The Power of Denial

Being a trainer who is certified in Nutrition, I feel I have a pretty firm grasp of the balance that is needed b/t exercise and food. So, when I put on 6 pounds last month, I was sure something must be wrong. Could I be pregnant? Was it ectopic? A tumor! What else could it be??? I was eating the same, exercising the same.....Ok, so I did just stop nursing after 19 months. And I guess for the 9 1/2 months before that, I was pregnant. Ok, so for the past almost 2 1/2 years, I have had a diet that basically worked to feed me AND my little one.

But after I quit nursing, I told myself those extra calories I was burning to produce milk couldn't possibly be what was keeping my weight down. Could they?? And then yesterday, I was on a run, and it hit me. YES! OF COURSE! How did I think that taking in an extra 500 or so calories a day was not going to catch up with me? What do I tell my clients EVERY day: "If you take in more calories than you are burning, you will gain weight!". Why I thought I was immune to this concept is beyond me. I think I was just enjoying a certain freedom I felt about the way I was eating.  But now it has come time for me to practice what I preach. Clearly, I do not need that 2nd full bowl of cereal. Clearly, I do not need 2 pre dinner snacks. And clearly, I do not need a substantial desert every night!

I will now be doing what I encourage any client to do when a few pounds sneak on. Identify the excess, and just trim back. I feel perfectly happy with the type of foods I am eating, but I clearly need to scale it back a bit. 1 bowl of cereal will be enough. 1 pre dinner snack will be enough. And fruit for desert will have to do.....at least for a little while. I can't go too long without one of the big cookies from the pantry:)

Just some food for thought, as even trainers can get caught up in the power of denial. 

-J