Learn How To Create A Balanced & Flexible Way of Eating
I used to revolve my life around food.
Everything was so planned and in control and it felt good until…..I could no longer stick to the diet, which resulted in a massive blow out and things would spiral out of control with my eating and weight.
I constantly felt like a failure.
I believed that my issue was all about control and will power.
It was, but in the opposite way that we have been taught.
Did you know that the best way to put on weight is to start dieting?
This goes against everything we have been taught.
Research supports that 98% of dieters put back on the weight (and more!) in a 12 month period, yet we continue to believe that we will be the lucky 2% who will succeed.
When we diet and are too much in control of our food choices, it goes against our basic psychology and biology. Our body senses a starvation and deprivation kicks in. This means that a binge or out of control eating is just around the corner.
We can only white knuckle our way through for so long. It’s like a ticking time bomb, waiting for the right eating trigger to blow.
I wanted to share these 5 signs with you and some tips on how to take on board a more balanced & flexible approach, which I believe is a far more sustainable and empowering way to lead your life.
5 Ways To Create a Healthy & Balanced Relationship With Food
1. The more balanced & flexible your eating is, the less likely you will end up being out of control with food
Are you worried that if you’re not in control of your food choices 100% of the time, that you will end up being out of control with your eating?
This is called all or nothing thinking where you believe that even if you relax just a little bit with food, you will end up being out of control (and eat everything and anything in sight!!).
Tip: We often forget that there is a continuum – life is so much more rich and fulfilling when you no longer have 2 gears (in control and out of control) that you are operating. The more you can relax your in control side, the more balance, flexible and sustainable your eating will be.
2. Focus more of the journey, and less on the destination
Are you overly focused on the end game? Whether that be a certain dress size or a number on a scale?
Is there a part of you that believes that you will relax once you reach your destination?
Or you might think that when you reach your destination, that you will stop dieting or let go of the dieting mentality?
Unfortunately it doesn’t happen like that. We often think that we will relax our eating once we lose the weight, but that leads to weight gain and the cycle continues.
Tip: Can you start to relax now (without feeling out of control) rather than waiting until you ‘get there’? Start living life in the moment, and not put your life on hold until you get ‘there’.
3. Get out of your head, and into your body
How often are you planning out all of your meals and food choices in your head?
Have you planned out today’s meals? Maybe even the week?
This is just an alternative strategy to emotional eating, because it’s an avoidance strategy.
It’s keeping you out of your body and away from your feelings.
Tip: Can you start to place your awareness into your body and feel your feelings? It’s our fear of our feelings that seems to be worse than the actual experience. Start by placing your feet firmly into the ground and keep the same awareness as you move your awareness up through your body.
4. Flexibility and living in the moment is key
Do you say no to last minute invitations that might involve eating out? Or say no to plans that you haven’t accounted for?
How do you feel when things deviate from your plan?
Plans help us to manage our anxiety, but being too rigid and in control means we can miss out on a lot of experiences in the moment, or be disappointed when the reality doesn’t match our plan and how it ‘should’ have been.
Tip: Some of the best experiences that I’ve had involve last minute, spontaneous plans. Can you introduce structure in your week, without the same level of rigidity? Can you create space for some uncertainty? Can you show flexibility – even if it’s just once a week?
5. Tune in and trust yourself
Do you weigh yourself daily or weekly? Do you count calories?
Do you have other strategies in place to try to stay in control, such as intense exercise or using apps to track your progress?
We outsource a lot of our decision making to external tools. This means that we can really lose the connection to ourselves, our feelings and our needs.
Tip: Trusting yourself is key. This comes from within. Becoming an intuitive eater is one of the best way I’ve found to achieve food freedom. It’s an alternative to dieting and it’s far more empowering and sustainable.
With love,
Georgie xx
PS If this approach resonates with you and you want to learn more, I invite you to join my FREE 5 Day Food Freedom Mini Course starting January 22nd where I will equip you with the tools to get started. Click here to join >> https://georgiebeames.com/challenge