You Don't Have to Give Up Your Favorite Foods to Lose Weight

“In my food world there is no fear or guilt, only joy and balance” — Ellie Krieger

For Valentine's Day my husband and I made pizzas.

Now some of you reading this might be thinking, "but pizza is 'BAD' and you are a health coach!!!"

But if you've been receiving my emails for a while now, then you are probably well aware that I don't do that whole "good" vs "bad" thing when it comes to food.

First, because the language we use matters.

And second, because applying moral labels to your food choices often leads you to doing more of the "bad" stuff in the long run.

Oh, and also because...one "bad" meal won't make you fat.

Just like one "good" meal won't make you skinny.

What matters is what you do most of the time.

And most of the time I eat fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, unrefined grains, beans and lentils, and a variety of (mostly unsaturated) fats.

So that sometimes I can eat pizza without it being a stress inducing event and without it impeding my health and fitness goals.

Unsolicited Amanda trivia: this was one of my favorite movies when I was in middle school. Can you name it?

Where people often struggle on their path to weight loss is that the stuff they think they are doing MOST of the time, is really only happening SOME of the time.

Which then leads to the frustrated "but I'm doing everything right and I'm still not seeing results?!?!"

Remember, ONE salad isn't enough to create an impact.

And neither is ONE night of pizza.

Consistency matters much more than intensity.

40 days of "pretty ok" eating will go much further than 5 days of being a food Nazi followed by 35 days of "I'll start again on Monday".

Take a look at the nutrition habits you keep most of the time.

Are you:

✅ Eating 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day?

✅ Getting at least 20-30 grams of protein per meal?

✅ Drinking at least half of your body weight (in ounces) of water per day?

✅ Eating slowly and to 80% full?

✅ Distinguishing between physical hunger and emotional cravings?

If not, start with ONE item on that list and try to do it a bit more consistently.

Once you are doing that one thing MOST of the time, move on to another item on the list.

You don't need to cut out your favorite foods to lose weight.

You can still eat pizza.

As long as you are doing it SOME of the time and focusing on the other stuff MOST of the time.

And, because I'm sure you are just dying to know...this is the pizza we made.

Prosciutto, mozzarella and arugula (of course I had to include veggies! 😉) on a sprouted grain crust.

(By the way, the sprouted grain crust is from a place called Angelic Bakehouse. They make great wraps and breads too and everything freezes well. I highly recommend!)

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So, take an honest assessment of what you are doing most of the time.

If you aren't consistently hitting the habits listed above, focus on one at a time until they become your "usual".

And if you indulge in a pizza every once in awhile,

Enjoy it.

Oh and add some veggies. 😜