We've all done this...eaten something and then for whatever reason, chastised ourselves for eating said food. Without really recognizing it, this has been a pet peeve of mine for some time. I think mostly because I come from a family of people that eat food, only to immediately go on and on and on about how "bad" for them it was, or how they shouldn't have eat "that" or "that much". Just thinking about it makes my muscles tense up like I'm hearing fingers on a chalk board.
First off, in order for me (or anyone) to have put the food in their mouth, I (we) must have wanted it. So, if I really wanted it, and I enjoyed it, why should I beat myself up for it? That's what I never understood about my family. I mean, clearly they wanted to eat the food, they did, but then all of a sudden they didn't? WTF. It is mind-bogglingly confusing. Until it hit me...its just feigned regret based on what we perceive is wrong. If it was true regret, it certainly wouldn't be repeated as often.
In life, we always have choices. Can you imagine a world where everyone regretted every decision they made? It would be mayhem, not to mention incredibly annoying. It took me a long time to stop feigning regret over certain foods I ate, or quantities. Instead, I continued to work on my actions until I got to a place where I was no longer putting the foods into my body that would cause me to feel bad.
Surprisingly, letting go of regret allows me to truly enjoy whatever I want, less frequently, instead of many instances of limited enjoyment followed by regret.
this reminds me of brownie death for some reason.
ReplyDeleteSome people do feel genuine regret afterwards, they just feel unable to stop themselves from eating in that moment.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately it can be really difficult to see the bigger picture (ie the longer term result of eating "x") because people are looking at the smaller picture (ie how good they'll feel in the next few seconds if the eat "x").
Thankfully, it is something that we both have under control.