Friend of Julie: Consequences

Last week I was in a room with about a dozen people when I heard a someone say "I wish I could eat anything I wanted." I was surprised to hear these words coming from a tall and slender person. My immediate response, which I kept to myself: you CAN eat anything you want, but you have to live with the consequences of your choices.

Consequences

This was a gentle reminder for me on a couple of fronts.

First, I don't need to feel sorry for myself that I can't eat this or that. It is my choice not to eat those foods.

The truth is, I really can eat anything I want and so can you. I can eat any and all the carbs and sugars I desire, but the consequences of eating those foods will lead me back to obesity.

Let's say it together now: NO thank you.

I choose NOT to eat carbs, sugars, and other foods that don't support a healthy lifestyle. I want a long and healthy life far more than I want those foods. It's my choice, so there's no need to feel sorry for myself.

It's your choice too: sugar and carbs or a healthy life?

The second reminder was that even people with slender bodies, who we think have it together when it comes to food, have food issues. This saga of wishing we could eat anything we want to eat can't go on for the rest of our lives. I don't want to reach my goal size and find myself feeling sorry that I can't eat this or that. There must be a way to stop this kind of self-pity.

Let's stop this now.

Spending our energies in such negative thoughts is not healthy. Remember what I said about wanting a long and healthy life? There's no room in a long and healthy life for negativity, so let's put an end to that way of thinking right now.

Let's push away those kind of thoughts every time they surface. Pause and reflect on what we're thinking and then smile as an affirmation that we are letting go of this way of thinking, because it no longer serves us

I'm going to use the "tap, tap, tap" metaphor, to tap away (push away) this kind of thinking, in the same way I push away food cravings.

Let's move beyond our old ways of thinking. We choose what we eat or don't eat, so let's own this. We choose to eat healthy foods and we choose what we think. Let's fill our minds and our bodies with things that support healthy living.

Let's live with those consequences! 



Photo source: Reality Clark County