Friday Chats: It’s OK to Eat the Cheesecake

Hi Friends! Happy Friday!

I went to my very first Hornets’ game last weekend. I’m not a huge basketball fan in general and our team isn’t amazing, which is why I’ve never gone to see a game over the past 6 years in Charlotte. But B got some tickets with friends from his work so we decided it would be a fun thing to do on a Saturday night.

Something cool about the game we saw was when they had a giant Zumba dance during halftime. I met one of the dancers afterwards and she said it is a big thing in the area. Someone choreographs the dance and sends it out to all of the Zumba instructors around here. Everyone learns the dance and comes from all over to perform it at the game. It was fun!

I wanted to share my thoughts with you about something that happened at the game.

I’ve made a conscious effort in 2017 to start listening to my body more when it comes to food. I’ve generally tried to do this anyway, but I am shifting more towards an intuitive eating approach where I make decisions with my body’s feelings rather than overthinking things and/or eating with my emotions. Listening to my body means choosing foods and meals that will make me feel good and give me energy, and choosing foods that don’t make me feel great a little less often. I also have been staying on top of my hydration and listening to my body more when I’m feeling hungry or full.

The meal at the game was catered by a local barbeque company and included pork and chicken barbeque, macaroni and cheese, pasta salad, baked beans and coleslaw. It was a bit heavy but also very tasty. And then something amazing happened: they brought around a dessert cart with every amazing dessert you could imagine. My two favorite desserts, pumpkin cheesecake and rice krispy treats, were front and center. Two things usually happen in this type of situation…. the first is that I would pass on dessert because I already had a heavy meal. Maybe in other situations, I would reach for one “just because”…. just because I had a rough day and wanted to treat myself, just because I was feeling certain emotions, etc. I decided to switch gears and listen to how my body felt instead.

I felt satisfied with my dinner…. not overly full but I was not hungry. I felt a little sluggish because dinner was a bit heavy, and I was starting to feel sleepy. I knew that eating an entire piece of cheesecake would make me feel completely stuffed, and likely even more sluggish and sleepy.

I also really LOVE cheesecake.

We ended up getting 1 piece of cheesecake and 1 rice krispy treat, and we all passed them around. I had several bites of the cheesecake and a chunk of the rice krispy treat. They were delicious, and I felt satisfied.

So, my overall thought from that night: it’s okay to eat the cheesecake. It’s okay to enjoy indulgences. We don’t need to feel bad about it. But we should always let our body be our guides when it comes to determining how much is enough, and whether we feel great and satisfied afterwards

I hope you guys have a fantastic weekend! P.S. Happy Puppy Day to my favorite Pup!

What are you up to this weekend? We are going to a friend’s house for a spring cookout tomorrow night!