Stop Stressing over food
I don't know about you but I've been a chronic dieter most of my life. When on vacations I would be so concerned with gaining weight that I wouldn't allow myself to enjoy the restaurants, the ice cream stops, the time around the table with friends and family.
There would be times at home I would avoid foods like bananas and peanut butter because of their high calories. Things I knew were healthy but I simply did not have the calories so I ate my bird food and pretended to be happy. I would tell people "yes you can eat 1200-1500 calories and be successful, full and happy" all the while inside I'm screaming from hunger.
I got fed up with not enjoying my food, of constantly thinking about food because I was ALWAYS feeling hungry!
All those years I would miss out on dinners at friends. The plate I actually really wanted on the menu at the restaurant.. nope side salad for me, the desert that everyone was making yummy noises for.. no thank you I’m so full from the side salad, and all for what!? To feel so sad the next day for missing out then I would binge eat in secret... Something had to change! I realized it was my mindset and my relationship with food.
So I took my first steps to stop stressing over food. What was the first thing?
First things first- ditch your scale! I know I know it sounds so scary. How else will I measure my health right? Well let me ask you this - have you ever felt really good about yourself step up on that scale and suddenly you are spiraling! You starve yourself that day and hit the gym extra hard or feel so bad you binge and emotional eat all day because why keep trying if it's not gonna give me the results I want and deserve.
If you find yourself micromanaging your food it's probably because you are trying to control your body size and this number.
Does the scale affect your food choices? It's important to acknowledge this and see how it affects your relationship with food. If that number holds you back from enjoying the experiences in life you should be enjoying, why are you holding onto it? Let go of that chain and ditch your scale.
Another thing. Why are there so many "food rules"? We hear all the time - don't eat so many carbs, what that's full fat, don't eat past 8pm, intermittent fasting is gold standard. Rules are stressful and food should be anything but stressful, we have enough stress in our lives don't let something as enjoyable as food be added to that list. What are calories but energy sources, do you really want to be counting your energy all the time? Let go of the food rules that have been created just to chain us down, and set yourself free.
I've recently had a client who restricted on an extreme level (we are talking less than 1200 calories) which would lead to binge eating in secret and after deep feelings of shame and regret.. then more restrictions and deprivation the next day to make up for it. Is that the way you want to live?
Understand that food intake is not the end all be all of health. Yes it's important but our health is so much more than one thing. So don't attribute your health to what you eat but see the big picture of what being healthy means to you. And remember, one meal, day or days of eating will not make or break your health. So stop stressing over what you eat!
Want to learn how to break free and finally enjoy food guilt free?
