The word “calorie” has a negative connotation.

In reality the word is very neutral, even positive.

Calories are how we have begun to measure the energy in food- which is a potentially harmless concept if it is seen as a positive thing. Calories are our sustenance and life force. It is the energy we consume in order to live and thrive. Not to mention one of our biggest biological pleasures.

But then, of course, somewhere along the way, calories suddenly became something we all were apparently getting too much of. Excess calories were bad. Hell, calories in general were bad. So we deprive, and count, and measure and worry and restrict and rebel and binge and worry more and count more and restrict more.

And then calories are your drug and you are convinced you are addicted to food and can’t listen to your hunger or stop with a normal portion.

Nah. You and sufficient Calories just had a falling out.

Calories are not a problem. Calories are essential- and lots of em. Not to say that consistent excess calories won’t make you gain weight. Or that sufficient calories in a compromised metabolism won’t make you gain weight. It can and it will. But that is not because Calories are bad. And it is not because Calories can’t be trusted.

• Calories can be trusted. Trust calories more than a disordered relationship with food and calories.
• Sufficient and even some excess calories speed up your system.
• Restricting calories leads to food fixation- as a starving body’s main goal is finding food.
• When trusted, the body will regulate it’s need for calories with your desire for them.

Instead of worrying… Fuck It.

Eat Calories.

Plenty.

I turned to Paleo thinking I was being intuitively led to my health and hormonal balance. I was already pretty steady intuitive-eating-wise, but Paleo sent me back into another obsessed frenzy, nearly a year ago.

Looking back now, I get frustrated and sad that I hadn’t learned my lesson from all my other diet fails in order to avoid Paleo diet mania.

But, I am going to also look at what Paleo did give me.

The one obvious positive, is that the Paleo diet taught me about the benefit and importance of saturated fats. And then, through failure, the importance of carbs and not dieting.

That one last push into insanity made me choose peace. One last diet/binge-induced weight gain made me finally accept the weight- and and start to take away my fears by making me face them head-on.

It led me straight into the crisis that had become my identity. And this one was so bad, and so low, that it led me to the book “The Artist’s Way” (which I recommend), which led me to writing every morning as a sort of meditation, which led me to my own underlying truths. And led me to start this site, and write, and connect with people. And to dare to consider acting without the worry and heaviness of perfectionism. Which, has forced me to trust life and live more fully. And to challenge myself.

Yep, I can’t help but think that is why my intuition led me to Paleo. Maybe I also needed some more probiotics (thank you GAPS….), or maybe I needed some more saturated fat. But mostly, I think I needed to fail so badly, (for hopefully the last time), that I chose a completely different way to live and eat. It was the beginning of a new and even scarier journey.

I trust what it taught me. And I am thankful for it.

Fuck It.

Eating the smallest amount possible is not only something that dieters try to do, but it reaches even further than that. Culturally, we are so afraid of obesity and fat, as well as villainizing “gluttony”, that en-mas we view food restriction as a virtue.

I would guess that even people who are not mentally burdened with diet-mentality still think that logically, eating the smallest amount possible, is a good thing.

But let’s think about that for a minute… does it make any biological sense to go through life eating the smallest amount possible at meals?

The smallest amount that can fill us up the better?

The least amount of calories to make us not hungry anymore?

Egg whites and fake noodles and and fat-free yogurt and lots and lots of fiber and water. Yum.

Or maybe its carbs that are feared so its all fats ad proteins and low-glycemic everything, stevia stevia, almond flour and cream.

And 20 minutes later: Grumble Grumble.

I have spent so much time how to figure up how to fill up on the least amount possible. And it has always been a misery. The problem is… it doesn’t make any logical sense. Even that phrase “fill up on the least possible” doesn’t make any sense. It is almost an oxymoron phrase.

Just biologically, if some of our ancestors… even just 150 years ago (no matter what they ate, that is not part of the my debate) went from day to day trying to eat the least amount of food they could- afraid to fill up -afraid to eat a little too much from meal to meal- other people would have thought they were legitimately crazy. Why on earth would they try to eat little? Even if they were afraid of getting fat like their Aunt Marge? Eating normal, nourishing amounts doesn’t make someone fat. They would have known that then! And seeing restrictive food behavior back then would have left their peers so confused.

Even if you are calorically filled up on your egg-whites and flax fiber, coming from the mental position of trying to eat the smallest amount possible is stressful. It is stressful to your mind that wants to survive and flourish and be fed and nourished. That stress alone creates health problems, and further denial-based disordered eating.

The sooner you can switch your eating mentality to one of Nourishment instead of restriction, you will already be setting yourself up to succeed.

We are not wired to thrive mentally or physically on the least amount of food possible.

Fuck That Diet Mentality!