Sometimes, after working hard for months and months, and after reaching numerous goals and making great progress, there comes a time when you are presented with an opportunity to let your hair down and to live a little. You know, eat some foods you normally don’t eat, or eat a lot more food than you would normally eat. Well, today, I attended a BBQ at my good friend’s home, and I allowed myself to eat a little more than I would have normally. I didn’t eat anything with lots of sugar in it; no desserts, and only a single baby back rib that was prepared using a rub with sugar in it. However, I ate a second half-helping, and while it made me feel really full, it felt good

But here’s the thing; even though I ate more in volume, the quality of the food I ate was still good. I stuck to the Paleo-friendly foods that my amazing friends made, and I stayed away from those foods that weren’t Paleo and that I knew would be trouble for me. It totally felt like I was breaking some rule even though honestly, I wasn’t. Well, other than eating a lot.

Could I have eaten the Smores everyone was eating? Perhaps, but I really didn’t want to. I’m very hard on myself, and the amount of guilt and regret I would have felt far outweighed any short-term satisfaction I would have experienced in eating a Smore. Sometimes, you gotta live a little, but even in doing so, as long as you are smart about it, you won’t really sabotage yourself. You will have allowed yourself to enjoy a little bit more food, and if you’re not in maintenance mode, perhaps you may slow progress for a day or two, but in the end, no real damage will be done.

It’s okay to live a little from time to time, but try to limit yourself.You will be happier in the end.