There is nothing either is good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”

~William Shakespeare

I love, love, love the holidays as much as the next gal, but boy, doesn’t it also feel really good to be back in a routine that supports our healthy habits? If you’re not there yet, no worries……today is a NEW day!!

The sooner you jump back in after a holiday, vacation or any other sabbatical from a healthy pattern of eating, the sooner you’ll reap the benefits and start feeling really, really good. Sometimes we don’t even realize how unhealthy we feel, until we make a few healthy changes and start to enjoy the results. Then (and it happens pretty quickly once we just START) it’s like a light switch was flipped and WOW!! Increased energy, less bloat, our regular clothes feel more comfortable again, a stronger sense of personal control and overall well-being are among the first indicators that WE ARE BACK!!

As you’re recommitting to your healthy plan for the new year be sure to give plenty of thought to the livability of your plan. There are no “good” or “bad” foods. Are some foods higher in calories than others? Yep. Are some foods more nutritionally sound than others? Of course. But what happens when we deprive ourselves of the foods we love? What happens when we feel as if we “can’t” or “shouldn’t” have certain foods? For lots of us, it makes us want them even more. We use willpower to try to resist these foods. Then, eventually, the willpower runs out or another, stronger emotion/urge takes over and we find ourselves not only eating these foods anyway but also overeating them.

So what does this mean? The answer is a lot more simple than we sometimes make it. It means balance, moderation and consistency are our friends when it comes to our health and our choices. Let me say is again….balance, moderation and consistency are what allow us to turn healthy behaviors into a lifestyle we can sustain. In order to consistently live a healthy lifestyle, we must find a way to work in our favorite foods, no matter what they are. And equally important, we do so without labeling them “bad” or attaching feelings of guilt or shame or any other negative emotion to them. If a particular food isn’t off limits, it doesn’t have to be consumed as if it’s the last time we can ever have it again! If we know we can have our favorite foods anytime as long as we plan for them, portion control becomes freedom rather than an exercise in deprivation.

Although I’m improving, I’m still not a pro at portion control. Thankfully there’s always another option!! Instead, I find making lighter substitutions (recipe hacks as I like to call them) and using fruits and veggies to bulk up the volume of my meals and snacks my ticket to success. Some of us would rather have the lighter version and a little more of it than the original, higher value food and that can work too. To each her own!!

There are so many different ways to make healthy weight loss work for each of us and that’s the beauty of taking the time to customize systems and routines that work for YOU!!  Freedom, flexibility and livability on our individual terms. Finding ways to eat what we love what we love while ridding ourselves of excess weight or maintain the weight we’ve already shed is the key. And it can be fun!! If you’re not having fun, let’s talk!

In the comments below, please share how you enjoy your fav foods while still honoring your commitment to your health and wellness goals!  !! It’s inspiring as well as helpful to hear your ideas, so don’t be shy.

Cheers to a fabulous week and remember, your plan may not go perfectly this week and that’s OK. Progress, not perfection🌺

All is well❤️

Love,

Terra🌺