Chocolate Cake for Breakfast

By, Gabby Reece

Trying to eat well and exercise doesn’t have to be pure hell. I say eat chocolate cake for breakfast because any time I have the wherewithal and the craving, I eat all my fun stuff in the mid-morning. What?

Hear me out. I’m diligent about eating real food (not from a microwave or a bag), and I exercise regularly. I know, good for me. Who cares? My point is that it’s all about managing and finding a strategy to reach your goals.

So, first you must create goals with your true personality in mind. Me, I’m never going to not eat chocolate. I know this about myself, and I don’t want to change it. I know it’s not great to do it at 10 p.m. every night, so I choose.

Yes, people, choose. Not get it all, or do what I want. If the urge is intense, then I let myself have some chocolate. A couple of things happen. One, I feel like I’m not deprived. Two, since I feel like “I can,” then I don’t feel like I’m being told “I’m not allowed to.” Three, since I get a little reward, it actually motivates me to be stricter during the day with my eating and exercise. I feel like that treat was just for me, and I’m motivated to continue on the less-than-fun path of eating healthy and sweating.
I will go out on a limb and say to those of you who are trying to lose a significant amount of weight, you too can have “treats.” Pick the one food you love and can’t live without. The food that could make you fall off the exercise-and-eat-healthy wagon. Know that food. Don’t be afraid of that food. Schedule that food, and enjoy (within moderation) that food.

For example, let’s say you’ve been “dieting” (better yet, let’s call it eating well), and exercising with some consistent regularity well. Then you can strategically schedule your “treat.” Don’t let the food call you and control you. Plan it out. Tell yourself after a good disciplined week, that on a particular morning you will get to enjoy X. If it’s a cheeseburger, use your better judgment and cut it in half. I know eating is connected to a lot of emotions, but I think if we can take away the feeling of being deprived, it makes choosing to eat healthy foods a little easier.

Once you start seeing results, you’ll be motivated to keep the momentum going. And you get to enjoy that food even more because it becomes something special as opposed to something you just eat out of habit.

2007 Gabrielle Reece . All Rights Reserved.