Habits
It’s very common once we have made a decision to lose weight, to start eliminating all the foods we consider to be bad out of the diet in one fast swoop.
Whilst food restriction is a part of losing weight, the very fact of losing weight in terms of your emotional and psychological, social and physiological can be a lot more complicated.
Many, many people can successfully lose weight for a set period of time. It may take a lot of planning, preparation and most importantly will power to get to that size. With the help of a motivating goal such as a wedding or a bikini holiday abroad, the task can be accomplished with a lot of hard work, but very achievable.
The rub comes after arriving on holiday or wedding day. You may have wanted for months to arrive at a certain weight or clothes size. All of a sudden the motivating factor has been achieved and it is at this crucial point that many will completely derail themselves and the weight will creep back on.
A very good starting point if you want to lose weight or get fit and healthy, is to assess what kind of relationship you have with food in the first place. Always start where you at, not where you are wanting to be in two years time.
Here are some questions to ponder over to get you started:-
Emotional and psychological
Spend some time answering some of these questions which could answer some of your problems with your relationship with food. Remember though, not to judge yourself or your family. We are seeking awareness, which goes a long way in feeling in control around food. Treat these questions lightly and with a light heart.
Do you tend to reach for the biscuits or crisps when you are bored or stressed, whether you are hungry or not?
Do you tend to overload with sweets or chocolate during festive periods or easter, because this is what your family did?
Do you tend to eat everything on your plate, because as a child, your mother used to tell you that children in Africa are starving?
Do you reach for the chips and pie first, because this is what you were given often as a child, and it brings back great memories of family life and being a child?
Are you a pudding fan because your mother would give you pudding only after eating up all your food on the plate?
Do you have a warm safe feeling when you reach out for meals or snacks which remind you of your childhood or upbringing?
A good way of getting in touch with your relationship with food is to start a diary. You don’t anything fancy, just a notepad will do. Write down when you snack, what you snack and what feeling or emotion you are experiencing at that point. Cultivating awareness around your behaviour is one of the most powerful tools you can have in improving your diet and relationship with food.
Have a nice day,
Nicola.
