I’m not a purist

My name is Shelton and I like to eat. I like food that actually tastes good. And… I enjoy food that’s not what most people would consider clean on a regular basis. As in… weekly. (Gasp!) 

There I said it!

You see, I feel like I need to introduce myself because lately I’ve run into too many situations where people feel like I am an eating purist. 

Eating dinner at a friend’s house — and they confess they were afraid to cook for me.

Out for drinks and appetizers.. “Ummm…we’ll let you decide,” as my friends look nervously at me. 

And at a lunch meeting, “Do you want to order for me? It’s sort of high pressure to eat lunch with you.”

Enough! 

Okay, so here’s the thing. I eat. I eat foods you probably eat. And when I eat out, I’m not necessarily scouring the menu for the healthiest choice. (I actually try to look for the tastiest choice).

How do I make this work and still reach my fitness goals? 

I’ve talked about following the 90/10 rule before. 90% of the time eat clean, and enjoy yourself (without guilt and remorse) the other 10%. So if you eat 5 meals/snacks a day (35 per week) – you would allow yourself to choose whatever you wanted 3-4 of those times. It’s great, because when you’re hanging out with friends…or out to dinner or just want to indulge in X, you’ve got that option. 

The best part? You don’t have to beat yourself up over it… try to compensate by restricting calories later on… or start working out twice a day. 

Actually — let me change that. The very best part is that you get to CHOOSE that 10%.

If you’re like me, you choose it carefully. 

I won’t waste calories on a chewy chocolate granola bar if it means I can really enjoy some dark chocolate instead… 

I won’t choose to grab McDonald’s or some other type of fast food, if it means I can go out to eat at a fabulous restaurant and have a nice meal. 

And I don’t mind eating clean because it allows me everything I want… the ability to fuel my body with great nutritious food, while still indulging in food that I enjoy. 

So there you have it – I’m certainly no purist. Because who wants to go through life without pizza and pancakes? 🙂