Eat Kind.

"If you are persistant, you will get it. If you are consistent, you will keep it"

One day I was running with a friend, who also happens to be a therapist, lucky me. She told me,"For every period of restriction is an equally long period of bingeing".

These words were true for me, as they are for thousands of others who suffer from either an eating disorder or disordered eating. Confession; I also struggled with disordered eating and as challenging as it was to overcome, I was able to overcome the struggle I had with food. You too CAN overcome it. Dieting can be a way of life. Do you ever feel like you are constantly on "a diet".? Are you always looking for the magic solution to lose weight and get fit? I used to eat clean 5 days a week, only to blow it on the weekend, feel horribly guilty, and then commit myself to starting again on Monday, with a determination to eat clean every day for the rest of my life. The problem with that mindset was that it was a nearly impossible goal and in order to maintain that type of strict dieting, my life revolved around food and exercise. When I ate well, according to my standards, I was empowered. The times when I didn't eat as well, I felt out of control and then extremely disappointed in myself for having "messed up..again"!

I remember one morning sitting on the kitchen floor, literally crying because I felt so out of control. Thank heaven for a very caring and understanding husband. Together with his help and the help of an amazing therapist, I was able to change my thoughts, my eating, and my life. Today, I no longer feel out of control. I no longer beat myself up for eating carbs after 5 pm, and I no longer cry on the kitchen floor after eating a piece of dark chocolate. I learned that restriction was driving me to binge. Once I changed my mindset and my goal became about my health versus my physique, I began to heal both in body and mind. 

For those of you who struggle, to you who feel like you are always watching what you eat and are constantly working out, I say, "be kind to yourself". Find a way of eating that you can maintain long term. There IS a quick fix, you most certainly CAN lose 20 lbs in 30 days, but know that those types of eating plans come at a high price. Strict dieting will not yield long term results. Making healthful decisions every day will bring you good health and peace of mind. Training for competitions or races may require a different type of diet, but for overall health and wellness, no strict dieting is required. Eat fresh food whenever possible, drink a lot of water, exercise, indulge on occasions and sleep well. These are things we can all do and maintain over our lifetime. So stop beating yourself up... Be kind, and be well!

BHW