<p>This is such a big subject that everyone has an opinion about, don’t they?  I know I shared in the body chapter about going on fad diets to lose weight and be a certain “acceptable” size.  </p> <p>I want this portion of the book to be about how amazing food is for us and hopefully change the way you look at it.</p> <p>I will admit that in the past I had a very distorted view of food.  It was in two categories.  I labeled it either “good” or “bad”.  </p> <p>If it helped me lose weight it was considered good.  Any other results would mean it was bad.  I used to view potatoes as the enemy.  </p> <p>But there was a time in the early 90’s when a blonde woman with short spiky hair made rice and potatoes popular as a way of losing weight for about 5 minutes.  If you remember her you are my age or older. </p> <p>I will always say the best way of eating is eating real food.  But if you eat a donut, it’s not the end of the world.  </p> <p>What is real food?  Real food is minimally processed foods like fruits, vegetables, fish, meat, nuts, and seeds.  </p> <p>Stop going on “diets” that have a deadline. You need to approach your eating habits with how you want to live the rest of your life.  </p> <p>Stop thinking that if you indulge in your favorite dessert occasionally that you are a failure.  I can’t tell you how many times I have eaten my favorite cookie or some good ole southern Banana Pudding and had feelings of guilt.  Do you know how crazy it sounds when you allow food to make you feel bad?  I know we have been programmed this way.  </p> <p> </p> <p>How many times have you allowed this guilt feeling to turn into a binge fest because you wanted to get all the “bad” foods in before you started your “diet” again on Monday?  </p> <p>It’s only Thursday and you might as well enjoy the weekend and eat all you can right?</p> <p>Wrong!!!  We have to let go of these lies we have been taught about eating being all or nothing. </p> <p>It’s the same for your exercise schedule. Are you exercising every day? Do you feel like a failure if you don’t go to the gym 6-7 days a week?  I know I felt that way many times.  I even felt guilty for not working out.  </p> <p>There have been plenty of times where I felt like I needed to workout extra because I ate too much.  Now I do strength training with weights three times a week and enjoy walking a mile or two a couple of times a week. </p> <p> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/healthyand_fitafter50/">Michele Bowman• Christian Health Coach (@healthyand_fitafter50) • Instagram photos and videos</a> </p> <p> </p>