Do you ever find yourself using “good” or “bad” to describe foods? Are you tired of feeling food is the enemy? What would happen if you gave all foods a permanent pardon?
This scenario might sound familiar to you if you have ever been on a diet.
Sue really wanted a chocolate chip cookie. But her diet plan did not allow for cookies, so Sue dutifully ate an apple instead. She still wanted the cookie, and since it still wasn’t on her diet plan, she ate a rice cake with peanut butter. The cookie craving persisted, and the diet plan was not wavering in the least, so Sue ate some carrot sticks with hummus. Sue couldn’t fight the craving any longer, so she broke down and ate three chocolate chip cookies. She felt she had “blown” the diet at this point, so she ate six more cookies. Sue felt guilty, and felt she failed again at this diet thing.
Here’s another version of the story.
Sue really wanted a chocolate chip cookie. She had learned to honor her hunger by eating whenever she felt hungry. She practiced mindful eating and really enjoyed every bite she ate. Sue put a chocolate chip cookie on a plate, sat down at the table, and ate her cookie. She savored every bite, letting each delicious morsel melt in her mouth. When she finished her cookie, she felt satisfied, and continued about her day feeling great.
The rebel in us will often be triggered the moment we are told we can’t do something. This is often true of food rules. If a particular food is not allowed in our diet, it sets us up to crave that food. This often leads to bingeing on this forbidden food, leading to overeating and guilt. Sue ended up eating more food and feeling worse in the first version of the story. The second version demonstrates Sue eating what she wanted, when she wanted, consciously and mindfully. She felt more satisfied with less food, and felt no guilt.
Consider experimenting with allowing yourself to eat anything you want whenever you want. No foods are forbidden. Eat when you are hungry. Stop when you are no longer hungry. Savor every bite.
Discover how peaceful your day can be when food is no longer the enemy, but is just food.
No comments:
Post a Comment