How To Indulge Without Overindulging

Laura is talking about how to include treats in a healthy lifestyle… or rather, how to indulge without overindulging. And since this is Valentine’s Day-slash-Galentine’s Day today – it seems to be the perfect day to dig in to this topic.

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Transcript

You’re listening to The Love & Lettuce Podcast, episode number 20. I want to talk about how to include treats in a healthy lifestyle, or rather, how to indulge without overindulging. There’s a difference between indulging in a treat and letting that lead to complete overindulgence. So, stick with me and let’s dive in.

Hey, this is Laura Lima, holistic nutritionist and founder of New Mama Nation and host of The Love & Lettuce Podcast. I am here to help mamas know what to eat to give them energy. Help them feel fantastic so they can better enjoy life with their littles. And remember, this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. It does not replace medical advice from your healthcare provider. It is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition. As always, please consult your healthcare provider to find out what is right for you. With that said, let’s get to the show!

Before we dive in to today’s topic, I wanted to let you know about my natural mamahood community over on Facebook. It’s called the New Mama Nation Community, and you can find it by searching for “new mama nation” under “groups”. Just request to join and I will accept you, mama. Oh yes, I will. It’s a free Facebook group where I post nutrition information and tips, recipes, polls, and other fun stuff. Other mamas in the group post as well. We answer one another’s questions, we support each other. It’s just all around a fun and supportive group to be a part of, and a must if you’re a new or newish mama, if I do say so myself. And I do! So come and join us over on Facebook at the New Mama Nation Community.

How do you indulge without overindulging?

When it comes to indulging (how you handle it, or do it best, if you will) all depends on how your body does. Also, perhaps especially, how your mind does when you indulge. Some people can eat treats and be done with it without feeling the need for more. But others, when they finish their piece of cake, need to go back and get another slice, and maybe even more. They’re not just satisfied with a bowl of chips; they need to eat the whole bag.

So if you’re someone who is like, I am totally fine to have one brownie and enjoy it and not feel the need to go back for more. And the next day, you don’t even think about those brownies at all that are on the counter in the kitchen. Then I still encourage you to listen to this episode to get some tips on how to support your body in the best way when you do indulge.

But, this episode is really for that other person. The one who feels like she can’t have that brownie without going back for more. Like, you know what, I’ll just take the whole tray with me, no problem! That is the person I’m really speaking to today.

A Caveat

First thing that I want to say is that some of us actually need to go for a while without sugar of any kind. Or sweetness of any kind, in order to get past that dependence we have on it. That’s true. And once we don’t feel that need for it anymore, we might be able to go back and enjoy a treat here and there. Although, there are some people who need to avoid it pretty much all together; that’s just what works for them. And hey, that is fantastic.

But if you are someone who does enjoy your treats, I want to give you some tips for indulging without slipping into overindulgence. And since this is Valentine’s-slash-Galentine’s Day today, I thought this would be a good day to dig into this topic.

So I’m going to give you 4 tips on how to indulge without overindulging.

Although this is a huge topic, I’ll just say that right now. So I’m going to give you 4 tips, but there are a lot of other factors and a lot of other things to think about. But this will hopefully just give you that little bit that will, well, help you today on Valentine’s-slash-Galentine’s Day. Or maybe it’ll be just enough for you. So, here we go.

Eat the Meal Before the Treat

My number one tip, in no particular order, is: Eat the meal before the treat. Now this is for the blood sugar balancing effect of the meal itself, because if you eat a treat, let’s say first thing in the morning, you have brownies left over, and you say, you know what? Screw this! I’m going to have a brownie for breakfast; no one’s gonna stop me. And you have that brownie on an empty stomach after an overnight fast, basically, not eating any food at all, your blood sugar level is going to skyrocket.

And what happens after that? It plummets back down. How do you feel, first of all, when your blood sugar level first skyrockets? We have this surge of energy and the surge of like, yes, I feel amazing, because you also get a dopamine hit in your brain that says, I feel so good. I love this. It’s so pleasurable to have all of this sugar, really.

But how do you feel when your blood sugar level plummets?

You do not feel good at all. You have low energy, you probably feel pretty dang angry, because that’s what low blood sugar can cause. It can cause mood swings, feelings of depression, feelings of just, blah; you just feel blah. And how are you feeling physically? Well, you’re probably hungry, and you’re probably craving even more than you craved initially, so before you even had that brownie; that craving you had then is nothing in comparison to once you’ve had it.

And now your blood sugar level is low. Again, your body says, I need more sugar, I need another brownie right now. Or you know what, I’ll take the chips, I’ll take the candy. Whatever you’ve got, I will just, I will just eat it all. And then that mindlessness just takes over instead of mindfulness, if you will.

So, if we’re going to indulge without overindulging the right way, we need to have the meal first.

So we have to have the protein and fat (and I’m stealing from my next tip, so I will get there). But we need to have the proper foods in our system first to be able to balance our blood sugar level or to keep it more balanced when we add that sugar in. When we add that high carb treat in. So when we have the brownie after having the steak and green beans and salad that we had for dinner, that brownie is not going to have as big of a blood sugar impact than if we just had it on its own. So there you go. That is tip number one: Eat the meal before the treat. Indulge without overindulging.

Now, the other reason to do this is that there’s less of a chance of overindulging because you’re not super hungry. If you have a brownie for breakfast, or even if you have it on an empty stomach any time of day (so, you know, mid-afternoon, especially mid-afternoon, because that’s when we tend to get a lot of cravings, right? Am I right? Or am I right?) If you have the brownie at that time, you are way more likely to want another one, need another one, and to just eat the whole tray. But if you have it after a meal, at least that will help you with not needing more. So there you go.

Eat Protein & Fat in the Meal Before the Treat

My tip number two, which I’ve already hinted at, is to eat protein and fat in that meal that you have before the treat. Now, you should really have protein and fat, and fibre, actually, in every single meal. So not just the ones that you have before you plan on indulging. of course.

Protein and fat, they balance our blood sugar, they fuel our body, they give our cells the components that they need, the fatty acids, the amino acids, every nutrient that our cells require in order to do their functions properly, in order to have us be fueled and have us be energized properly.

So if we eat protein and fat in every meal, and especially in the meals that we eat before we plan on indulging, we are that much less likely to overindulge. We are that much more likely to be able to enjoy that treat and then move on (indulge without overindulging), to enjoy that treat and not let that lead to needing more and more and more.

Now, I kind of mentioned this already but there also is such a huge mind component to this, such a huge brain component.

Because it’s not just your blood sugar level, it’s not just the physiological, like, blood sugar effects that cause us to overindulge and that cause us to need more and more and more sugar and high carb foods. No, it’s the brain, it is the dopamine response, it’s the pleasure center being activated every time we give it that sugar. So there is a huge part of “brain,” if you will, that comes into this.

I’m really just talking today about the blood sugar aspect, more so, and the other physiological aspects, as opposed to the mindset and as opposed to the brain. So I just wanted to point that out because that… and that’s what I mentioned when I said at the beginning, that there are so many factors when it comes to overindulging, and overeating, really, and then just scratching the surface on some things that you can do.

But it’s like, if you have addressed these things, then you’re so much more likely to be better off, you know what I’m saying? So there’s lots of factors to take into consideration for sure. But let’s scratch the surface today, okay? Let’s just scratch it.

Choose the Real, Less Refined Version

So here’s my third tip for you: When you can, use more whole and real foods. Or the less refined version of ingredients if you’re making your own. If you’re buying something, then choose the treat that has the less refined ingredients in it. Because this helps to increase feelings of fullness and satisfaction from that food, and it also helps to avoid having more of the ingredients that we simply don’t need and that really are not good for us.

So I’m talking artificial sweeteners, colours and flavours, preservatives, unnecessary thickeners. The list goes on. We know that food manufacturers are paid to create foods that make us want or need more. They actually create a certain mouthfeel, texture, flavour, everything. So when we can make the treat ourselves, or at least, buy a more natural version, then we’re helping to avoid those foods that will most definitely lead to overindulgence because they were manufactured to lead to overindulgence.

Enjoy It!

And you know what? Here’s my fourth tip: Enjoy it. Yes, I said that. There’s more to it than just saying “enjoy it,” so hear me out, but yes, indulge, without overindulging, and simply enjoy it.

Once you’ve gotten to the point of actually eating that food, you better enjoy the heck out of it. Don’t think about anything else but the experience of eating it. This is because I truly want you to enjoy it, 100%, yes. But also because being more mindful while eating really does help to increase our satisfaction and prevent overeating and overindulging, when we truly feel how our body feels.

So in this case, we feel full, we feel satisfied, we are way more likely to stop after one piece, or one slice, or one handful. And we’ve enjoyed it that much more because we’ve actually focused on eating it, focused on the flavour and all of that, rather than focusing on the show we’re watching, for example, and being pretty mindless when it comes to what we’re eating.

So there you go, my friend. This is a really short episode; my episodes tend to be short and sweet. And I hope that I’ve given you some food for thought, something to think about. And hey, on this Valentine’s-slash-Galetine’s Day, hopefully this helps you just realize, you know what, I’m just gonna go for it. This is my life; I should enjoy my treats. Because I personally live an 80/20 lifestyle, approximately.

So 80% of my foods that I eat are like the healthiest foods that I can find and that I can eat because I want to super-nourish my body.

But then 20% of the time, 20% of the foods that I eat, are less than amazing. They are the times when I do indulge, but it does take some work to indulge without overindulging, to prevent that 20% from creeping up to 25 or 30 or more.

So I hope that I’ve given you some tips today to keep it to that 20% or so, where you really enjoy your treats, but it doesn’t lead to overindulgence and that need to keep on eating and keep on eating more and more of them.

Now, if you want more tips like this as well as recipes and just a place to get supported as a new or newish mom, so your kids go to school, or you have a newborn, like somewhere in there… I said that backwards, but anywhere from newborn to your kids are just going to school; those are the moms that I tend to work with. And so come and join my free natural mamahood community over on Facebook. Just search for “new mama nation” under “groups” and request to join, and I will gladly let you right on in.

Have a great day, mama. And I will talk to you here next week, and hopefully sooner in my Facebook group. Bye!

Thanks for listening to the Love & Lettuce Podcast. To find out how indulge without overindulging, how to work with me and for more great info, check out newmamanation.com. This is Laura! Until next time, love and lettuce.