EAT CHOCOLATE CAKE AND STILL LOSE WEIGHT

Forget what you have been told about certain foods being ‘bad’ or ‘good’. The term “healthy eating” has taken on so many different meanings, and we are bombarded with conflicting messages from various foodie communities: vegan, paleo, keto…there are too many to keep track of!

So to clear it up, as you read further and wonder how you can eat rich and decadent chocolate cake and still lose weight, let’s define “healthy eating” for the purposes of this post as high quality, minimally processed and nutrient-dense food.

I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard it said that in order for you to lose weight or build muscle, you need to cut out certain foods and adhere to a strict diet. In reality, if you follow this suggestion long enough, your cravings will skyrocket beyond just wanting chocolate cake and your body will start to revolt and begin holding on to more of your weight. Along the way, you probably feel highly agitated and slowly your friends won’t want to hang around you anymore. Now, some of us have short-term goals to crush and the all-or-nothing approach might be what gets you to your goal. But it is just that, a short-term goal. This should not be confused with living a healthy, sustainable lifestyle.

So, how do you eat chocolate cake and still lose weight?

Wait…

That is not the right question to ask.

Instead, ask “Can I see myself doing this for the rest of my life?”

’This’ meaning the way you are currently eating. If the answer is a hard NO, then it isn’t right for you and you are just setting yourself up for one of the following two outcomes:

1. You’ll get tired of the rules and quit before reaching your goals. Perhaps you’ll internalize this as yet another failure.

2. You will reach your goal, but then get tired of the rules and quit. Perhaps you’ll internalize this as fear of success or a lack of self-worth.

So now what? Let’s explore three additional questions to help you dig further:

1. Are your goals still the same? Do you still want to lose weight with little effort?

2. Are you sick of riding the losing-gaining-losing-gaining roller coaster?

3. Are you tired of being the only one at the table not enjoying the food in front of you, while everyone else does?

If you answered “YES” to any of these three questions, then it is time to consider what I call The Chocolate Cake Approach to eating.

I used to work out to be able to eat what I wanted. I used to think that if I burned 800 calories during a cardio-based workout (which was all I did), then I could just eat 800 calories of whatever I wanted and still be good. I was always in the gym, but I wasn’t seeing the results I wanted in my body.

I now see food as fuel, and aside from those foods I avoid because they do not react well with my body, I don’t eliminate anything. I am not in this because of an upcoming trip, wedding or photoshoot. I am in this for the rest of my life. I couldn’t see the rest of my life without eating decadent, rich chocolate cake from time to time. I learned that avoiding foods I loved and craved would lead me to binging and always starting over come Monday. So now, when I want chocolate cake, I eat chocolate cake. I try not to make a healthy version of it or try and stuff my face with something else. I have the damn chocolate cake. And yes…sometimes that means an extra trip to the grocery store.

I know what you are thinking: what if you want chocolate cake everyday? Well, I love myself. And I love my body. So I know that feeding myself chocolate cake everyday isn’t being very nice to my body, because my goals mean more than chocolate cake everyday. I also know that decadent chocolate cake will taste so much better if I save it for when I really want it. I ask myself, “How do I feel about myself today?” “Am I choosing this out of love for me?” This lets me evaluate how I nourish my body, and in the end, how I nourish my mind.

About 80% of the time I eat a diet that includes various protein, carb and fat sources and lots of non-starchy vegetables. I drink lots of water and lift weights about 5-6 days a week and schedule rest breaks into my training regimen. I have restful sleep and for the most part, manage my stress.

So if 20% of the time I want to have chocolate cake, it isn’t going to set me back. Remember I said I’m in this for the long haul, and am not looking for a short-term approach.

So here are some key rules (we really all do love rules) to evaluate your current approach to healthy eating:

1. Eat smart and flexible, not stupid and restricted.

2. Food is not meant to stress you out or be your therapist. It is fuel. It is a tool to help you achieve your goals.

3. If you are currently on a ‘diet’, ask yourself if you see yourself eating that way in 5 or even 10 years from now.

4. Reverse that question, and what would you say to your child if he or she were doing that to himself or herself?

5. Don’t eliminate foods. But do have what you really want and not some replacement for it.

6. Follow the 80/20 rule: Eat ‘healthy’ foods 80% of the time in the right order, with the right portions and at the right time. The other 20% of the time, choose from foods you once considered ‘off limits’.

7. Food is not a reward for compliancy or for the hard workouts you just crushed.

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