Practicing Healthy Habits
The ups and downs of practicing healthy habits logically should not exist. But the life process isn't always dictated by logic. Life is filled with circumstances that touch us emotionally and that colors who we are and how we act. When it comes to eating, if I can step back for a moment and look at my choices logically and not emotionally, I would make the right choice every time. This is what I'm going to do today. Before eating any snack I'll ask myself these two questions:
1. Is this good for my health?
2. Will this help me reach my weight loss goals?
If you answer "no" to either question, logically I should skip that snack and choose another.
posted by Donna Sundblad at 4:39 AM
4 Comments:
Hi Donna
Balancing logic and emotion in making decisions is hard for me, because as a writer, right brain is my dominant thinking mode. Choosing the right food to eat does entail both for me.
The first step I take is to stop and think, as you say. Make it a conscious choice and not a mindless grab.
I use a similar method.First I ask myself, are you truly hungry? If the answer is yes, I ask, what do you really want to eat right now? Nine times out of ten the answer is something healthy if I'm truly listening to my body. If not, say, I want chocolate, I ask myself how much do I need to satisfy myself? I find that a bite or two fills the need.
You are stronger than I am. If I tell myself I can't have something, even if it's a rutabaga, I'll find myself craving it. If I try to eat something healthy instead of what I'm craving, (it has to be a true craving, not an urge,)then I end up eating more calories of healthy food than if I ate a bite of the chocolate to begin with. The other test I apply is: Is it worth eating this particular kind of chocolate? There's a big difference between a bite of Dove Chocolate and fudge frosting out of a can. I guess that's why Weight Watchers point system works for me. Nothing is taboo, it's all available to me, I just have to stay within my points range for the day. For some reason, knowing that I can have something if I choose to takes away the allure and helps me make healthier food decisions. I don't know if that makes sense, but it's how I make my food choices.
The bottom line is again, using mindful eating and stopping to ask ourselves these questions before putting the food in our mouths.
Making the right decisions on food is tough. Let us know how the logical approach works for you.
Keep up the good work!
Roberta
Hi Roberta,
That makes perfect sense. What I'm trying to work toward is to learn to make healthier choices without counting calories, carbs or points. If I feed my body when it is really hungry and choose foods that really feed it, I'll be better off. Now the trick is can I do it?
Yesterday it went well. Asking those questions helped me through the day without mindless snacking between meals.
Last night at dinner I did eat some Tater Tots, so I'm not saying I can never have foods that aren't healthy, I just need to make a habit of making better choices throughout the day.
We've got company for the rest of the week so it could be more of a challenge.
Donna
Who says tater tots are not healthy? (kidding here)
Emotionally we need to feed our desires, logically we know we can't. (Isn't that what got Adam and Eve in trouble in the first place?)
I use this same method (that you two mentioned) when shopping.
1. Do I really need that?
I wait....
2. I say nope! And I move on to something BETTER that my body needs. :-)
I'm still with ya Donna! :-)
Joni
Great reminder, Adam and Eve. It's so easy to point the finger at them and say how foolish they were!
Thanks, Joni.
Donna
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