Eat the bacon and *gasp* DON’T “work it off”
What the hell Mama? Isnt that the whole idea of exercise and moderation and all that good stuff?
Nope.
Allow me to elaborate.
Eat the bacon. This part is self explanatory.
Unless bacon isnt your thing for non-meat eating reasons, eating bacon is a good idea because its freaking delicious. The smell of it, in my opinion, is a heck of a lot better than folgers in your cup. But bacon here is really just a metaphor for whatever it is you find terribly delicious that isnt at all a health food. Eat your proverbial bacon and enjoy it for enjoyments sake. Make it the best bacon ever. Stare at it, smell it, get all weird and intimate with your food if you want. Revel in it. Its good right? And you are choosing to eat it because its down right tasty and a part of living a full life.
Now, if you want to go work out because that is next on the agenda- do it. Awesome. Proud of you. But- and heres the kicker- dont go to fix the evil of having eaten the bacon. Dont make food bad and exercise its cure. Eating is not a disease. You dont have to cure it.
Bacon, for that matter, is not evil. My husband was a vegetarian for four years and woke up one morning to his brother cooking bacon and without thinking said Fuck it to being a vegetarian and ate the bacon. I find this hilarious. I often ask my vegetarian friends if they ever miss meat. 100% have answered in one word: bacon. Now if that isnt straight from the heavens, I dont know what is.
I suggest a small change in thinking here. Exercise because you like it. I know, I know, who the hell likes doing lunges? But you do it because you must like something about it. Maybe its the way you feel afterwards, maybe its the results or maybe its the hot guy at the gym who you conveniently find a machine behind. Whatever it is- make that the reason you do it. Not to remedy your nasty habit of enjoying food.
If you are trying to lose weight or just be healthy: bacon shouldnt be your go-to meal. I dont think you should start your day with bacon and eggs, lunch on a bacon wrap, dinner with bacon wrapped bacon followed by bacon alamode. Duh. Im talking about indulging. Im talking about your favorites. Im talking about your sometimes choices.
In an effort to live a balanced life, I do a very non-scientific self survey- about weekly- of my diet and exercise. Separately. I think about how much effort Ive put into exercise that week, what kind of performance gains Ive seen (or not) and use this information to do better (or scale back) depending upon how I feel. For food I think about simple things, have I indulged more frequently than usual, have I been eating my vegetables- basic, basic, basic things- again, planning for the next week accordingly.
Live a full life. Enjoy exercise. Enjoy food. Dont take away from any of lifes pleasures by labeling it naughty. (Ok, Im talking about otherwise not terrible things, I obviously dont mean dont worry about that nasty meth habit- lets be reasonable).
Eat the bacon. Do the lunges. These things dont have to do with one another. I think once your mentality shifts in this way you will find healthier you!