I’ve come to a conclusion…diets that exclude certain foods don’t work. Well, I should say they don’t last. One time I lost 40 lbs by excluding carbs and sugars…but the weight came back. Excluding food doesn’t teach you how to manage the food, on an ongoing basis, controlling your calories no matter what you choose to eat. Also, depriving yourself of something and saying ‘I can’t have that’ takes your focus off what’s important. You spend more time focusing on the things you’re not allowed to eat instead of focusing on what you can eat. I’ve also found that I tend to want what I can’t have so the small craving for what I’m excluding turns into a massive craving and that usually doesn’t end well.

So I had this drink on Saturday. I managed it, along with a couple of others, within my alloted calories for that day…and I still lost a pound over the weekend. I had whatever I wanted and it was great…I just did it within my allotted calories for the day.

That’s why this topic is a motivator today. Knowing that I can eat whatever I want helps to keep me motivated! I just tweak my nutrition & exercise throughout the day to manage my calories to a deficit. It’s hard enough trying to change your body through this process…I don’t need added stress over a craving for a piece of chocolate…so the ‘keep it simple’ idea really works here.

Eat whatever you want and be motivated!