Bacon and wine

I owe this blog an update on IGSF Worlds that was in Athens, Greece two weeks ago…but I need to save that for another day at the moment.

Since Worlds has been over for the past two weeks I have not been on a DIEt. I have another post coming on being on a DIEt, but think of every bad thing related to DIEt and DIEting and that was my most recent experience with needing to lose 10lbs for Worlds.

But that is not my point at the moment. Needing to lose 10lbs for IGSF Worlds was necessity and very specific and being restrictive I knew would last for an extremely short amount of time. But life is not confined in those types of little boxes and now that I have relaxed what I eat and when I eat it.

You see…I believe in moderation. Since I had something very specific, like a timeline for weigh-ins for IGSF Worlds…I was extremely strict with my diet. And I was OK with that. There was an end point for that DIEt. (and yes…i am emphasizing DIE in DIEt…because it is no fun). It was specific. It was measurable. But it wasn’t fun. There was minimal sugar, no alcohol, regimented food intake, lower carbs, and in general…food was a chore. The reason I say it was a chore was because it was all about macros and carb counts and calorie counts. I pulled out my body bugg and checked my calorie expenditure and tracked my stepps taken. Did it work? yes. Did I make weight? Yes. But it isn’t living. In the sense of Throeau: “I wanted to live deep and suck all the marrow out of life…”.

Food is an interesting, emotionally charged issue. We commune with people when we eat with them. We break bread. Food gives us neurotransmitter uplifts like serotonin that makes us feel good about what we are eating…hence we find comfort in our food. And this is not a bad thing when taken in moderation. But finding that moderation is not an easy challenge. I want to find a balance in my life where I can drink some wine, eat some bacon, enjoy a sweet or three and be comfortable with the choice. Too often we berate ourselves for every little food choice  that we deem ‘not good’. But the reality is…it is ALL good…but sometimes it is just too much. But sometimes you just eat bacon and wine for dinner and call it ‘good’.

How do we get to a homeostasis with our body that both supports a weight that is healthy as WELL as a way to live and chose food that we LOVE. And a way to LOVE our body in a manner that allows for the times when it jiggles just a little too much and might not be some Photoshopped image that we have to compare our self to…but we understand that fitness and fatness are a continuum and some days we get it right and some days we realize that maybe we need to pay a little more to eating more veggies and getting more exercise.

Here is a secret…and it shouldn’t be a secret. If 80% of the time you make really, really good food choices…the other 20% of the time (which amounts to 2-4 meals/week)…you can do whatever you want as long as you don’t go super crazy. But what I want every client to learn is how to fully be present and fully  enjoy that 20%.  I don’t want that 20% to be ‘ooops’…I want them to be: I ate this amazing meal with my significant other or with a close friend and I discovered this amazing restaurant that made the most amazing dinner and desert and I ate it…enjoyed it…didn’t over eat…but savored every moment of it…and then the next day thought about how wonderful the evening was because I didn’t feel guilty about the food I ate and loved every moment with the person I was sharing that moment with and today…I’m back on track…(because I never was OFF track with a dinner like that) and happily eating food that helps me achieve the goals I want and nourishes my body the way that it needs.

I don’t want to be at war with the food that I eat and I don’t think the clients that I coach should be that way either. If I can teach them how to find balance…then I’ve done my job. Life is too short to eat 10 cups of cabbage in one sitting and call it  a sane eating plan. Finding a balance where we can find a healthy weight and a way to eat and approach food that is sane…and sensible and supports a healthy weight and % bodyfat…now THAT is my goal with my clients.

And for the record…all I ate for dinner tonight was bacon and wine…and it was GOOD…and I don’t feel guilty.