I would like to venture an unpopular opinion.
After much experience, I have decided that losing weight means I must deny and deprive myself.
Wait, for it—this isn’t a complaining post.
You may be thinking, “I can eat anything I want on WW Freestyle!” But can you really? Can you eat half a bag of Hershey’s kisses one day and a pint of Haagen-Dazs the next? Can you live on pizza? Can you have cake for breakfast?
“But Robin, you’re being unreasonable. That’s so extreme. Plus, with fruit you won’t even miss the sweets!”
I do sometimes prefer fruit to sweets, but usually I eat fruit for two reasons: healthy lifestyle recommendations and to stave off my sweet tooth. Without those two, I would have a candy bar for dessert several times a week.
Choosing to live healthily means I am denying my unhealthy impulses. I deny myself certain pleasures. So I can stay alive longer. So I can feel better. So my palate is more awake. These are great reasons! Reasons to deny. Reasons to deprive.
Why am I harping on those words that are so anathema?
Because I need to remind myself that healthy living means not eating all the cheese and chocolate. Because I need to create firmer rules to keep me on the path. Because I need a curb to correct me when I’m going off-road.
Focusing on what you CAN do is really helpful for some people. And I get it—denial brings out my inner rebel. But. 1: if I make the rule myself, it isn’t as bad. 2: occasional rebellion is better than anarchy.
REBELLION IS BETTER THAN ANARCHY.
And currently I’m living the latter. So it’s time to practice some denial every day, to wait before I eat a treat, to have just one treat per day. To let myself be hungry occasionally. Because hunger is not an emergency.
