“If you’re trying in vain to quit something you do compulsively, like overspending or smoking or macramé, try quitting the effort to quit. As therapists like to say, “What we resist, persists,” and this is especially true of bad habits. Imagine trying not to eat one sinfully delicious chocolate truffle. Got it? Okay, now imagine trying to eat 10,000 truffles at one sitting. For most of us, the thought of not-quitting in this enormous way—indulging ourselves beyond desire—actually dampens the appetite. It’s a counterintuitive method, but if the “I will abstain from…” resolutions you make each year are utter, depressing failures, you might quit quitting and see what happens.”

~Martha Beck, Knowing When to Quit

I love Martha Beck because she always does a great job of presenting another perspective!

Sometimes we actually try TOO hard to make healthy choices and it backfires on us, causing us to cave into temptation. When we say or think a food is “bad” or that we can’t have it, often times, it gives the food more power to tempt us. “If I can’t have it, it must be really, really good and I should want it.” When she says visualize the tempting food to excess, think about how it would feel to overeat the unhealthy food. It is amazing how different it makes you feel and most often, behave in your next step.

How we talk to ourselves has a great impact on our behaviors. Listen to what your saying today and see if you have thoughts that you want to change. “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.” Let’s explore a new, fresh perspective on food and the healthy lifestyle changes your adopting.

Terra:-)