggle with my kitten, take a bubble bath, have a date night with my amazing boyfriend, call a good friend, spend a day on the beach, take a walk in the woods, get a pedicure.. You get the idea. 

I get WAY more enjoyment out of doing things that I love. Plus, these activities add value and happiness to my life and health.

What are things in your life that you could replace food rewards with?