February 16, 2012

Treating Yourself Right - A Valentine's Moment of Weakness


Self control is the ability to eat only one chip. I have none.

There are few things in this world that I love more than food. In all honesty - the main motivator for me to work out is that it allows me to eat more. I can't be alone in this, right? I love breakfast foods like oatmeal and cereal, lunch sandwiches and salads, and warm dinner veggies. And snacks. Oh my, I could snack every minute of every day if I didn't care about needing to fit through doors. But I try limit myself, as we all do I guess, to just a few snacks a day.

Sometimes, though, it's harder to resist than others. One of those times is Valentine's Day. Jeez. With chocolates from my mom, my coworkers, my housemates, and my boss, I feel like I'm living in a world of temptation. Luckily, my very sweet boyfriend got me a Lululemon shirt for Valentine's Day which is much more relevant to my current mission of eating less crap and working out more reguarly. If only everyone else around me could catch on...

However, all this cocoa madness has made me think about how we treat ourselves. I mean this in two ways; how we respect and listen to ourselves and also, well, how we give ourselves treats. Yes, I often feel like one half of me is a nagging dog just BEGGING for treats, while the other half is the voice of reason shouting "No, chocolate chips in your morning oatmeal is unnecessary!"

I strongly believe that moderation is key, but also that letting yourself eat what you crave is a big part of happiness. The truth is that every once in a while it feels SO good to give in. After a 10 minute deliberation about whether or not to stick a pinky finger (or 2) into my almond butter, it just tastes that much better when I decide to just go for it. The same happens with chips and salsa, chocolate chips, and cupcakes. And when you really try to justify eating these things, it's not as hard as you'd think. So, I thought I'd record my most-used justifications, incase any of you out there were looking for a reason to eat those Valentine's candies but couldn't think of a good one. Just once, give in. I promise, it feels so so good.

1. I worked out today.

2. I tried really hard in school/work and my brain was working really hard which burns calories

3. Someone bought it for me, it's rude not to eat it

4. Chocolate has antioxidants

5. I need sugar and carbs to supplement my workout

6. I ate my 5 servings of fruit and veggies today

7. I want to still have boobs so I need at least some fat

8. Chocolate contains milk which is loaded with vitamins

9. Dessert makes me happy which helps me sleep better which is healthy

10. I want it. Who cares?

Happy Valentine's Day to you!

xo
Toni



4 comments:

  1. I am with you on moderation being key and letting ourselves eat what we crave.

    Making sure I really want something and don't just want it because I'm bored always makes it taste that much better in my opinion.

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  2. haha number 7 is brilllant! Treat. yo. self. girl.
    I'm sure you've seen this already: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1ebBsl5WhI

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  3. Lol, I love your "self-talk" too funny :) I say some of the same things to myself.

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  4. love this post! loving the boob comment for sure!

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