How many times have you given in to a craving and treated yourself to a cooked breakfast, a big Sunday roast or a large slice of chocolate fudge cake – and then felt guilty about it the rest of the day?
For many of us, the cycle of temptation, craving and guilt is something that we encounter every day. It is this cycle that leaves people feeling low about their diet and what they deem a ‘failure’.
However, feeling constantly guilty is no more healthy for you than a poor diet. You need to fix your diet for your physical health, but you need to tackle that guilt if you are ever going to be healthy and happy mentally and emotionally.
For some people, the guilt habit is so pervasive that they feel it even when they’ve overhauled their diet. If they decide to treat themselves, they will immediately beat themselves up about it.
Here are our Nutritional Therapist Julie Deeks‘ tips to help you on your way to a guilt-free diet.
Make the change.
There’s no two ways about it – if you don’t change a diet you know is bad for you, you will never kick those guilty feelings into touch. Start by making positive changes in your diet and exercise regime. You can give us a call and book to see Julie, who can help you make those positive changes. Making the change will give you a confidence boost and set you on the road to a good relationship with your diet and your health.
Don’t give in.
One slice of cake does not undo all your hard work. Neither does a bag of crisps or a meal out. Rather than feeling guilty and deciding that as you’ve given in once you may as well give in totally, remind yourself of that. Remind yourself of all the good changes you’ve made recently, all you’ve achieved and resolve to get back on the wagon at your next meal. It’s unlikely you will make a perfect change without any slips so accept that those slips are part of the process.
Treat yourself.
Treats are allowed in a healthy diet – they just shouldn’t come several times a day! You can also hunt out healthy treats like avocado based chocolate mousses or gluten free fruit tarts. When you do treat yourself – savour every last bite. Really enjoy it, focus on that feeling rather than how ‘bad’ it is for you. This will prevent the feeling of guilt pushing you to eat more bad things to comfort yourself.
If you would like more advice on changing your diet, please call us on 020 8332 6184 or email us at info@theforgeclinic.com and we can let you know Julie’s availability.
