How I became a consciously unconscious healthy eater

This started out as a blog post to answer some of the questions my MFP friends asked me day after day about how I eat so well every time and make it seem so effortless. Then a few people suggested that I also post it here on the message boards because it could help a lot of people and I hope it does.

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I hope this at least helps somebody. It's nothing scientific and I'm no expert it's just things I'm doing different this time around that has made my transition to be a health conscious eater more bearable, realistic and less daunting when I think about doing it for the rest of my life.

1. DON'T OVER-RESTRICT: Allowing yourself a treat in a controlled and conscious manner is good and it's nothing you should feel guilty about. Two years ago (when I first joined MFP) I succeeded b/c I was super strict but you know what? I also FAILED b/c of it. I realized that it was unrealistic to be a Drill Sergent food Nazi forever and it became overwhelming and frustrating to tell myself that I couldn't eat that brownie or have ice cream or eat a cupcake if I wanted b/c it wasn't fitting into my brand new "healthy life". Then of course my mind would say "seriously? never again? Oh hell naw!" And what comes after weeks and weeks of restriction? Binges!! I don't do it to myself anymore. When I decided to start over I promised myself that Id do things one step, one day, one pound, one workout, one change at a time. Keyword here is ONE! Why? Because FOREVER is daunting so just do it one step at a time.

2. THE MORE YOU KNOW: A calorie is a calorie is a calorie. If your 350 calorie meal allotment comes from a cookie vs. 1 cup of broccoli and 4oz boneless skinless piece of chicken, it is still 350 calories. The only difference is that you KNOW the latter (chix/broc) is better for you and will last you a lot longer until it is time for your next meal. But if you want a cookie have the damn cookie but be sensible about it, eat ONE or half, NOT the entire box. Work it into your meal plan, account for it, EARN IT (with a workout)! Don't deprive yourself of it. Eat it, savor it, enjoy it and move on!

3a. ASK YOURSELF AND BE HONEST: Ask yourself questions. I mean REALLY ask yourself questions and give honest answers. I love that Starbucks outrageous oatmeal cookie but do I eat it everyday? No. Why? Because it has the nutritional value of a rock. If I do want one do I let myself have it? Of course but only if I really want it and if I'm not just eating it because it's there. How do I decided if I deserve it? Simple. I ask myself: DO YOU REALLY WANT THAT COOKIE BECAUSE YOU WANT IT or ARE YOU JUST BORED AND NEED SOMETHING TO DO or DO YOU ONLY WANT IT BECAUSE IT'S THERE AND IT ENTICES YOU (a.k.a) "it's calling your name"? If the answer is YES to anything but the first question (of really wanting it) then I don't get to eat it. But if the answer is yes to the first question (and NO to the rest) then I eat it but in a conscious and controlled manner. Not in a blind binge rage.

3b. KNOW YOUR FOOD AND HOW MANY CALORIES IT IS COSTING YOU TO EAT IT. IS IT WORTH IT? That Starbuck's cookie that I love so much is a whooping 370 calories!! So what do I do when I REALLY want one? I cut it in half, eat one half and throw the other half away. Or if I don't want to "waste" money then I throw the uneaten half in a zip-lock bag and chuck it in the back of the freezer. Most of the time I just throw it away though b/c chucking it into the freezer it will be forgotten and rot there, lol.

4. KNOW YOURSELF, KNOW YOUR HABITS: Are you an emotional eater? or Do you eat out of boredom? I eat or more precisely I snack out of boredom. That is why #3 works so well for me. Figure out what pushes you to eat when you're not particularly hungry and then ask yourself those questions. Be creative, make up your own questions as it pertains to you. As I said I'm not an emotional eater but if I were these are a few sample questions I'd ask if I caught myself unnecessarily reaching for a glazed donut or something. WHY DO YOU WANT THAT DONUT? IS IT BECAUSE YOU'RE SAD, ANGRY, FRUSTRATED, OVERWHELMED...? or IS IT BECAUSE YOU CRAVE IT and WILL EATING HALF SATISFY THAT CRAVING? If the answer is YES to the emotional reasons then DON'T eat the donut. Teach yourself how to stop eating for emotional reasons instead of because you're hungry or craving something. But if it's YES to the second (non-emotional portion of the question) then cut it in half, eat SLOWLY, savor it, enjoy the taste then look at the other half and let it know YOU'VE got the power by chucking it into the trash and MOVE ON! No guilt here, thank you very much!

5. OCCUPY YOURSELF: I read somewhere that if you wait 2 minutes after a craving hits before you act on it usually it goes away. Can you believe that ****? I didn't but I gave it a try and it really does work! Unbelievable right? Try it. Next time you have a craving ignore it. Do something to occupy your mind. Sudoku anyone? Chutes and Ladders? That dirty romance novel on your shelf that's been collecting dust could use some attention, no? If after 2-5 minutes of distracting yourself the craving is still there then it's time to go back to 3a and 3b

That's it. That's all I do and some days I even schedule that cookie into my diary but you know what? Because I didn't FORBID it (forever!) I don't even crave it anymore. And at the end of the day the cookie has to be removed from my diary because I didn't eat it Good luck to you all. If this helps just one person, hallelujah!