Commonly, we feel that we are not suitable for a “healthy life” because we often eat more than we are supposed to. Although you want to make a change, you can’t avoid overeating or binging, and you give up thinking you are not made for this. But what if I told you this is normal? You are not the only one going through this challenging time, and there is a way to control your overeating or binging.
It would be a lie if someone told you they didn’t have overeating or binging problems in their fitness life. Every start is hard, and you must fail multiple times to get stronger; that is simply the rule of life. So, the first thing I want you to understand is that your process is normal, and you must never feel worthless or wrong because you fall into an eating problem. Now, here is the true secret: if you feel like having a cupcake, get that cupcake. Don’t start thinking how many calories it has and that you need to go to the gym in that instant moment to burn the calories you just ate. You are allowed to have a cheat meal once in a while. Baby steps are crucial, and you just can’t eliminate every “unhealthy food” instantly when you have been eating that type of food all your life. Stop restricting yourself and being hard on what you need or do not need to eat. Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying eat a dessert every day. I am saying that it is okay to give you that satisfaction once in a while. If it is going to make you feel better and you desire that cupcake, then have it. You are not committing a crime. The problem starts when you restrict yourself and begin being hard not to eat a particular food.
Let me give you an example. When I first started my fitness life, I lost eight pounds my first month by following my nutritionist’s diet. I did great, and I was happy with my accomplishments. However, I was restricting myself a lot. I did things like deciding not to eat in a restaurant with my family when we went out because there wasn’t any “healthy” food that stuck with my diet. I wasn’t allowing myself to have one free meal because it was “wrong”. Little did I know, restricting and being hard on myself was what was truly wrong. Three months later, when I came back to college, I couldn’t hold it anymore. I began binging and overeating everything I didn’t in those three months. You may ask yourself, what changed? I was doing so great, and then I failed. The answer is simple: restricting myself. I wanted to be so disciplined with my diet that I denied my body from all the meals I used to eat before that I thought were not considered healthy. I needed to understand every change is complex, and baby steps are necessary. I had to allow myself to have my cheat meal at least once a week so that change wasn’t impactful and my body could get accustomed to this new type of lifestyle. Therefore, I could avoid the overeating and binging problem I had three months later if I had done that.
So my advice to you is: if you have an overeating or binging problem do not be hard on yourself. It’s okay to fail. You must come back up and keep trying. Allow yourself to have one cheat meal per week, and when you least know it, you won’t need that cheat meal anymore.