As many of you already know, for many years I had major problems with my weight and body image. I'd say it started around age 12 or 13 and was a constant struggle until I was 30 (and to put that into perspective, I'm currently 41).
The funny thing is, my weight and body image issues drive me to do what I do today. That's why I'm so grateful for this journey in so many ways. If I didn't want to lose weight, I would never have studied fitness, integrative nutrition, weight loss, or food psychology.
Here's why it's obvious: Healthy eating and weight loss of sustainable weight are topics that are close to my heart and that I understand inside.
This is why today I am sharing 5 steps that will help me. They helped me get out of a diet mind-set that caused me to constantly lose and gain weight, switch from one diet to another, and get to where I am today; A mother of two who loves her body and food and has maintained a 50-pound weight loss for over two years and through two pregnancies.
Yes, diets can. Be extremely helpful and informative, without YOU they won't work! Because I was on a diet, I always thought that I was the problem and that dieting (whatever I did) was the solution. Then I became very tense and rigid and tried with all my might to follow the rules of the diet exactly.
But inevitably I ate something that wasn't part of the diet, or there was too much of it, and then I ran out because it denotes failure.
I left myself out of the equation and then when I failed to stick to the diet, I automatically concluded that there was something wrong with me and I would never thought this diet wasn't working for me or that I needed to change some things to make it work better.
Remember that diets are only guidelines and you should modify and adapt them yourself if necessary.
Focus On Quality, Not On Calories
I'm much focused on calories and where I had to give up or limit my diet, which always left me feeling deprived and frustrated (and then led to many binge eating episodes).
When I learned to focus more on calories than quality, I started to see food in a completely new way. Instead of always focusing on what I needed to eliminate, I looked for new delicious and nutritious foods to incorporate. It was a complete change in perspective and made “healthy eating” really fun and delicious. It's definitely made me want to try new ingredients and cook a lot more.
Stop Exercising To Lose Weight
For a long time I trained for a reason; and was losing weight.
I didn't pay much attention to whether I really liked the exercise or not, I generally tried to do the exercise that burned the most calories. or help you lose weight faster. It usually only took a few weeks to realize it wasn't really working. So what was the problem? Then, obviously, I stopped.
Until the day I decided to practice the sports that I love and that make me feel good, simply because I love them. It did me good. No exchange, no compensation. I was just committed to changing my body or not, I wanted to move it because it made me feel good.
You have to remember everything if you don't If you don't like it, it will also be very difficult to bear. The key to long-term results is consistency, and you won't be consistent if you don't love what you do.
For me, willpower. I always felt like I was working against myself. It was like I wanted to change my weight so badly...so desperately that I never took the time to figure it out, I just wanted to fix it.
So I tried to push myself and get to the finish line, but it always seemed VERY difficult and I never got very far before I finally threw in the towel.
At some point, I realized that the reason I felt so difficult was because I wasn't paying much attention. I didn't slow down enough to recognize what I needed, when I needed it, or how I needed it. He was always so busy pushing that he never listened.
So I started practicing mindfulness more. I just paid attention to what worked for me and what didn't. What I liked and what I didn't like.
It's true that to do this I had to truly ACCEPT where I was and let go of the need to fix myself. But that's another conversation!
Know The Difference Between Physical And Emotional Hunger
This relates back to number four, because to recognize the difference between the two, I had to practice mindfulness.
When I recognized the difference between physical and emotional hunger, I started by practicing how to meet my emotional needs without food.
And that doesn't mean I don't eat more emotionally, because I really do. But now I don't feel like it's happening to me. If I decide to do so, it will be for reasons of conscience.