November 14, 2013
Pigging Out One Day per Month

 

Dear Dr. Laura,

While listening to your show on my way home from work recently, I heard you speak with a caller who had diet and exercise concerns. You told her she is in control over her diet binges and restrictions, and advised her to give herself permission on one day a month to pig out on anything she wants.

I am a 60-something woman who has adhered to a rigorous work-out and diet regimen for decades. From the neck down I can pass for 30. From the neck up is another story. However, sometimes I have felt confined by my own unyielding exercise and diet schedule, so your advice resonated with me. Yesterday, I gave myself permission to take an entire day off from my strict program. For lunch, I had a double scoop of Baskin Robbins chocolate/caramel ribbon ice cream. In the afternoon, I skipped the usual work-out and ate a quarter pound of brie and crackers while watching YouTube videos. In the evening, I consumed a giant vat of hot, buttered popcorn with a stick of real melted butter and finished off an entire box of Oreo cookies while watching a Netflix movie. I stayed up late and went to bed without showering or brushing my teeth. It felt liberating...until morning. This morning I woke up exhausted and nauseated. I felt lightheaded, and could barely get out of bed. I have no energy and my tongue feels like it's wearing a sweater.

You are one clever woman! "Permission Day" taught me to embrace my healthy habits. I'm very happy to be me.

Thanks for all that you do,

M.

Posted by Staff at 9:53 AM