My main objective with this dietbet is to find a sustainable way to live for myself. I know many people find it necessary and helpful to cut dairy and bread from their diets, but denying myself these simple pleasures just makes my setbacks that much worse.

By allowing myself to eat a moderate portion of the foods I love, I find that I am always satisfied. I have such a great love for food; eating it, cooking for the people I love, and experimenting with new recipes. To lose that would be to lose a huge part of who I am. So, rather than denying myself what I like, I am being more mindful about how much of it I am putting in my body, and what kinds of nutrients I am getting out of it.

When I finally get to a place where I feel optimally fit, I want to be able to maintain my life the way I have been living it, and not crave or regret anything I have given up.

One of my tricks is that I keep Hershey's kisses with almonds in my desk drawer. When I can't shake a craving for chocolate, one kiss is the perfect amount to satisfy me, without making me feel guilty. Obviously everyone has different tactics that work for them, and I am very happy with how my tactics are working for me!

All that being said, I have found that I no longer crave sweets as much as I used to (that was always my biggest weakness). In previous incarnations of my "dieting" self, I tried to cut out sweets altogether. That just lead to hormonal nights of binging on chocolate ice cream and feeling so guilty that I just gave up on getting fit. Just because of one setback!

I'm not saying that I don't have setbacks anymore, but now when I go out with my girlfriends for drinks, or when my boyfriend pulls out my favorite chocolate ice cream, I am in control of what I consume. 

One of my greatest success and failures was my stint using nutrisystem. I really enjoyed the program. I knew exactly what to eat. I exercised. I got very fit. But soon, I became bored eating the same old thing. Finally, I gave it up completely. Unfortunately, by just eating prepackaged foods for three months, I never learned how to sustain that way of life and level of fitness using "regular" food. Fast forward one year, and I was exactly where I had been before I started nutrisystem. 

The lesson I took from this is exactly what this entire post has been about: Find a way to eat the foods you love in such a way that you can live with yourself and enjoy life to the fullest. 

I am not "dieting." I am finally living in harmony with food.