Why "Dieting Failures" Do NOT Exist

We've ALL done it.

All of us.

It's January 1st, and after a night of drinking unknown amounts of champagne and eating more chips and guac than ever before, we make a resolution. "This is my year. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to eat nothing but salads and work out every day soooo hard. It's going to be amaze-balls."

It always starts out great...after the first few days of drinking green juices and running a few miles on the treadmill, we feel like superheroes.

But then, around february, we find excuses to avoid the gym. We work late and our only food option is the fast food drive-thru on the way home. Salads start to become boring, and our goals that were once so inspiring start to fade away. Then, we do what is quite possibly the worst thing ever: we give up on ourselves. We become angry and disappointed and self-deprecating. But WHY?! Why do we focus on a few bad decisions rather than celebrating the fact that we made positive changes in the first place?

While I was going through high school and college, I went through many ups and downs with food and dieting. I tried Weight Watchers and Atkins and South Beach and even thought about ordering those awful "diet pills" a few times (thank god I never did). The problem with these diets is that they don't allow you to live normally and feel free. There's almost never any mention of the quality of ingredients or nutrients you're putting into your body; just how great you're going to look in a bikini next summer! Millions of people try these diets every single day; and while they tend to make great progress in the beginning, a large percentage of them end up falling off the wagon, gaining more weight than they had before, and then thinking of themselves as failures.

It has to stop. 

One day, I realized that I needed to love my body enough (at ANY size) to put the right things into it, and that the key to healthy living could be found by creating a positive lifestyle, not "diet". I also realized that there is absolutely no harm in indulgence. During the course of last year, I lost 65lbs, but I can tell you that I did not miss out on some beautifully rich dinners, a bi-weekly carton of french fries, and the occasional unhealthy treats. You should never starve yourself. You should never be left wanting more. You should never feel miserable when you are eating.

Who cares if you ate a hot fudge sundae last night? I'm sure it tasted awesome and it made you really happy.

We are so lucky to be alive and have the ability to feed ourselves. We should enjoy and savor every single bite we are fortunate enough to eat. Every morning you wake up is a new day and a new opportunity to create a healthy lifestyle, so never lose faith in your mission and don't forget to love yourself.

Happy eating, y'all! (Was that Paula Deen's catch phrase? Oh well. It has a nice ring to it, so I'm just going to leave it there...)