Low fat, no sugar, no carbs. For many years I was caught up in the latest diet going from one to the next, experiencing brief periods of weight loss and a false sensation of happiness.
I felt imprisoned.
The fight to stay confined within the rules of the ‘diet’ became so exhausting and off the wagon I’d fall. That was, until the next new ‘guaranteed to work’ diet fad came in and so did my new obsession. I journeyed through the very few highs and so many lows for way too long.
It wasn’t until I let go of the reigns, released some control and started to listen within, that my whole mindset around eating started to shift.
After clearing the diet mentality and letting go of the angst, I have never felt more energised and more at peace with food, eating and my body. No more meltdowns, no more giving into uncontrollable cravings, no more disordered eating. It has all gone.
These are my 5 tips to get you listening to your intuition and healing your relationship with food.
Switching off at meal times
I used to be guilty of this; viewing dinner as a time to jump on the laptop, talk on the phone and whatever else I could squeeze in. Before I knew it, I had polished off enough food for two of me and was feeling way too full and pretty crappy. Switch of the technology and you will find you tend to eat less as you will be more in tune to the feelings of hunger and fullness and not so caught up in the distraction.
Explore
There is no one size fits all when it comes to eating. Explore a wide range of foods and take note of how your mind and body responds. See what feels right for you and trust your body, as it knows best.
Unsubscribe
Keeping tabs all the ‘fit’ bodies (which are often unrealistic) on social media is not always helpful and more often than not, harmful. It’s a daily (or hourly) reminder of what a tiny percentage of people look like. More often than not, the image has been enhanced or altered and it’s not a true representation. Yet, we tell ourselves through negative self talk that it’s how we ‘should’ look. What these images aren’t telling you, is how the person feels and what tortuous restrictions that they had to put themselves through to achieve the ‘perfect abs’. Unsubscribe, remove or delete. Do it now.
Lose the label
Society likes to put us in boxes, in fact some of us like to do it it each other, even ourselves. It makes it easier for us to understand, accept and feel safe. Labels remind of what we should and shouldn’t be doing. It only adds pressure and a constant analysis. Lose the label and enjoy food for what it is.
Listen
Listen to your body and honour what it is telling you. If you are hungry then eat. If you feel full, then stop eating. We have got so caught up in listening to external sources, following all the rules, we have forgotten to look inside and simply listen.
Tell me – what has worked for you? Share your thoughts in the comments below.