It’s OK To Eat The Cheeseburger

It’s OK to Eat the Cheeseburger…

            I don’t know about you, but I struggle with self image. I always have a “problem spot” I am trying to work on, I have fallen victim to every fad diet you can think of, and I am constantly reminding myself that my pant size doesn’t determine my worth. Now, you may not struggle with this. And if you don’t, I applaud you. Truly, I do. It takes a lot of self confidence and self love to feel incredible in the skin you’re in. And I am working on getting there! But I am not there just yet. So, this is for the girls who may not be there yet, either.

            Listen up friends. At the beginning of quarantine, I was eating like a trash person. FOR REAL. There was constantly cookie dough in my fridge and every time I passed a jar of queso in the grocery store, I felt that it was spiritually calling my name and I had to take it home with me. No queso left behind kind of mentality. About a month into staying at home, I started to realize that my pants were feeling tighter and my face was looking rounder. I started to feel super disappointed in myself. It is hard not to. How could I let myself get to a spot where I felt this uncomfortable?

            So, I laced up my shoes and hit the bike. I would ride for 45 minutes or so at least 4 times a week and was eating like a rabbit. I am talking protein shakes, salads, and the occasional rice cake if I was feeling wild. I even cut out wine. THE HORROR. The more and more I thought about it, I realized this was a constant pattern in my life. I was completely guilty for being an extremist when it came to my physical health. And it sure as heck wasn’t doing me any favors.

            I was chatting with my girlfriend Kayla a few weeks back. We have been keeping each other accountable with our workouts because let’s be real, it is WAY easier to feel motivated when you have someone cheering you on. We were talking about things we ate that day. I had told her I was feeling guilty because I had a few too many rice cake chips. YES. YOU HEARD ME CORRECTLY. RICE CAKE CHIPS. And then it hit me. THAT IS THE PROBLEM. My problem is that I need to learn how to BALANCE. I needed to stop my ALL OR NOTHING MENTALITY. I needed to realize it is acceptable to live a healthy and active lifestyle and still enjoy foods that I loved on occasion. I thought to myself, I can’t be the only one that struggles with this. Do you struggle with it, too?

            If you do, then listen up! It does not need to be all or nothing!!!!! You do not need to feel guilty for eating the cheeseburger once in a while! IT IS OKAY! A healthy lifestyle isn’t an all or nothing mentality! It is tough to come to terms with – trust me I am still working on it. But, if you want ice cream, eat ice cream. If you want pizza, eat pizza.  Just do it in moderation! Don’t get it twisted, friends. This is not your excuse to go out and eat your weight in whatever food floats your boat. The line between self love and self destruction is a fine line sis. And we are all guilty of walking it hard. But it does not mean that you need to deprive yourself of delightful things.

            Give yourself grace. It’s okay to eat the food you are craving and it is okay to miss a work out or two. You are human! And sometimes you are going to want something other than a green smoothie for breakfast. Sometimes you are going to want biscuits and gravy for breakfast. And that is absolutely acceptable! Don’t beat yourself up over it. There is no reason to feel guilt over something like that! Just continue to push yourself, to work hard, and to fuel your body with more good than bad. Trash that all or nothing mentality, sis. That is no way to honor your body. Let’s all focus on balance together!

            So CHEERS to the cheeseburger!

XO-Kelly