APPLICABLE NUTRITION
Relationship with Food on your Weightloss Journey - Part 2
Leave that “Shortcut Mentality” Behind
Stop the Juice Cleanses, Detoxes and Cookie Cutter quick fix Plans if you want a better relationship with food and sustainable weight loss. If there was a magic pill, trust me I would bottle it up and sell millions of them, but the truth is there is no short cup that changes habits. I believe the more strategic you are through the process and not skipping steps, the more you will learn and the easier it will be for you to get right back up when you do inevitably stumble. 93% of all diets fail because they are too restrictive and filled with false promises that lead you to believe that it’s easy. If it were easy then everyone would be in the best shape of their lives year round.
Find a structure that works for you that’s conducive to your life
Find a structure that works for you that helps you find a balance between how much you are sacrificing and how that matches up to your lifestyle, environment and current circumstances.
When it comes to the physical aspect of nutrition my major focus is on how the structure of the meals makes me feel, hunger levels, energy levels and digestion. When those three are in check, weight loss typically follows that.
Find plethora of meals that you love
If it’s too complicated then it will rarely be made and If it’s too “healthy” then more often than not it’s too restrictive.
Find replacements for meals and foods that you absolutely love that don’t leave you feeling “guilty”. Just remember sugar is not the devil, and carbs are not the enemy. If you can find alternate meals that are quick and easy and hit your taste buds at the same time then it will help you stick to plans and create a better relationship with food.
Through the process you may find that moms spaghetti or your aunts brownies hit that spot, so instead of pushing it away, figure out how to tweak it to make it healthier, or just add it into your plans making adjustments to fit it in.
Identify your triggers and begin to work them in
This may take incredible patience to do but it’s so worth it. If you can identify your trigger foods then you may be in that place where you have to keep them out of the house as you start…this is okay. It’s crucial through the process that you start to slowly work those triggers back in, and soon you’ll realize they are not triggers at all. The goal is to be able to eat intuitively which can take years to master, but the longer you run from those triggers foods, the more inadequate you are to having them and not overindulging.
Learn to eat out and win outside of a structured meal plan.
One of the biggest mistakes I made through my 190 lb weightloss journey was not eating out. I was fearful of regaining the weight or being triggered by the additives there were j the fast foods and restaurants, so I rarely ever ate out. I encourage each client today, to not do what I did and learn to win while eating out. If your current habit is to over eat or binge when you go out to eat, start to look at each time you do go out to eat as a chance to change that habit and strengthen new ones.
Preplanning menus helps take the anxiety out of things, but you want to get to a place that you are able to pick and choose on the go and make adjustments to the rest of your gay without over thinking everything.
Stop Fixating on Scale Numbers.
Too often I see a fixation on the scale. The individual is willing to do anything to hit a certain number, but forget that the number in turn is causing an even worse relationship with food and typically making them even more unhealthy than they already were both physically and emotionally. Start to focus on whether or not what you are doing is sustainable. Whether or not you have a rhyme or reason to what exactly you are doing. Whether or not you are learning what works best for you long term.
Those are three questions you should ask yourself during your journey, and of the answers are No, then fight got balance that turns those to Yes.
DO NOT go on a weightloss journey if you’re dealing with an Eating Disorder.
When I have individuals come to me with eating disorders, our focus is never on weightloss. We focus on food choices, finding exactly what works for them with their disordered eating, Identify their current patterns, and then work to break those.
If you are dealing with an eating disorder, turn your focus from the scale numbers to fueling your body and your Mind. If the weight loss happens, it should not be because you fixated on the scale or macros, but because you found a suitable structure and support systems that allowed you to enhance your relationship with food!
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