STOP saving "the best for last"

In my recent bid to get healthy during the winter months, I've been doing a lot of investigation into my eating habits. Part of this is because it is the area in which I can improve most, and the other reason is because it is currently very cold and dark where I live which makes it difficult to "exercise off" whatever bad things I eat. But I digress; I've finally figured out that one of the things I have been doing since I was a kid is actually hurting my efforts to lose weight. I have always saved the best for last.

I remember this began when I was little, maybe 5 or 6. My mom saw me eating princess gummy snacks and, naturally, I had saved my favorite princess for last. She mentioned that that was how my dad always ate his food and, from that day on, it was ingrained in me that I should always save the best for last. Here's the catch: There is no last.

We eat food every day. There will always be more. If on the way to eating the "best thing" you also eat a ton of other unnecessary things, you are doing yourself a disservice.

In my mind, there are really only two GOOD reasons to eat food. (this is, of course, assuming you're hungry which is truly the only reason we eat in the first place)

1. It is good for you
2. It tastes good

BAD reasons to eat food might include things like:

1. Boredom
2. Emotions/stress
3. Because it's "time"

Here's a visual -

https://www.reddit.com/r/graphs/comments/lglj7q/graph_about_the_reasons_to_eat_food_ignore/

For example, say you're having a big dinner with a bunch of turkey breast, a big side of mashed potatoes, and a big side of peas. Now say your favorite food on the plate is mashed potatoes, but you feel like you should eat the peas first because they are your least favorite. The good reason to eat the peas is because they are healthy, but either way you're consuming a vegetable. Next comes the turkey. It's alright, kinda dry (like turkey always is) but something must provide the substance. At this point, you're already pretty full, but in your mind the fun part has only just started. You have to finish the mashed potatoes. Otherwise, what has this all been about? Really, it would have made since to eat the healthy peas and the tasty mashed potatoes, rather than the healthy-tasty purgatory turkey. (I will bet you all the money in the world that no one has ever said that sentence before)

I cannot tell you how many dinners like this I have had. Here's another example: Say you're eating veggie straws or veggie chips or one of the many vaguely vegetable flavored snacks. You like the yellow ones best, so when you open a bag you go for your least favorite, the green ones. After you eat the green ones, you eat the orange ones. At this point, you're not really hungry anymore but you have your favorite color left! It's the yellow potato flavored ones!

Do not waste your time on unhealthy things that taste "okay". If you give me frozen yogurt, I will want ice cream instead. It is not worth it. Eat things because they're healthy or/and because they taste really good.

submitted by /u/velvet_apple
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source https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/lglx8x/stop_saving_the_best_for_last/