Are you being "good" with your diet?

The other day on Instagram I found a reel of a woman explaining how she struggles with binge eating sweets. She described herself as eating really "clean" and being "really good," but then once she's around sweets, she can't control herself.

This may be a common story. Here are my thoughts.

Ditch the "Good" vs "Bad" Food Labels One of the most common refrains around food, both in and out of the fitness community, is a value judgment around food.

It sounds like: "I was so good this weekend with my eating." Or, "I was so bad last night, I had ice cream."

You're a person. The foods you eat or don't eat don't make you good or bad. And context matters here too. When you say "good," what do you mean? That you only ate "clean" foods? That you didn't over eat? Either way, you're tying your worth to how you ate, and that's not something to encourage.

If You Struggle With Sweets, Stop Restricting Them Go ahead and have a brownie, no need to fear that sugar is a slippery slope. Some may feel like if they don't abstain entirely, they'll never be able to stop.

Sugar lights up pleasure in our brain - and it can be addicting. But it's also part of being alive and being human. And the skill of incorporating it with balance into your life can be learned.

A nutrition plan that shows you how to incorporate a cookie or a pastry is much more sustainable than one where you never ever ever get to touch such things.

90% of your nutrition should be a solid, nutritious base - and when you have that, you can enjoy fun foods right alongside it.

Are You Eating Too Little? Willpower is a limited resource for all of us. Ice cream, pizza, and cookies do all sound pretty good. As long as you are not underfueling, cravings are far less noticeable, which makes sense if you think about it: the less hungry you are, the fewer thoughts of food you have.

So instead of trying to trick yourself out of being hungry, eat more food. Each meal should include a source of carbs, protein, and fat. If your "meal" is just a protein source, it's a snack.

If you're not sure where to start when it comes to building fuller, more balanced meals, it is not hard to find go-to high performance foods, to include breakdowns of the proteins, veggies, fruits, and starches that'll fill you up without a ton of calories.

As you head into this weekend, remember: food isn't good or bad, it's just food. Aim to build balanced plates, stay fueled, and enjoy the company of the people around you.