Making Healthy Eating a Lifestyle, Not a Diet

Another week of the CAPP Beach Biggest Loser competition has come and gone, and I’m down another two pounds. That makes a total of 7.8 pounds lost over four weeks.

Needless to say, I’m very happy about this. But (and there’s always a but, isn’t there?), I’m not necessarily always happy about the way I’m doing it.

I mentioned in last week’s column that I want to be healthier. And that is true. I really do want to make healthier choices. I want to lose the cravings for junk food and sweets. And I will admit, I’ve gotten better. I’m finding that the cravings aren’t as strong, and I’m much more able to resist them than I’ve ever been in the past. But they still aren’t going away. And I find myself giving into them sometimes, especially early in the week.

Here’s what’s happening: Early in the week, right after weigh-in, I tend to get a little lax with my eating. Then, as the week goes on, I realize that weigh-in is coming soon, and I really start to watch myself more carefully.

I know this isn’t the “right” way to do it. It’s almost like a few days of “cheating,” followed by a few days of “being really good.”

And that’s the problem. How do we come to look at eating not as something “bad” or “good,” but just something we do to fuel our bodies? And how does healthy eating become a lifestyle, and not just something we do when we’re “on a diet?” This is what I’ve always fought when trying to be healthy, and I’m still fighting it now.

Anyone have any insight on this? I’d love to hear it, so feel free to chime in on the comments.