Occasionally enjoying a sweet treat or special meal is an absolutely necessary part of a living a healthy life. God gave us taste buds because He wants us to be able to enjoy our food.

Overly denying ourselves of the things we crave will only lead to eventual overeating of those things. When the temptations become too much, and they always do, will power alone will not be enough.

If going out to eat and having the bread basket in front of you makes you break into a cold sweat, that is not right! That is also no way to live! You don’t need to eat every single piece of bread in the basket, but enjoying one piece of bread should not be something that sends you into a 2-week carb binge.

If all you can talk about is how much you want to eat bread, chips, fries, cookies, cake or insert your food of choice here, you will eventually find yourself eating an entire cake and feeling completely terrible about it.

If you want a french fry, have a fry or two. You don’t need to eat an entire large fry, but a fry or two might be just the thing to keep you from derailing your entire healthy eating plan.

Don’t forget to implement the other parts of the list:

1) Make small manageable changes one at a time.
2) Set realistic goals and write them down.
3) Shop the perimeter of the grocery store.
4) Find healthy foods you love.
5) Get a routine and be consistent with it.
6) Let Yourself Indulge (within reason)

If you have enjoyed this “Ditch the Diet” posts you can read more about it by clicking HERE.