Planned Bingeing

So you eat healthy, bring your lunches to work, and don't eat junk food. We all know it's good for us, and so we do it, even though sometimes we'd rather sink our teeth into a jelly donut, or a buttery croissant from Starbucks... but does that mean you can't ever eat out again? Or it greasy Mexican food? Of course not.

I like to plan my binge eating. It somehow makes me feel like I deserve it that way, and then I never feel bad about it. I try to eat as healthy as possible otherwise, but after a few weeks of really staying on target in the food and exercise department, there's nothing better than planning on night out with friends with unhealthy food on the agenda.

Last night I went out with some friends from my swim team to Senor Fred's in Sherman Oaks. I had some Mahi Mahi tacos, with rice and beans, a couple Mexican beers, lots of greasy chips and salsa, and half of someone elses burrito (because she's pregnant and can't quite keep the food down like she used to - at least for now, we'll see how that changes in her second trimester).

At one time, I would have felt pretty guilty for eating like that. But not last night because it was a planned event, and I know that I would have never set foot in there otherwise. The food doesn't sound unhealthy, when I write Mahi Mahi tacos, you might be thinking, that doesn't sound unhealthy... on the surface it doesn't, but I'm sure I consumed around 1800-2000 calories and probably a similar amount of sodium. You just can't get away from it, restaurants are really the axis of evil when it comes to eating healthy, and especially Mexican food [sadly].

The bill came to $31.00 per person. Ever since I started this blog I've been keeping better track of my food expenses and I realized last night as we were paying, that I used to spend close to this amount every day on food when I was eating out all of the time. I could easily spend $15-20 on a lunch, and then I would go to the grocery store (which is physically attached to the building I work in) once or twice a day for another snack.

Anyway, it made me realize that this is the way it is supposed to be. Bring your lunches, eat healthy, and enjoy a nice greasy Mexican meal and beer with your friends on occasion, and everything will be alright. Fighting the guilt cycle is one of the root issues surrounding obesity. Food should never make us feel bad, whether it is healthy or not... there are too many people that have none for that nonsense.

Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend everyone! Eat well, and I'll be back next week posting more about what to do with your staples from the post earlier in the week.