Accountability or liability? They are linked.  Liability for some, fearfully so, puts them on a path to accountability.  The physician, nurse, personal trainer, invests in insurance in case they are sued.  As a nurse, you adhere to standards of practice, in my case the ILLINOIS NURSE PRACTICE ACT, which dictates reasonable care by a nurse, in given circumstances.  Yet insurance as well as that practice act, speak only to legalistic reasons for accountability.

Accountability for some must be dictated; for others it is an innate sense.  It’s a personal compass which guides their actions.

How well does that compass perform when translated to nutrition?  Does it stagger along the spectrum– thinking of food choices as liabilities?  Or does accountability take precedence?  “I’m accountable for my choices; whether it’s the food on my plate, the exercise I skip or do, or whether that extra whipped cream horn is calling my name.”  But I digress.

That continuum is at best for most, a balancing act.

I was recently watching a promo for a weight loss book, on a cooking show.  Sounds a little ironic, but made sense if you saw the show.  What the author said was quite reasonable.  She recommended if you want that candy bar or cream horn, you add 15 minutes of cardio to your routine.  Cookout splurge? Add an extra mile to your walk.  Palate of food combinations?  Had that covered.  She took a paper plate, and divided it with colorful lines, kind of like a pie chart.  It depicted recommended percentages of what should be starches, fruits & veggies, & protein.  I thought it was pretty clever.  All of these ideas are very workable and realistic.

THEN WHAT?

Again, I find these ideas are doable.  They are like breadcrumbs or markers, helping you find your way.  But colorful lines, percentages, adding this or subtracting that staggers between the accountability/liability spectrum. It’s a start–a way to make you more accountable, and put thought into your plate before you put the food in your mouth.  Getting back to my question, however.  Now what?

In my opinion only, this is where many get stuck.  They can’t get off the endless merry-go-round of push this, pull that, eat more fish (yuck!!) eat more protein, this portion is fruit & veggies, no carb, low carb, high fat, low fat….you get the idea.

Very few of us live our lives on portion control.  Those who do, I have found, bust out of their constraints like a double DD cup forced to wear a training bra.  Why?  More often than not, their portion control was out of control.  Their accountability had become a liability.  So you ask “Can you cite any examples Ms. Nurse & Personal Trainer?”

You bet I can.  More to the point, I bet you can too.

What is that balance?  How do I find it?  Is this my license to eat whatever, whenever I want?  Tune in next time boys and girls.  We’ll have a sit down and a look-see.

All for now.  Keep up and keep at it.

Questions? Comments?  Contact me at serrenity.c@gmail.com