WHMP: 10 May 2018

10 May is ALWAYS an emotionally charged day for me as it’s the anniversary of my brothers car accident where 23 years ago today we sadly lost my older brother.

This is us in 1983 together!

Historically this day every year I resort to survival through food to eat my way through my grief and my heightened emotions.

Not today……

Today I started my day with my regular Thursday morning PT session with the amazing Anita. Today she had devils horns in her eyes and I knew I was in trouble with some serious torture planned for me!! And I was right.

She is always telling me that my fitness is incredible and I honestly never believe her and feel like she is blowing wind up my sails to help with my confidence. The workout she put me through this morning would indicate she does actually mean it as she has seriously bumped it up a notch with the intensity!!

Off I went to work and this is where I had a bit of “food for thought” break through. As I I said, normally I would be all about eating my way through the day and justified it as an emotional day…..well not anymore!

Why…..Because today it became evidently clear that I do not believe in the concept of a diet! What is a diet??

Deprivation

In

Eating

Things

Then no sorry, a diet is not for me as I will not deprive myself of anything. If I want something, I have it without guilt and without regret….why is this so?? Because I chose to live my life in moderation with gratitude and with self awareness!

Today I had a cherry ripe (well half a cherry ripe actually) and I have absolutely no regret. It was half a standard sized cherry ripe which is a rare occurrence and certainly a vast improvement on the king size or family blocks of chocolate of my past. I was mindfully aware of what I was eating and I enjoyed every mouthful of it!

Why did I have it? I had it because of what I call “the polar bear effect”.

What is this polar bear effect??

If I was to tell you that for the next 5 minutes that I want you to sit quietly and think BUT you can’t think about polar bears. The odds are that in the 5 minutes will constantly think about a polar bear or how you shouldn’t be thinking about a polar bear.

Today a cherry ripe was my polar bear, I have appeased my thoughts by satisfying my needs (in more appropriate portion size) so now I have sent the polar bear back to the North Pole.

So I do not diet, I do not deprive myself, I simply make conscious choices in what I put in my pie-hole!

So what about cheat days?

Well cheat days are very related to the concepts of diet and deprivation in my mind a cheat day is a self validation that it’s ok to eat crappy choices for the duration of the day.

But I don’t diet so therefore I don’t need cheat days. I chose living life in moderation….so in essence a cheat day for me is a day that I deprive myself of something I want or need. Because I’m cheating myself at the chance to live and enjoy life!

I’m not say this is right or wrong but I am saying this is what works for me. Some people like the concept of diets and cheat days and if that works for them then WOOHOO go you good thing.

But for me, I’m banishing the expressions “diet” and “cheat day” to the North Pole with the polar bears.

So why has all of these thoughts been made clear to me today of all days? That I can not answer for you but today I have had these thoughts and reflections crystallised for me.

Today I chose to live and enjoy my life. That is what Kerryn would have wanted and I hope wherever he may be that he’s looking on and is feeling proud….