Diet is a four letter word

I really hate the word "diet". It makes me think I am depriving myself of delicious food. I get images of jail cell bars blocking food. Instead of the word "diet", I choose to say that I am making healthy eating decision and that I am on a lifestyle change. The key for me is to allow myself to eat the foods I love in moderation. Have you seen the Yoplait yogurt "Swaportunity" commercials? If you haven't, go to Youtube and look them up. This is now one philosophy I base my nutrition on. Instead of snacking on chips or Cheez-Itz (mmmmmm Cheez-Itz), I snack on fresh bell peppers, almonds, celery, carrots, and apples. All give me that crunch I am looking for in my snack but the latter are much more beneficial for my body. I take the swaportunity presented in front of me and make the healthier decision (most of the time). My favorite swap I have made is lettuce for taco shells. It's amazing how nutritiously empty taco shells are, so now I eat my turkey taco meat on a bed of fresh baby spinach and Romain lettuce. I get my taco fix, but don't feel like a giant slug after I'm done eating. I'm not saying that I have the best food nutrition in the world and that I never eat anything that is "bad" for me, but I try to make 90% of my meals healthy. Lately I have become a sucker for Skinny Cow ice cream. If you know me, you know I am a HUGE ice cream fan. Skinny Cow makes delicious ice cream sandwiches and bars that range from 100-150 calories. These little nuggets of heaven don't leave me feeling like I blew all the wonderful health decisions I made throughout my day. As Shaun T says, "We need to treat ourselves because we work hard". Ok so those might not be the EXACT words he uses, but it is close.