Last night was a real test for my resolve - we had a Burn’s supper at the house for 6 kids and 6 adults. There were loads of sweets and cakes and puddings - none of which I ate. I was seriously tempted to just grab a handful of cola bottles but managed to use the “Devil Food” technique.
The main reason why it was particularly difficult was due to the copious amounts of red wine being drunk…. it tends to make you just say - Oh fuck it - one won’t hurt….
So even when I’m pissed I’m still on a mission - got to be happy with that.
Ta, M
I have been making a conscious effort to watch what I eat since I started running. I have actually found it really easy. Normally I’m a grazer - any little thing lying about will go in my mouth (a piece of chocolate, a biscuit, etc) - this is especially difficult with four young kids as there is always the king of temptation - Jelly Babies!
Anyway - I cracked this problem for the moment with one simple phrase - “Devil food”. Anytime my mind even contemplates picking a snack up I instantaly tell myself it is the food of the devil and it is evil. After repeating this a few times it really works - honest. I am not missing snacks in the slightest.
As a backup I tell myself I was really strong for ignoring the temptation and it will in turn make me a stronger runner. Bloody right it will!
Cheers, M
My theory has always been that I would like to be able to eat and drink whatever I like (within reason) and still be able to keep in shape. “If I exercise enough my body will be able to cope with it.” My theory then developed into “if I keep working hard at exercise I won’t want to eat much crap as it will undo all the good work”. At the moment I am feeling this - I do feel less likely to pig out and do seem to be having smaller portions. Let’s hope this continues.
The next logical step is that I will want to improve my diet specifically to improve my body as part of my full work out. I’m not at that stage yet but I am starting to watch what I eat.
The important thing is not to treat myself too much by saying “I did a 6K run so I can now eat a couple of Mars bars!”. I used to fall into this trap but I’m really conscious of it now and try to stop myself. However, I am a firm believer that a little bit of what you fancy is OK otherwise you might as well live life as a monk…