Moderation is harder than denial

Moderation is harder than outright denial: this is a thought I've been having lately. 

It started with someone asking me if fasting isn't just the same thing as starvation, or anorexia, and I had to think carefully about how to answer that question. I absolutely would NOT equate fasting with disordered eating, and one of the crucial differences is: control. Control and moderation. These are two of the core principles I find myself coming back to again and again all of this. 

Unlike other addictions or problematic behaviours, disordered eating has a unique challenge, in that the substance being misused is one which also happens to be crucial for life. We all need food. We need its nutrients, and in my view, good food is one of the joys of life. According to my personal beliefs, it was intended to be. Heroin, on the other hand, is not crucial for life (anyone would probably argue that a distinct LACK of heroin is crucial for life!). Drug addiction, alcoholism, sugar/carb addiction, pornography/sex addictions, social media addictions - all of these things can be eliminated completely, but eating in general can't. 

I tend to think that it would be easier if we could. As difficult as it is to cut something out completely, I think it's much harder to exercise moderation and control and to continue engaging in something which has formerly proven to be problematic. In general, I think that people find it easier to be all-or-nothing about things, rather than to find a careful medium and live in that zone. 

For me, it's about learning to exercise control, so that my decisions are made consciously, rationally, rather than being ruled by my impulses. Taking indulgences is actually a part of my self-discipline, something which I do in order to keep from becoming obsessive even about my discipline, if that makes sense. I take cheat meals, but they're always planned for, worked out, balanced out. Healthy living, in my personal opinion, is about finding healthy balances. It's about taking control and living within your plan rather than allowing your impulses to have free reign over your decisions, and that applies to everything from getting your work done, living within your budget, managing your time, and obviously to indulging in healthy, balanced meals that taste good and contribute to the overall goodness of your life without becoming problematic or addictive. All of life is about this balance, I feel, and no one ever manages to stay within the lines at every single moment. The point is only to decide where your lines are, and to do your best to live within them.