Saying No to a Girl Scout

The other day a beautiful, fit friend of mine posted a picture on Facebook of thin mint girl scout cookies with the caption, “Does anyone else put these bad boys in the freezer, and count one sleeve as half a serving…..? Or is that just me…?” I laughed out loud at the *one sleeve = half a serving part*, but another part of me went…

I am just way too weird! I couldn’t manage myself around boxes of girl scout cookies...I really would consume a whole sleeve and then I’d feel like sh*t! What is wrong with me? How I wish I could be more *normal* around food!

Reality check for me, Kimberly, is that my normal is not the same as someone else’s normal. I’ve created some rules around food that allow me to eat in a way that is super satisfying for me without having to rely on extreme willpower to get through each and every day. One of those rules is not buying girl scout cookies!! (Sorry to all those hard working girls scouts out there—it’s not you, it’s the cookies.)

I have a pretty healthy relationship with food these days, but I didn’t always. And it surprises me, but even after all these years, I still have a binge switch that can be flipped given certain circumstances. Here are some guidelines that have worked really well for me:

#1 I don’t buy foods that might tempt me to over-consume and/or that I feel out of control around. There are plenty of treat-type foods that do not trigger this reaction in me so trust me when I say my pantry is not all stocked with *virtuous* foods ;-).

#2 I eat only food that I really, really love—I need to be satisfied after a meal or a snack both physically and psychologically. I don’t like to waste my food budget on food that doesn’t taste absolutely delicious to me which means I am very choose-y about what I consume and I do SAVOR it.

#3 I have treats EVERYDAY that are built in to my personal meal plan. By having small treats daily—like a glass of wine or a mocha or frequently BOTH—I never feel deprived which I know is a trigger for me in regards to overeating.

How about you? Do you have certain foods that you find you need to keep out of the house? What are some treats that you would choose to include on a regular basis? Anything goes in moderation!