 Indulge once in a while, just be careful not to make a habit of it
I'd like to think that I could go the rest of my life without eating another bite of marginally healthy food. Of course, that's not very reasonable but I can limit the number of times that it happens.
There will always be celebrations when I'll want to indulge a bit. There will also always be those times when I really need some good old-fashioned comfort food. The key is making it a conscious decision to indulge.
My father recently underwent emergency heart surgery; a triple bypass. It was a significant stress on my life. While he was in the hospital, I managed to continue to plan healthy meals and get to the gym. These things are a priority in my life because they help me deal with stress effectively. But by the time he came home from the hospital, I needed a "night off." After he was back at home under the competent care of his wife, I called my husband and asked if we could go out to dinner.
I decided that I needed a bit of comfort food indulgence. We went to a favorite local restaurant that specializes in such cuisine and had a very nice dinner together. That night, I slept better than I had in many days.
What made it ok to do this? It was a one evening event. I did not use the stressful situation as an excuse to eat out every meal and stop my exercise. It is a very rare occurrence, once or twice per year. I made a fully informed, conscious decision. My actions were open and disclosed, not hidden or sneaky.
The result was that I got up the next morning feeling refreshed and good about myself. I had no feelings of guilt which can lead to ongoing overeating. I ate well that day and had a fantastic workout that morning.
With care and forethought, there are ways to incorporate an occasional indulgence into your food plan without damaging your health or your healthy lifestyle.
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