There’s always a new diet that people are talking about, and each one is full of more promises and success stories than the next. But if you’ve ever actually struggled to follow one of those diets you’ll know that more times than not, it’s a miserable experience and you usually put the weight back on shortly after.
Why?
Because these diets are unsustainable!
Sure, following a juice cleanse might help you drop a couple of pounds for a one-time event, but you’re not really going to only drink juice for the rest of your life, are you?!
The diet and weight loss industry is now worth a record $72 billion, and that figure continues to climb because professional marketers are banking on your failures in order to try and sell you something new! So stop buying into the latest diets, and next time you’re tempted to try the trending new diet plan, remember that 95% of diets fail.
Most people have tried to follow at least one diet in their lifetime... which ones have you tried?
One of the reasons dieting doesn’t work is because it leaves you feeling deprived and hungry, which can trigger overeating. Think about it, when you’re hungry, how much more likely are you to pull over to a drive-thru on your way home from work or grab a few candy from the nearest convenience store?
When we’re limiting the food we eat to the point that we’re not getting sufficient nutrients, our bodies start craving sugar and carbs, which can quickly refuel us with energy. To avoid this, be sure to eat enough healthy calories and carbohydrates to keep your body ‘fed’ and satiated.
Once your body is feeling satisfied, it’s much easier to say no to the candy, or bypass the drive-thru.
What time of day are you most likely to binge eat on something that’s unhealthy for you? Afternoon? Late night?
Most of the time, when we think of dieting, we think of restriction - but sacrificing the things we love can make us feel frustrated, which can easily lead to throwing in the towel and going back to our old ways.
When you’re trying to make lifelong changes in your diet, your mentality should shift from removal to addition. Having pizza for dinner? Eat a green salad with it. Craving a burger? Swap out the bun for whole wheat and have some roasted veggies on the side. Want mac and cheese? Steam some veggies or whip up a salad to eat with it.
By adding in healthy options to accompany your usual meals, you’re automatically limiting the amount of unhealthy foods you’re eating. With time, you’ll notice that your body will start craving these additions, and naturally - and effortlessly - you’ll start making healthier food choices.
What’s your favorite not-so-healthy food to eat? Can you think of a way to add some healthier options to it?
Forbidden foods are tempting foods. The chances are that when you’re restricting certain foods from your diet, you’re going to want them even more - then when you finally do eat those foods, you binge and feel guilty about it.
When you start eating intuitively, you’re more in touch with your body, and you’ll begin to stop and ask yourself, ‘Do I really want this now?’ and ‘Will I feel good when I’m finished?’
The combination of checking in with yourself and giving yourself permission to eat those “forbidden” foods will create a mindset that will help you realize that you probably don’t actually WANT that food.
More often than not, we just get caught up in society telling us that we can’t have certain foods, which makes us want them even more.
When you’re trying to restrict your diet, what kind of food do you crave?
Do you ever get a little voice in your head, shaming you for eating that donut, that extra slice of pizza, or that ice cream cone? It’s your psyche’s way of monitoring all the dieting rules you’ve heard again and again over the years, forced upon you by society.
The voice can be real voices too, like your mother asking if you should really be reaching for that extra serving of food or your friends giving you unwanted advice about weight loss. In either case, part of intuitive eating is learning how to ignore those voices in your head and push back against the voices in real life.
Let your loved ones know that you’re on a path toward trying to live a healthier life, and part of that plan means working to eliminate the negative voices surrounding your weight. If they’re genuinely trying to be supportive, they’ll understand and back off.
Is there someone in your life who makes you feel shame toward food? Is that person also yourself?
Do you read nutrition labels? If you don’t already, it’s time to get into the habit! The best rule of thumb to live by is: if you don’t know what it is, don’t eat it!
Instead of filling your pantry with snacks full of artificial flavors, chemicals and additives, opt for whole foods like nuts, seeds, and grains. Also, beware of foods labeled as “low-fat” because they’re likely filled with sugar.
Check out this article to learn more about how to make sense of labels: https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/nutrition-basics/understanding-food-nutrition-labels
Intuitive eating means knowing your body well enough to know when it’s hungry, but also knowing when it’s full!
How often do you reach for a bag of chips and suddenly look down and realize that you’ve eaten the whole thing? Intuitive eating means that you’re paying attention to the food you’re putting in your body so that you’re better able to monitor your intake based on cues from your body naturally. Next time you’re eating a snack or a meal, check in every few minutes and assess your current state. Are you really hungry? Or are you looking for a distraction, or trying to cope with stress or boredom?
We all have the power to listen to our bodies, and they’ll guide us in the right direction!
Feeling satisfied has to do with noticing what you’re eating and taking the time to appreciate it. This step is perhaps the most important part of intuitive eating because it forces you to connect with the food you’re eating.
Getting satisfaction from your food comes down to figuring out what feels good and what doesn’t. Sure it might feel good to eat a slice of pizza, but how do you feel after eating six slices? Probably not great. How about after two slices and a salad? Probably a bit more energized, and a little less bloated. Once you start understanding what feels good in your body, you can put that into practice and start fueling yourself in ways that are truly satisfying.
To start putting satisfactory eating into practice, start with just one meal a day. During this one meal, pay attention to the taste, texture, and appearance of your food, then concentrate entirely on your first and last bite.
What’s the last meal you ate? Was it satisfactory?
Do you know that it takes 20 minutes for your body to recognize that it’s full after you begin eating a meal? When we scarf down our food, we don’t give our bodies a chance to realize that we’re getting full, and we might eat WAY more than we actually need. If you regularly find yourself feeling nauseous, bloated, or really tired after a meal, you’re probably eating too much too quickly!
So chew more, put your eating utensils down in between bites, and take the time to savor each bite. In return, your body will naturally stop itself from overeating and better manage weight.
How long does it take you to eat a meal?
People often overeat to cope with feelings of anxiety, loneliness, boredom, anger, or stress. If you’re struggling to manage your weight or find yourself struggling with overeating, it’s important to get to the root of these difficult emotions so that you can find ways to nurture yourself and start resolving those problems without turning to food.
Do you ever use food to cope with the way you’re feeling? What kinds of foods do you go for if you’re feeling stressed, angry, or generally crummy?
An essential part of getting healthy and creating an intuitive eating plan involves accepting and respecting your body for where it’s at. It’s much easier to take care of something that you respect, so do what you can to retrain your mind to LOVE your body instead of shaming it. Catch yourself when you're mean to yourself and replace the negativity with positivity.
Also realize that each person has a different genetic blueprint, which makes it impossible for some of us to reach certain body shapes and aesthetic expectations. Don’t strive for unrealistic goals, and be grateful for everything that your body CAN do for you.
What’s one thing your body does that you’re grateful for?
Most of us are dehydrated and don’t even realize it. Worse than that, dehydration can masquerade as hunger which leads us to overeat! Next time you’re feeling hungry, drink a glass of water and give yourself 15 minutes to see if those feelings subside. Just note that this will only work if you have in fact recently eaten a nutritious meal - drinking water will not work as a hunger suppressant!
If you don’t already, start bringing a reusable water bottle with you whenever you leave the house. Remember that water helps with digestion as well as the transportation and absorption of nutrients, proteins, and hormones. Water also helps support the body’s natural detoxification process, promotes healthy skin, and can help relieve headaches.
Do you drink enough water?
Meal prepping is a term that’s gained a lot of popularity in the last couple years, and it’s definitely not as overwhelming as you might think!
My favorite way to meal prep is to reserve some time over the weekend to prepare your food for the next coming week or at least the next few days. Although it can take up a few hours, it will help make it easier to stick to healthy, nutritious meals throughout the week when you’re generally too busy to - or would rather not - think about food.
When it comes to meal prep, basically all you want to do is cook big batches of:
Whole grains: quinoa, rice, farro
Proteins: beans, tempeh, eggs, chicken, fish, meat
Veggies
Sauces
Dressings
Clean and chop your fruits and veggies as soon as you get home from the grocery store so that it’s easy to grab and eat. For veggies that take longer to cook, steam or roast them at the beginning of the week so that you can throw them
on your plate without thinking twice.
Use sauces and dressings to give your basics (grains, veggies, proteins) different flavor profiles so that you’re not eating the same meal every day all week.
Whenever possible, make your own food, this way you can save money AND be in total control of the ingredients you’re using.
One last tip is to stash healthy snacks (fruit, crackers, nuts, homemade granola bars) in your bag, or in your car so that you’re less likely to stop by a drive-thru or grab a bag of chips while you’re on the go.
Have you ever meal prepped?
Despite the fact that intuitive eating might seem to preach that you can “eat what you want,” that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be paying attention to nutrition. The pinnacle of intuitive eating means that you’ve got to honor your health AND your taste buds.
Eating mindfully or intuitively means that you can still eat ice cream, but you should be eating fruits and vegetables more regularly. It means that you don’t have to beat yourself up for eating a cheeseburger because you’re also eating plenty of colorful and nutritious foods to balance it out.
Aim for color. Aim for more vegetables. Learn to enjoy fruits and use them as replacements for sugary sweets every once in a while. Take chances and try new foods whenever possible.
One of the biggest misconceptions about intuitive eating is that without a structured diet, you’ll fall off the wagon and eat primarily unhealthy foods - but research has shown us that this isn’t the case. Instead, you’ll eat a wider variety of foods, have more trust in your body, and generally feel better about the way you move through life.
What are your thoughts on what you’ve read so far? Are there any lingering questions you have?
It’s my hope that this post has given you the information and confidence to forge ahead with your dietary habits in a healthy and nutritious way. I’m here to answer any questions you have.
Please take a moment to share your number one takeaway from this .
#nutritionnotrestriction #healthydancer #iinhealthcoach #emotionaleatingpsychology #healthyeatinghabits #healthyeating #healthcoachfordancers #balletmentor #dietsdontwork
Comments