“You look Great” “No! I ate too much”

This is a conversation I overheard a few weeks ago… Woman A: You look Great! Woman B: Oh no! I ate so much yesterday.

WHAT THE HELL WOMEN OF THE WORLD. I say the world because we both know that this is not the first or last time I will over hear this exchange.

First, as I mentioned last month: if someone gives you a compliment, it is okay to take it even if it makes you uncomfortable. You can check that out —> here!

Secondly, WHAT does your eating have to do with whether or not you look great. It doesn't. Absolutely not. To paint this picture it was also at a workout session so it’s not like these ladies were sitting around eating snickers bars (though that’s cool if you want to. I'm a fan of Aero chocolate bars personally). These were women just like you and I. Regular, normal women that I don’t know, but I’m sure have ups and downs like the rest of us.

Why do we do this?Why do we let food decide if we look great or bad or if we are great/good or bad. It doesn’t have to.

YES of course I understand that if you eat a box of cookies for dinner than you are not going to feel as good as if you have a salad with steamed fish. I get it. I know. I really do. Certain foods make you feel good and certain foods do not. I love cheese and sometimes I eat a lot of it and then feel bad. Does eating said cheese make me all off a sudden not look great? NOPE, still look the same. I might just make me a bit constipated (you are on this website for some truth telling right?!) Sure, if I eat pounds of cheese and cookies everyday for weeks and don’t have any other nutrition I would probably NOT look great. I’m sure I would break out and just generally look and feel like crap.

But when most women have the above exchange, they are not talking about multiple weeks. They are talking about ONE or two days (maybe a weekend). — “Omg I was SO BAD” this weekend!” How many times have you said this or heard someone else say it. Don’t lie to me! I know you have!

This exchange is about giving all the power over to food. It’s letting what you eat be the sole decider on how you feel and and what you think about yourself. And letting “eating so much yesterday” make you feel less than or someone not good enough. You looking great does not suddenly change because you ate too much bread at dinner.

That’s BS.

What does not being/looking great or being/looking bad have do to with whether you ate a lot of food the day before? Does it make you feel better to feel bad about looking back at the day before and deciding you are not good because you didn’t eat like a perfect magical unicorn? If it does make you feel better than by all means carry on, BUT if you are like most women - it doesn’t. Feeling bad about yourself because you “ate too much” or deciding you are “so fat” or “don’t look great” because of one or 2 meals or a weekend away needs to stop. It IS labeling yourself and these times as bad that turns it into a continuous sprial. If you stop doing it and just accept that you ate a bit more bread or a few more cookies or glasses of champagne than you normally do and then call it a day and that’s it. It’s just a day. It does not mean you are NOT GREAT. It does not mean you do not look great. It doesn't mean you are good or bad or anything other than YOU JUST ATE A BIT MORE BREAD. I promise.