Bust the Binge!
When you are living a diet mentality, you are constantly thinking about what you should eat, what you should look like and what you are not doing right. It’s a set-up for failure in your mind before food even enters the picture. If you want to start eating in a healthy way, you must begin thinking in a healthy way.
What is diet restriction? It begins with the thought that you better restrict your food intake to succeed. It focuses on calorie counting and the numbers on a scale. It judges, criticizes and is never good enough. It is the ultimate inner perfectionist about to sabotage everything. It is what sets you up for a binge.
How do you get out of diet restriction and live in the present, allowing your body to take in what it needs, no more, no less?
Here are seven ways to start:
1. Throw away the scale
This can be scary for those of us who rely on the numbers on a scale to determine
their self-worth. It’s time! Using a scale to determine how “good” you are only adds to the negative self-talk and creates a division between your ability to trust yourself and your connection with your own body.
2. Never skip a meal
I can’t stress the importance here enough. Eat breakfast within 20 minutes of getting up and never skip a meal in the day. If you slip up with food in the day, just get right back on track at your next meal. If you are not hungry, eat later but stay with your routine.
3. Save the cleanses and detoxes for somebody else
A cleanse or detox is a “diet in disguise” for the problematic eater. If you struggle with eating “normally” then it’s best to leave the extreme health trends to others. Cut your sugar intake, make small changes to your plan—but never fast.
4. Plan your meals—Not “diet” your meals!
Often confused with “dieting,” a food plan means simply having an idea what your day around food will look like. When are the meal and snack times? What are healthy options? No calorie counting or restricting here. Make sure every meal and snack is something you want to eat—and eat it slowly.
5. Eat every three to four hours
By planning your meals and snacks three to four hours apart you don’t allow time for the brain to go into “starvation” mode or the anxiety to set in. It is important to make sure a meal is a meal, and a snack is a snack—plan ahead.
6. Revamp your inner perfectionist thinking
If you are wired with old files that constantly tell you that you are not good enough, put down those thoughts on paper! Write an affirmation for each thought. Repeat until that thought loses its edge and the anxiety passes. It is often helpful to work with someone who is skilled with this process.
7. Avoid Extremes
When planning your food, avoid restricting yourself in any way that feels extreme. If you are trying to avoid sugar and there is a bit in a dressing, let it go! Trust that you will be OK. Trust that as you learn to think better, you absolutely can heal for life.
To see the full article, please click the link below! I look forward to hearing your comments and insights this week!