Hey Gooders,
Have you ever had a craving for something that you considered "bad" so you ate everything except what you really wanted ... only to come back and eat that thing you really wanted anyway? You eat the salad instead. Then you feel unsatisfied so you eat an apple. Maybe some yogurt with berries. The craving is still there. Now all you can do is think about that food.
Ramen is that food for me. I love Shin ramen. It is spicy, chewy, hot and delicious. I grew up eating ramen in Korea. Then all of a sudden, we are all looking at ingredients and shunning foods that are considered full of chemicals. I was scared to eat my beloved ramen for awhile. Then I got to thinking. Do I live on ramen? No. Is this a once in awhile snack that I look forward to? Yes. Do I drink alcohol? Yes. Do I eat store bought baked goods? Yes. Are these more "bad" for me than ramen? No. Why? Because I don't rely on these foods to fulfill my daily nutritional needs.
As a trainer, you may think that I eat healthily all the time. That's true to a point. I do reach for foods that will give me energy because the nature of my job insists that I move around a lot. So if I continued to eat foods that have little nutritional value, I wouldn't be able to perform my job well. And my job is important to me.
But at the same time, I'm realistic with my diet. And I want to enjoy my life. So when I have a craving for something like ramen, I still try and wait it out. But if it goes on for more than a day or so, I eat it. The act of trying to avoid my craving produces more anxiety and my mind is constantly pulled in that direction which means I can't focus on what I am doing now.
This is by no means a post to tell you to give in to your every craving. But if you are very restrictive... and you find yourself denying your cravings all the time only to give in and binge... then maybe it's time to take a step back and try and look at this from a different perspective.
For example, one ramen every 2-3 weeks is not going to ruin my health when 80% of my meals are quite nutritious. One soda once in awhile is not going to wreak havoc on my body. That one week on vacation where I didn't workout and ate dessert every night and drank wine for lunch and dinner? Out of 52 weeks in a year, one week is not going to destroy me.
You know what? That unrestrictive week, that delicious ramen... they give me a RESET. 99.9% of the time, when I am almost at the end of my vacation or at the end of the last bite of ramen, I feel satisfied and feel more than ready... no, eager! to return to my daily, healthy routine/ meals at home.
So maybe caving into your cravings is not a bad move. It can actually help you mentally and physically to carry on the good work you've been doing. So... carry on your good work! Love you guys!
Xx, Essie