Eat. Rejoice. Repeat.
Although I haven’t read the book (Eat. Repent. Repeat.), it’s a concept we’re all familiar with. People eat something they know they shouldn’t, self-flagellate and run themselves ragged on the treadmill in penance, only to find themselves in the same boat a few days (or hours) later. Not much of a surprise on that one, is it? I’ll admit I’ve never understood this game, but I see it for the self-perpetuating cycle that it is: an endless rotation of escapism, guilt and punishment. Why do so many people insist upon this transgressive model of eating? And, why, for Pete’s sake, do they think raining retribution on themselves is any way to get back in the saddle?
We all know the drill. The unassuming soul is lured, tempted, flagrantly ensnared into eating complete crap by the siren song of whatever commercial, billboard, lunch buffet, coworker birthday, happy hour, grocery store end cap he/she encounters that day. How can free will possibly defend against such forces? “It’s not my fault,” he/she might say. “No one was there to tie me to the mast.”
What’s disturbing about this narrative isn’t the object of consumption itself but the cascade of misguided attitudes emanating from it. Eating isn’t rooted anymore in common sense but in a dualistic dogma of good and evil – complete with displaced culpability instead of personal responsibility. Progress isn’t measured by steady development of perspective but by histrionic bouts of self-submission. Hit the gym the day after a holiday, and too often the whole place reeks of self-reproach.
How is it that people don’t see the inanity of trying to “run off” a donut or whatever junk food they’ve succumbed to? In a spectacle of twisted rationalization, they isolate the “indiscretion,” tabulate its caloric damage (as if it’s only the calories that matter) and then impose the appropriate punishment/correction for the lapse. First, was the “treat” worth that sweaty hour on the stair climber? Second, is this punitive, self-destructive behavior any way to address the tendency to stray from one’s eating goals?
Instead, imagine a cycle that encourages owning your choices and always enjoying the fruits of those decisions. You’re rewarded at every turn with physical benefits, personal authority and intact self-respect. Visualize a positive feedback loop: eat well, rejoice in the effects, and then do it again (and again and again because you love what it does for you). That’s the beauty of the living Primally.
People too often get caught up in a mentality of deprivation. They think the power of “dieting” is denying yourself. Funny how the self gets in the way. (And, seriously, who hasn’t felt deprived on one of those low fat, low calorie regimens?) Living Primally, on the other hand, means bringing thoughtful and healthful intention to each choice. It means choosing fulfillment in a more comprehensive, connected sense. What foods give you the life you want? What foods leave you feeling good, fulfilled, healthy? What effects leaves you rejoicing (losing the extra weight, gaining strength, finding new energy, simply enjoying the taste and richness of your food)? All the while, the Primal Blueprint‘s 80/20 principle underscores the seamless power of your Primal lens and common sense perspective. Your Primal eating practices construct a healthy life (inside and out), leaving destructive attitudes in the past. You make the choices you do because they enhance your life, and the rewards are nothing short of inspiring. Check any guilt at the door. No penitence required here.
What’s your take on the invitation to “eat, rejoice and repeat”? Thanks for reading.
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Posted By: Mark Sisson
Some of the posts came in delayed. Thanks to everyone, not just Natalie- I only saw her post first. This entire post and discussion has been very helpful.
Mat,
Good luck. Let me repeat some advice that others have already offered because it worked for me too.
Find foods that comfort you that are Paleo… it really should be doable because so many great tasting foods are.
For me it was Bacon. So if my cravings were strong and I was losing control I would just cook up a bunch of Bacon. I ate maybe more of the stuff than is really ideal but it didn’t mess with my energy and hormones the way pizza (my #1 craving) would have and I never really felt guilty about it because I knew it wasn’t setting me back from achieving my goals.
Mark, just reading the daily breadcrumbs that you throw from your table of knowledge helps me daily to be aware of the vicious cycle of making poor choices, feeling guilty then over compensating at the gym. Thanks!
I’ve been eating primal for the past 5-6 days and I find that I am always hungry and always thinking about food as a result. I was never a carb junky, but I did have a sandwich for lunch or a bagel for breakfast about half of the time. Wondering what I’m doing (or not doing) that is causing me to be perpetually hungry so I can correct it and stop thinking about food.
The biggest mistake I made the first two weeks of eating primal was not taking into account the change in calories I was eating. I replaced calorie rich rice and pasta with calorie poor veggies. I think several days in a row I only ate 1200 calories!
If I were you I would jot down my food for the day and see how many calories I was actually taking in. You may be shocked.
probably it’s just part of the process, i mean, learning how to eat a whole new way requires so much focus. there’s so much to learn and so much planning and organization required at first. i went through a similar thing–albeit it was different because i was doing food elimination diets to solve some serious carb intolerance issues. even now, when I start having problems and I go back to tracking my food to get to the source of it, i just get obsessive and think about food all the time. there’s a serious connection between the brain and the gut. The enteric nervous system has as many neurons as our spinal cord. just thinking about food can certainly stimulate the release of substances in our bodies that stimulate hunger. and it’s hard not to think about food when you are revamping your diet! it’s probably nature’s way/the product of natural selection…the person who got hunger messages and then stayed really focused on getting food probably survived and procreated and had their genes carried on. what works best for me is distraction…keeping busy away from the house and fridge!
I suppose I’m one of the lucky ones, as at 21 years of age I have not developed the habits that some people have accumulated over their lives. 100% of the time I eat healthily and it really didn’t take very long to get in the habit (the rewards are actually the best deterrent).
I am as lucky as you then. I am also 21 years of age and it is very easy for me to quit eating something that I learn is not healthy for me. I used to drink 4-6 cups of milk a day. I used to have acne and found out that milk is a huge contributor to acne. The next day I was able to quit drinking milk. I only added it to my cereal (sigh). Today, I am 99% dairy free (my mom decides what I eat for dinner).
I have also been able to cut out gluten pretty easily. The only difficult part is the fact that I live with my parents and so I don’t have 100% control over what I put in my body (technically I do but I won’t ever go there).
I can’t wait to be on my own in a few months when I can finally go 100% primal!
I rejoice every time I eat, because food just tastes lip-smacking better with fat
I’ve been following the Primal Blueprint since January 10, 2010 and it has absolutely changed my life. No grain at all since that day- cold turkey (ha ha ). At first, I was so hungry I felt like I wanted to rip seaweed off a rock with my bare teeth. Seriously, I was ravenous. But then slowly- a week or so, interesting things started to happen. I started tasting food. Really tasting food, like I hadn’t in years. And my creepy middle aged puffy body started to lean down, and I went to the gym, and started sprinting a little, and doing some simple, heavy-ish lifting. And I am getting stronger, and my energy is steady from when wake up in the morning until I go to bed at night. I feel better, I look better, I feel proud and strong, and I am loving to learn to cook and eat Primally. Basically, I feel like a human being again, like I haven’t felt since I was a kid. I even got some Vibram Five Fingers and am running in those a little. Thank you- I will continue to eat, rejoice, repeat.
I just ordered some of those vibram fivefingers as well. I have started a few sprints since the story on sprinting and I am looking forward to trying it in my vibrams
I am also middle aged and noticing a difference in less than a month on PB. Not quite as dramatic though. I am still suffering an immense lack of energy during the day but I am meant to have something wrong with my adrenals.
These days being on a low carb diet when I want to eat something supposedly “bad” like cheesecake or chocolate I enjoy the hell out of it! Don’t feel bad at all because I know that most of time I eat low carb/primal.
I wish more people had our secret to success.
Thanks Mark, great post and it came to me when I needed it badly. After eating low-carb and primal since last May,I had a terrible week of non primal, as I was too busy to cook and too hungry to eat mindfully,I must say I am physicaly and emotionaly disturb by it and not even having enery to workout! Uggh
I used to be like what you explained but with primal eating it seemed to be history.
To live primal is very important to do footwork and be organized and the cooking real food is the key to success for me.
@ Mat, I am very familiar with Intuitive Eating, it is on my nightstand. I am recovering from an ED that lasted years. To say that it was a nightmare is an understatement. So I know where you are coming from.
Keep reading Intuitive Eating. Stay with it. I promise you it gets better.
PAUSE before eating. Are you really hungry? Or is it anxiety, loneliness, hurt feelings…whatever. Doesn’t matter. If you are eating intuitively, you should *only eat when you are hungry* (To others without emotional eating problems I know that must sound weird, such basic advice.)
Next, eat what your body is telling you. Not what Mark, or anybody else is telling you. You have to convince your body that nothing is off limits. Nothing. You could have pizza every damn day, for every meal. I know that is a scary proposition, but when you TRULY allow yourself to eat what you are craving, and eat it SLOWLY only when you are hungry, stopping when you are full (tell yourself, if I’m still hungry in an hour, I’ll have some more) you will *not* binge. And the miracle is that after a while, you stop craving pizza, ice cream etc, because they are no longer forbidden! You will *want* primal food!
I eat primally. I also eat 2 squares of 85% dark chocolate every night with some tea. This keeps me sane
I have healed many issues and given up my ED thanks to Intuitive Eating and support from dear loved ones and friends. Please feel free to email me if you need reassurance about Intuitive Eating. It works. Be well.
One thing I haven’t seen among all the good ideas and advice here, which has helped me in a big way – take a few moments every day – maybe just before you get out of bed in the morning – to visualize your ideal self, in detail, feeling fantastic, wearing the size you want, eating the stuff you know is going to optimize your life. Got the picture? Now, before you get on with your day, lock onto that picture with a really big smile on your actual face, and know that you’re soon to be there.
It is good to feel good!!! Keep that saying in your head all day too, it couldn’t hurt.
Thanks for the great post Mark!
The cycle that you described was me in a nutshell before adopting the primal lifestyle.
I used to say, “I run to support my eating habit” (ice cream, margaritas, tons of vegetarian food and more ice cream).
I even saw a Reebok add in Runners World showing a slim girl running with the caption, “I’m paying for my cheeseburger.”
What makes PB so unique is that it really is a lifestyle for longevity and along the way you happen to get looking good. This approach is what I’ve been looking for my whole life and now that I live the Primal lifestyle I can say no to damaging foods because it’s not worth feeling crappy after. I can work out hard in the gym- not as penance for something, but to really give my body the benefits of throwing a barbell around. I still have a long way to go, but living primally has given me a MUCH more positive outlook on life.
Thanks!
“What if you aren’t an emotional eater? What if you crave pizza because your body is desperate for food? What if this “fire in you” is HUNGER?”
I couldn’t agree more..I eat paleo %90 percent of the time, but sometimes I have really bad cravings: After eating an apple and hazelnuts for breakfast and an eggplant for lunch (which comes to 200 calories), I instantly crave for chocolate, and I find one and eat it.
It doesn’t mean that I am a sugar addict, it simply means: I need more energy.
What you crave is a remedy for your body. I gain weight if I eat chocolate when I dont crave it.
So whats worse eat, repent, repeat or eat, eat, eat. My family and friends all eat repent repeat but keep their weight down and they think they are healthy. When I speak up about what I believe their response is ‘I can’t eat like that so what I am doing is better than just eating with no excercise.’ Are they doing more damage than doing no exercise at all??
Coconut anything leaves me feeling luxurious. It just has a pleasant feel, aroma and texture. Melts in your mouth.
But wow, this post hits home. I know so many other friends, (cough, women) who are trying to lose weight the CW way and they do this just about twice a week. Completely beating themselves up for eating a donut, then running all morning, having a salad and invariably having a chocolate bar later that week and then beating themselves up again. The situation is ripe for depression, stress, and failure.
Mark,
Good article.
And, very good writing! Well done.
( all else is contained in the myriad responses)
PS Your book arrived with me today in the middle of the wilds of Africa – looking forward to it!