Did You Shoot Someone?
by Leeann Simons

The next time I hear someone say "I was bad" in reference to their diet, I may have to shoot them.  I meet people all the time—wonderful people. People who are successful in business, sports, academics, you name it. I bet I could live comfortably off of the taxes some of these people pay!!  Do they consider themselves successful?  Are they happy with their lives? Generally speaking, yes—but there is one area in which they consider themselves to be failures, and
they would trade in their success any day to attain this one goal: to lose weight.

At work last week, one of my clients came into my office looking at the floor, as if she was ashamed.  She was ashamed.  We exchanged our hellos, and I asked how she was doing.  Slowly she looked up at me and said, "I was bad."  I looked at her and heard myself ask, "Did you rob a bank?"  "No," she replied.  "Did you shoot someone?" Again: "No."  So I asked her what possibly could have happened to make her so upset, and she said, "I ate three pieces of birthday cake at my daughter's party."

Why is it that people place judgment on themselves based on their eating behaviors?  Someone is a "good" or "bad" person according what they've eaten?  Doesn't it sound crazy?  Don't you think someone is good or bad based on, well, whether they've robbed a bank?  Abused their child? Voted for the other candidate?

Yet we measure our worth based on our eating behaviors.  Let's stop this craziness, and put our relationship with food into perspective.  It is just one of the many relationships we have in our lives.  Relationships wax and wane—we're not always happy with how the relationship is going, but the healthy ones last.

Let's save the label of “bad behavior” for when we really shoot someone.

Leeann Simons has had over 20 years of experience in the field of nutrition. She received her Master's Degree in Nutrition Science at Penn State University. She has worked as an outpatient dietitian for Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, as well as a private consultant to various organizations including fitness groups and hospice care. She teaches nutrition, human biology, and immunology at a college level. Leeann lives with her husband and two sons in Newton, MA.   Simons now provides a number of services at her website, www.atpeacewithfood.com. She also lectures, conducts workshops, and offers one-on-one nutritional counseling.