Treat Yo' Self!*

So I've talked about portions and protein and sensible snacks and all that but you know what? Sometimes you just have to eat some damn cake, or french fries, or whatever thing you think you're not "supposed" to have just because some jerk like me said it wasn't a great idea.

It's obviously not something you really want to make a regular habit of, but as long as you're not all, "every Tuesday is Pie For Breakfast Day!" what's the harm in being a little decadent now and then? Ultimately, we want food to not be our enemy - it's much too important to not have on our sides - and the best way to make it the enemy is to restrict yourself beyond all bounds of reason.

I remember a work Christmas party where a co-worker's wife, who was on some weight-loss program but I forget which one, had brought her own dinner. And that dinner was ... broccoli. Seriously. The dinner the rest of us were served was actually pretty terrible but I don't know if I'll ever forget how resentful she looked of whatever it was we were eating, like the fact that we were allowed to eat it and she wasn't was a deep personal insult. And in a way, it was. But it didn't have to be. I don't know if she'd been told by her program to just eat broccoli or if it was a decision she'd made for herself, but it seems to me that if you have the willpower to bring your own container of broccoli to a holiday party you also have the willpower to just eat a diet-sized portion of whatever everyone else is eating. But possibly I'm wrong on this, and I'm willing to accept that.

Ultimately, though, my feeling is that food is for enjoyment as much as it is for nourishment. Sure, it's important to find a balance between enjoyment and nourishment, and sometimes that balance is found in foods that are both healthy and tasty but sometimes the balance is found in the fact that you've eaten very healthily for the last couple of weeks and it's Sunday afternoon and dammit you want a milkshake. Nothing wrong with that at all! Enjoy the crap out of that milkshake and then go back to the excellent habits you've been cultivating, no harm no foul.

It all, all the time, always comes down to mindfulness and balance. Think about what you've done, what you're doing, and what you're going to do and you'll know what you can give yourself the green light on. Yes you will. You already know what to do.

Tomorrow ... well, tomorrow is a mystery. But whatever it is, it'll be very exciting. See you then!

- Sarah

*thanks and love to Parks & Recreation. If you're not watching it, you should be.