A focused view of an apple on a table. Behind the apple is an unfocused view of a framed family portrait.

Honest Eating – How I Used Honesty as a Weapon

Listen to the podcast

One thing I love to do at this time of year is to come up with my meal plan. So, the other day I pulled out a document I had created in 2016. The “HONEST” meal plan. Several times in this document I used the word ‘honest’ like a horsewhip. There were multiple calls to face reality, while ironically writing phrases like “be gentle to yourself.” But putting those ‘kind’ words in uppercase bold-face type? I think you’re missing something, Mags.

Being honest with myself is extremely important to me. It’s been one of the major players in discovering behaviors and patterns that were inviting sadness and unneeded challenges into my life. But if I’m using honesty as a brutal weapon, I not only risk hurting myself, that practice can also lead to projecting harsh “honesty” onto others.

When I took a step back from my HONEST meal plan, it wasn’t so much honest as it was ABUSIVE. As I severely edited the document, I replaced the demands for honesty with encouragement to trust what I know about myself and my relationship with food. Instead of writing “NO” foods, it now reads, “Foods that don’t work for you…” If one of my goals is to be kinder to myself and others, it won’t hurt to pause before I accidentally dress up rigid judgment in a, “I’m just being honest,” pinafore.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Welcome to my blog! Here you can read about what’s on my mind as I try my best to recover from screaming at my kids and nagging the bejesus out my husband.

    Join TeamConfessions, a.k.a. "TeamC"—the posts are super short—you’ve got this. 

    Looking for something specific?

    MOST POPULAR POSTS

    From the Archives

    Share Everywhere:

    Ready to join me?

    I would love for you to join me as I work to undo these old patterns and evolve to create a more serene and accepting existence. (And you should know that I still want to ear flick the little knuckleheads {this includes my husband} when they don’t rinse a dish before putting it in the dishwasher — always a work in progress.)
    mdm light green icon logo
    Confessions of a recovering
    micromanaging - perfectionist - martyr

    Join TeamConfessions