As we move into the summer, conversations about getting into shape for swimsuits are well underway. Most conversations are about loathing parts of our bodies and wanting to make changes. Today I want to propose a new mindset relating to food, how we eat, and acceptance of our bodies in each present moment.
It’s not unusual to feel disappointed with the way we look but this can create a depressive mindset which carries over into other parts of our life. Food is not the problem! Food does not walk up to us and enter our mouths. It’s our relationship with food that is the issue. For those of us who struggle with our yo-yo weight, this is a perfect time to take a Do Over and become reacquainted with food. For most of us food is not scarce. There is another meal in a few hours but sometimes we eat as if we are going into a famine. Ironically, I find the more I eat, the more I want.
The word “DIET” has a negative connotation tied to eating constraints and deprivation. It’s important to remove this word from your vocabulary. Think of an eating Do Over as an eating journey that is long term. Also don’t think about losing weight but rather consciously transforming the shape of your body. May I suggest hiding the scale and use the mirror to assess your journey. We must come to terms with our inner selves to determine if we eat because we are hungry or if we are suppressing emotion. I am making a list of healthy foods I enjoy and the lifestyle I want to live. This includes a mixed drink instead of a dessert. It’s Ok to eat carbs in their natural state such as a baked potato. The two main components to taking the consumption Do Over is consistency and TIME. Change your mindset that food is fuel for our bodies not a drug to spark our endorphins. “Dieting” or eating deprivation will last 3 days then backfire.
Coupling a conscious eating journey with an exercise journey that you enjoy (such as dancing around your living room or listening to music and stretching) will boost your endorphins and help with your body transformation. As with other areas in life we will fall off track. Have compassion for yourself, drink water to flush your body, and take a Do Over starting with the next meal. If you are traveling, challenge yourself to find healthy choices whether it’s for 1, 2 or 3 meals. The better we feel internally is how we will show up for ourselves. When we change our relationship with food, it’s best not to set a date deadline for your ideal body transformation. Use the date to see where you land on the conscious eating journey and more importantly, check in on your mindset. This will allow you to keep going after the event date.
For parents:
Food is often a battle between children and parents. It’s not unusual for young children to eat 2 foods such as pasta and chicken fingers, or French fries and fish sticks. If your pediatrician is happy with your child’s development, give your child space to grow into a wider variety of foods. My oldest daughter was extremely limited with her eating until she went to college. I never fought the foods she ate because she was not asking for sweets or chocolates, she was just very particular with her few choices. When she was a baby, she did not transition easily onto baby food. It turned out she was sensory, and the mushy texture caused her to gag. I knew she wasn’t being controlling with her food as it started at a very young age. I was ecstatic when she started eating pasta around age 9 so we could go to an Italian restaurant, and I did not have to bring snacks with me. We never fought over food. My other children ate what we served and accepted that my daughter was limited with her choices. I looked at it as if she had an allergy or intolerance. When she was 8 years, I took her to an eating psychologist who said he wasn’t sure how I did it, but my daughter did not have a negative relationship with food. He complimented me for going with the flow to her needs because he said undoing a negative controlling relationship with food is extremely difficult. Today she eats everything and is even an adventurous eater. My greatest challenge was staving off well-meaning friends and family members who were telling me to force feed her or make her starve so that she would eat what I served. I just wasn’t up to the fight, so I stayed on my path. I am so glad I was naturally conscious and mindful to her needs. It’s also important to know that parents are giving advice based on the personalities of their children, not yours.
I am using this long weekend to fill up my fridge with my favorite healthy foods and I am going to spend time breathing and thinking about my relationship with food. I have been successful losing weight in the past, but not maintaining it in a healthy way. I am often abusive to food when it’s just there to nourish me. I already feel renewed with more clarity, now it’s just consistency, time, and self-compassion.
I know all of this is easier said than done or we would not be in the predicament of wanting to transform our bodies. I am here to help you take a Do Over if your relationship with food is in a negative cycle. Click on the link below to connect with me and we can start this weekend.
Taking a Do Over in this area will positively affect your relationship with yourself and will also spread into other areas.
~Andi
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