Getting Off the Ride

In the book on intuitive eating, the authors talk about the guilt deprivation seesaw. It is as it sounds. When you are in a state of dieting or deprivation and feel you are being “good”, then you feel better about yourself. When you do not restrict foods banned to the naughty list, you feel guilty. Guilt can cause you to take actions to get back on your good side. The next day you try so hard to be “good” and eat what all the magazines tell you to. You stay away from the foods that will “make you gain weight”. This is the part where I say, “Let’s think about this”.

Has one food ever made you gain weight? I mean if it takes 3500 calories to gain a pound of fat ABOVE what you need to maintain your weight, did the apple pie meet that criteria. If on average, people need 1800 calories a day, did you consume over 5300 calories that day? I doubt it. So ponder this scenario:

You eat cake at a party, but you struggled not to have it all night. You gave in. You were so mad you gave in, you ate it fast to get it over with. Then guilt set in. What is wrong with me? I have no willpower! I am never going to do that again. I will make up for it tomorrow. Next day, skip breakfast. Have a salad for lunch with fat free spray dressing. Dinner time comes. Why am I so hungry? I ate all that food last night. I can’t take it anymore. Here is where most people overeat dinner or graze on snacks all night.

Second scenario:

Oh, I love Aunt Susie’s chocolate cake. After dinner I will savor a piece. You taste and enjoy every bite. You feel satisfied. You wake up the next morning and get back on your daily routine. You don’t overeat at night because your hunger is controlled.

Fantasy scenario:

You do not want cake and never miss it. Better yet, cake is a necessary food group. Fantasy is nice but nothing more.

Which scenario is healthier mentally and physically? What scenario involves enjoying the cake? What is the difference? Take out the emotion. Take out the guilt. If the cake did not taste great and made you have a stomach ache, don’t have it next time. Do not punish yourself the next day for eating it. It is time to try getting off the ride instead of waiting for it to stop. It won’t.