Let’s Talk about Eating Cake
Hey there guys and happy Tuesday. Buckle up and get ready for some fun conversation, okay? You may want to grab a cup of coffee and get comfy, because I have a feeling I may ramble.
In my last post, I shared my weekend recap and it involved quite a few healthy things, like running, my daily protein shake, quinoa bowls and salad, but this past weekend I also ate a giant piece of ice cream cake, a couple slices of homemade pizza, and more ice cream on Sunday. Why share this with you?
Because, I think it is so easy to categorize certain foods as ‘bad,’ foods and other foods as ‘good,’ foods. And although I agree with the certain line of thinking that there are better choices for oneself than others, I like to stay away from labels- bad foods, good foods, blah, blah, blah.
I don’t know if I am hyper sensitive to this since I went through an eating disorder or if I just don’t like labels, but I wanted to share a few of my thoughts about what I believe true health is and what it is not.
As I was enjoying my pizza and ice cream cake on Saturday night, I thought about how the Bethany of three or four years ago would have approached the delicious situation completely different. The Bethany then would have either…
A: not eaten ANY of the pizza and ice cream cake or
B: taken a tiny amount, or
C: if she did eat the amount that I did Saturday night, she would have beaten herself up about it all night long and well through the following day…
I’m so, so glad I’m past that point and I again realized just how good it is to be on the other side of an eating disorder this weekend.
Healthy living is about not being afraid of certain foods, it’s about not letting foods control your life, and healthy living is about not having food consume your thoughts all day, ever day.
I’ve been down that road before and I know what it is like. I know what it is like to be the thinnest girl in the room, I know what it is like to eat celery sticks while everyone else enjoys a slice of cake, I know what it is like to turn down a delicious dessert that someone slaved to make just for me. And trust me, it’s miserable.
The now is so much sweeter. (No pun intended). I love that I am able to eat a bowl of ice cream and have zero guilt. I love that I can savor a slice of pie that my grandma made. I’m thankful that I don’t deny myself pizza. And like everything, there is a balance. Yes, somedays I choose not to have those cookies that are sitting out or the leftover ice cream in the freezer, because I have health and fitness goals and I know that I don’t feel the best when I’m consuming sugar on a regular basis. But, on special occasions, I allow myself to enjoy that dessert or slice of pizza and I feel absolutely fabulous about it.
I don’t know about you, but to me, that’s healthy. I don’t want to look back and regret not enjoying basic meals with people because I was scared about how the food would affect my pant size. I want to look back and see a life, lived full. Full of healthy living, full of kale, sweet potatoes, and brown rice, but also an occasional slice of pizza and freshly baked cookies.
Again, I’m not saying we should be eating junk food or gorging ourselves with cake every day, but I am saying it’s okay to enjoy in moderation and every once in a while. It’s the moments like this weekend, when I savored that delicious ice cream cake and downed my homemade pizza (with a side salad, I will say…) that I was reminded of the beauty of freedom.
Freedom is worth it and possible and I thank the Lord that He showed me that it was and is possible.
If you have made it to the end of this post, thanks for reading and listening to me share my heart. I hope you guys have a great, healthy (in all the right ways!) day.
Questions of the Day
- Has there ever been a season of your life where you didn’t allow yourself to eat certain foods?
- What is your favorite treat?
- What is your definition of “healthy”?