4. Don’t allow food to dictate your life
People with a healthy relationship to food don’t obsess about food to the point where it interferes with how they live their life.
This can go both ways. Obsessing about healthy foods and eating “too” clean is a thing or obsessing about when your next meal will be, what you’ll eat, how much you’ll eat etc…
Eating and everything about food shouldn’t take precedence over your family, friends, or happiness.
If you find yourself fixated on food everywhere you go, skip out on family events for fear of overindulging at a potluck picnic or you bring your own “healthy meal” to Thanksgiving dinner… it may be time to work on having a more 80/20 balanced mindset toward food.
5. Stop comparing your body or what you eat with others
People with a healthy relationship to food understand that we are all unique in body, mind, and spirit.
Our bodies aren’t meant to look like one another and we aren’t all supposed to look like all fitness models on IG, or that super hot actress from Wonderwoman.
You should be able to sit down with a friend at lunch without feeling ashamed for what you order. If it’s a Friday night and you were planning on that meal being your “treat” then go for it (even if you friend orders a salad with no dressing). Get the juicy burger, enjoy the juicy burger! And no more looking at other women’s bodies and then standing in the mirror to analyze and compare their to own own. What we should all strive for is a strong, healthy body with confidence that radiates.
So how do you know if you’re needing a healthier relationship with food? If these following behaviors sound familiar:
- You’re “dieting” all the time
- You obsess over what the scale says and shame yourself for what # it shows
- You use exercise to compensate for having eaten something “bad” or for having eating “too much”
- You’re consumed by food all the time and find yourself anxious about all things related to food (planning, obtaining, preparing, consuming).
- You tend to gravitate toward “diet” foods (hint: these normally aren’t all that healthy for you).
- You stay clear of social get togethers for fear of having to make decisions surrounding food and often eat in private (either over-consuming or under-consuming) to avoid attention.
- You connect food with emotion (stress, boredom, entertainment, happiness, sadness, etc.) then feel guilty after eating.
These are all unhealthy patterns. Creating habits like constant yo-yo dieting, chronic binge or restrictive eating, full blown eating disorders, or other harmful behaviors physically, mentally and emotionally. They wreak havoc on your metabolism and often lead to long term health issues and malnourishment.
A mental shift won’t happen overnight. These thoughts, behaviors and patterns won’t disappear right away. The next time you find yourself emotional eating, obsessing over dieting, or shaming yourself for eating that slice of cake I want you to focus on progress, not perfection. I want you to step back and journal about how you’re feeling and identify the underlying trigger that’s the driving force behind your thoughts and behaviors. Baby steps will help you through this process and lead you into a positive direction.
Hear me, friend – YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL just the way you are. But if you are living with these unhealthy feelings and habits I need some help, I’M HERE FOR YOU! Drop in and shoot me a message! I’d love to get you started on some nutrition and lifestyle coaching so you can begin on a healthier, happier path.
Now go on today and do something your future self with thank you for.
