Develop A Better Relationship With Food
This is not a diet post, it´s not about how you shred Kg or lose weight. It’s about how you develop a GOOD relationship with food and get GOOD at eating healthy.
Here is the thing, if you LISTEN to people talk about food - it usually involves a tale about how difficult it is to eat healthy, how hard it is to maintain weight ect. Truth is most of us have a difficult relationship with food. But what if nutrition is a skill that you can actually practice & work on to get better?
Well, I’m here to tell you that it is. It’s just a matter of having the right goal & the right mindset.
When it comes to nutrition, it’s all about MINDFUL eating – and a better relationship to food.
Here is how we start:
Every day, we are faced with a choice of which food to prepare or which food to eat and to be able to work our way through this & make a wise choice despite the temptations is in itself a tough skill.
A common misconceptions about healthy diets. In reality, eating well is NOT just about eating ‘nutritious’ foods or making ‘healthy’ choices, being able to count your calorie intake or say no to junk food. Rather, it’s the ability to make good choices by listening to what your body truly needs. It’s about knowing which food combination works best to nourish your body & satiate you in all aspects. It’s about being able to eat in a well-balanced manner, not being extreme.
There’s really no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to this. It’s about finding the perfect balance for YOUR body and being able to adapt to whatever it needs.
Yet, here are some things I can share with you or remind you when it comes to diets.
Habits & Behavior > Numbers & Scale
Before anything else, let’s talk about your eating behavior or your eating habits. It’s far more important than that number on the scale.
I’ve encountered people who weigh themselves DAILY. Whenever I ask them why they do that, most of them would say they feel the need to constantly keep an eye on their weight because they don’t trust themselves enough to make good food choices.
Whenever people want to lose weight & start a diet, they tend to fix their attention on the weighing scale. While it’s important to keep track of these things, I believe it’s even more important to track on one’s behavior why the numbers on the scale increase or decrease.
Take a moment to ask yourself & really reflect. When do I feel most tempted to eat more? Are you the type of person who eats out of emotions? Do you eat more when you’re stressed or you’re lonely or just merely tired? Watch out for those patterns. Once you’ve addressed the issue, you can now more effectively come up with a solution.
I’ve had quite the experience in helping my clients with issues like this. I can help you just the same.
No Such Thing As Perfect
Secondly, keep in mind that perfection is NOT the goal – it’s PROGRESS.
People who have ‘strict’ diets often try to follow it as perfectly as they could that they neglect to be kind to their bodies. These people start being too harsh & hard on themselves that it’s not helping them anymore.
This, too, is where my help comes in. My beliefs is that a more flexible attitude towards food and to avoid thinking labeling them as ‘good’ or ‘bad’. is more helpful in the long run. I teach and practice to mindfully eat smaller portions of something they really like rather than depriving themselves of their favorite dish or overindulging on it later.
Raising Awareness
When you become more aware of what your body really needs & the behavior you have when it comes to eating, it’ll be much easier for you to adapt to new eating habits.
When you become more aware of the struggles or challenges you face when making food choices, you’ll be able to know where to shift your focus on those & develop the relevant skills to make you in charge of food rather than the other way around.
We know that habits don’t just merely change overnight. It does require a lot of patience, effort, discipline, sacrifice, lots of trial & error, dedication & so much practice.
It may also require a little bit of coaching which I can definitely help you with.
As a coach, I can help you understand what influences your hunger, cravings & mood and work from there. I’ve always worked to build new habits for my clients which are manageable, enjoyable and sustainable for them.
Ready to take action?
The way you go from here if you want a better relationship with food is step 1, evaluate your current relationship with food with this quiz, see how many points your rack up.
If you need some help with nutrition you have multiple options, ranging from a Free Habit Challenge, to courses and individual coaching.
I have been apart of developing a 30 nutrition course with Crossfit Alioth that you can sign up to with the above goals in mind. You can find further details on the course HERE
If you are interested in a more individual approach then reach out HERE
best of luck!
Eik