This may seem elementary to some of you, but I had a huge epiphany yesterday when it comes to my eating habits.

I've been very down on myself lately because this time last year I weighed around 150 and therefore would have had only 15 pounds to lose whereas now I have double that! Last week I was determined to start again, eating clean, exercising and I had gone grocery shopping buying all the "healthy" foods I could get my hands on. So my fridge was stacked with fresh greens, bell peppers, yogurt, chicken and lots of stuff to make salads. And for the week after... I didn't eat any of it.

The mere thought of eating another salad made me go crazy. The notion of steaming more broccoli made me twitch. It was enough to drive me to pizza and fast food restaurants.

I was at the point yesterday where I didn't want to eat anything at all, healthy or not; that was how much I hated food at that moment.

That was when I realized I didn't have to eat salad if I didn't want to. I had done Atkins in the past and lost weight very very quickly but I'm a carb-a-holic and not having any bread or pasta or rice made for an unfulfilling diet. And if eating those foods (or letting them rot in my fridge) is not maintainable than it will not work for me and will not keep me healthy and thinner in the long run. I don't have to go whole hog into clean eating. I can have an english muffin for breakfast and still lose weight! I don't have to eat salads every day! And if I want to mix a little milk and cheddar in a sauce pan and dip my broccoli into it, I'm gonna do it.

I had completely forgotten how pleasurable eating is! And if this process is not pleasurable at least 70% of the time, I will not stick to it.

So maybe my calorie's will be a bit higher now, but I know in the long run I will lose weight because I'm enjoying what I'm eating and can sustain myself on healthy foods most of the time and indulgences some of the time.

That's how you do it. The thing that's helped me lose weight the most is the fact that I looooove food. So I'm not wasting time anymore on prepackaged crap; I cook my own wonderful meals. At the same time, I'm not going to eat steamed veggies and salads because I don't like them. I try out new recipes every week and find ways to eat veggies with different sauces, cheeses and healthy brown carbs.

Just because plain veggies are healthy, doesn't mean that's the only healthy way to eat them. Adding a delicious sauce or surrounding it with a casserole or whatever will add more calories, but can still be healthy. And it will make you want to eat that way all the time. Eating broccoli with cheese is a million times better than heading out for pizza and won't prevent you from losing weight.

BTW, if you love bread consider making your own. There are a ton of recipes for breads loaded with fruits and veggies that are easy to make (even if you don't have a bread machine) and you don't even notice the healthy stuff. I often make these with whole wheat flour because the fruit or veggies makes it so moist you can't tell the difference.

That's an awesome realization for you! Yay.

I know that if I totally deprive myself, I won't stick with it.
I also know that I like food. I'd rather have a small bit of butter on my veggies than a lot of fake-spray. I'll enjoy the veggies more and eat more of them in the long run.

And I'm a big believer of "everything in moderation". A small square of dark chocolate after dinner, vs. a huge serving of chocolate cake, still gives me the joy of dessert, w/out the guilt.

Sure I may have stopped myself from losing a couple more pounds a month, but it also means that I've developed a lifestyle I can live with for a very long time, rather than a "diet" that I will eventually blow.

Couldn't agree with you more.

Gotta love epiphanies, don't you? Actually, I'm rather glad you spelled it out so clearly and plainly. Anything to keep that light pointing in all our dark corners and helping all of us expose our weaknesses and ways to overcome them. It's a good thing!

I could not agree more!

I agree with you completely. Deprevation never works. I always feel like a child, If you tell me no to something, then you always end up wanting it more. Its all about proportions and balance. Make sure you eat the right proportions and dont forget the exercise. Exercise is the key to working off those calories.

Good luck!