Alright, ladies and gentlemen. Straight out the door, I have a favor to ask. Can we all just agree to stop using the following phrases (and any derivations there of) in reference to how we eat: cheat day/meal, I was so bad, misbehaving, etc...??? Because, if we are being completely honest about the ridiculousness of this all, eating a cheeseburger when you are supposed to be eating healthy does not make you a 'bad' person. And who, might I ask, are you 'cheating' on?
In a society where we can hardly deny that the majority of people are actively engaged in some sort of unhealthy relationship with food, it comes as no surprise to me that we find ourselves constantly shrouding our eating habits in negativity. What amazes me though, is that we do it with such little regard for the way that these negative, albeit flippant, remarks invade our thoughts and ultimately shape our relationship with food. What we fail to recognize (or perhaps we do recognize, but find some odd comfort in this twisted self-flagellation) is that these negative thoughts become words become beliefs. Translation: the more I tell myself, and others, that I have somehow 'cheated' or 'misbehaved' in my eating habits, the more I will buy into the fact that I am a 'cheater' or 'bad' or a 'failure'. These thoughts and words translate into feelings of guilt, regret, shame. I now face food as something to be either proud or ashamed of, dependent on the choices I make, and I tie my worth to these choices. If I have eaten healthy, I am a success. If I have not, I am a failure.
Sounds harsh when you put it that way, doesn't it? But I'd be willing to bet, if you gave it just a moment's thought, each of us could probably recall at least a handful of times in the recent past that we've made comments to the effect of, "Guess I'm having salad for dinner. I was so bad at lunch; I ate 3 pieces of pizza" or "Tonight's my cheat meal - I'm having dessert." Surely when we say these things in passing conversation we don't mean them to be so brutal? But let's talk for a moment about the weight these words can carry....
Cheat (meal/day/week/whatever) - where else do we use this word? If your spouse cheats on you, that may be grounds to end your marriage. If you cheat on an exam in college, you may fail the class, possibly even get expelled from the school. An athlete who cheats is subject to punishment, and is looked at in the eyes of the public as having no integrity. We teach our children not to cheat - in games, in class, in life. Cheaters are not honest, they lack moral integrity. Wow... and you thought it was just a bowl of ice cream. "Cheating" seems a bit extreme of a label in this situation, don't you think?
And what about "bad"? Consider for a moment things you regard as truly bad. Chances are pizza, tiramisu, nachos, or hot dogs are not on that list. Ok, maybe hot dogs, but that's another story. You get the point.
So I am asking, whether you are 'trying to be healthy' or 'dieting' or a self-proclaimed 'health and fitness guru', can we cut ourselves some slack and cut the negative self-chat? Live healthy because you deserve it, and every once in awhile, eat deliciously unhealthy - you deserve that too.
And no matter what you ate today, be sure to tell yourself something nice. You deserve that most.
