It’s ok to eat pizza (and other “bad” foods). Truly. Let’s discuss…

I wrote a blog post last December titled There Are No “Bad” Foods and I think it is a message that needs to be reiterated.

Here’s what happened the other day:

I workout at Planet Fitness and they serve free pizza one day a month. I have only been there once when they did this because I never remember what day it is served, but this month I remembered ahead of time that I thought it was served on the first Monday of the month. So I planned my workout around this because, um, free pizza!

To take it a step further, I tried googling “when is Planet Fitness free pizza” and instead of finding specifics (I was looking for what time it was served), I found a lot of discussion boards about how this was such a bad thing that PF does, and why couldn’t they serve a healthy food/snack, and they are just serving pizza (and they also serve bagels one day a month) in order to keep everyone fat so their business keeps going.

OMG! Major eye roll. I even text a friend who I know goes to PF in her city and asked if she knew when it was served and she replied “It pisses me off that they do that”. Again, major eye roll over here as I’m getting all pumped up for my FREE PIZZA! 🙂

*NOTE: Planet Fitness serves free pizza on the first Monday of the month at 5pm (and I assume onward until I don’t know when because I was there at 5pm).

There are several things going on in this scenario regarding so many negative feelings regarding a gym serving free pizza to their clients. First, people are still buying into the food rules that there are “good” and “bad” foods. That is just not the case. All food provides energy, it is just that some foods are more nutritionally dense (providing more nutrients) or more nutritionally balanced. No, I do not advise that everyone eats pizza every day or doesn’t think about their overall nutritional intake, but it is OK to eat pizza one day a month, even one day a week, depending on your goals.

Second, people are portraying that if you workout, you must be trying to lose weight, and therefore should not eat pizza. There are many reasons for working out aside from weight loss that include more energy, it feels good to move your body, numerous health benefits such as better sleep, lowered blood pressure, reduced risk for disease, etc., enjoyment, challenging yourself to accomplish a goal, etc. So just because someone is working out does not mean they are eating super restrictive or not allowing themselves to eat pizza (or whatever other food).

Free pizza night actually resulted in me staying at the gym longer than I would have because I arrived earlier than planned and not knowing what time pizza was served (but hoping no later than 5pm), I listened to a podcast episode while on the treadmill, did some upper body weights, did a little elliptical, got back on the treadmill, and did some foam rolling and stretching and then YAY! it was pizza time.

I grabbed two slices (is there a limit? Can I walk out with the whole box? I don’t know), and headed outside, happy as a clam. I mean really, who doesn’t love FREE PIZZA?

Can we all just lighten up a little and remember that food is meant to be enjoyed. It’s ok to eat pizza! What you eat for one meal, or one day, or one week is not going to make or break your health.

Our bodies are very good at regulating where they want to be (in terms of body weight), and unless you are severely under weight, your weight will likely not fluctuate that much after indulging one day or one meal. And if it does change (likely due to water weight, hormones, etc.), it will also likely reset back to its preferred weight within a couple of days. It is more important what you do the majority of the time than what you do occasionally.

End rant.

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