Food can be our medicine or our enemy. I know because I’ve been on both sides as I’m sure you have too.
Today I want to encourage you to eat like you love yourself. Here’s what that means to me and I hope it will resonate with you!
~ Eat for energy and performance ~ not for comfort
Your body actually wants nutrient dense food and will perform better when you feed it that way. When we’re stressed we crave comfort foods because they act like serotonin and make us feel good – comforted. The down side is that they can also make us feel sluggish so that we don’t want to get off the couch. While this is ok occasionally, the majority of the time you want to eat to fuel your body.
~ Don’t skip meals ~ skip the junk, the processed, and the sugar
I work with a lot of women who think if they eat less they’ll lose more. Not true. When you skip meals, your body goes into starvation mode, not knowing when the next meal will be and you start to store fat. Not good, not what you want. I actually used to be one of those women who was in a love/hate relationship with food and would only eat a salad a day, or some chips or something.
You actually have to eat to lose weight. If you have no idea how much you should be eating then click here and let’s set up a free consultation to talk about your goals and get you started!
Now at the same time you want to lose the junk and processed foods because those are not helping you lose weight or get healthier. Your body has NO idea what to do with chemicals, dyes, and artificial flavorings and colors. It doesn’t know how to process that and so it actually can build up in your fat tissue and cause problems down the road. That’s why it’s good to do natural detoxes periodically.
~ Food is energy ~ NOT the enemy
When you eat nutrient dense you’ll notice within a week that you have more energy. Your body will be so happy! You’ll lose any bloating that you might have, most likely lose weight, and just have an overall happier feeling and outlook.
Don’t let food be the enemy. I used to go on binges and eat junk and then eat ok and then eat junk. Once I learned how easy it can be to eat healthy, and stayed consistent I started to feel the effects that food has on my body. It’s made for a happier me and you’ll notice that when you feel better your outlook and mood improve.
~ Learn to listen to YOUR body and learn which foods agree with you and which don’t
Do you ever keep eating something even though you feel like crap afterwards? You’re bloated, you’re sluggish, and you just feel blah. Why do we do this to ourselves? Because it’s so good for all of 10 mins, only to not be so good for the next 6 hours. Doesn’t really make sense does it?
You know what you shouldn’t eat and what you should. Listen to that inner voice and move away from the foods that don’t make your body happy. I think the older you get the more you listen to your body because you don’t want to have bad days. I don’t want to feel awful, sluggish and bloated. That’s not my idea of a good time and I know it’s not yours either.
There are several foods that can trigger reactions in your body, but the main ones are sugar, wheat, dairy, soy, and sometimes meats. Keeping a food journal for 5-7 days will help you narrow down what bothers you. Write what you eat down, then how you feel afterwards. This last part is the important part. How you feel after you eat. Bloated, stomach bothering you, indigestion. This will help you find the culprits.
~ Make progress your goal ~ not perfection
No one is perfect and we can’t begin to be, so stop striving for it. It’s an illusion. Just strive to improve each day, each week, each year. Whether it’s with your eating, organization, fitness, whatever. Make your goal to keep learning and improving.
~ Forgive your bad habits ~ but work on improving them each week
Face it we all have bad habits. One of mine is that I always want to eat at night. Often right before I go to bed. Often right after I’ve JUST eaten dinner. For some reason I never seem to get full so even after an awesome dinner I could continue to eat and eat.
I used to get really upset and feel so bad because I caved and ate a gigantic bowl of popcorn. Used to get really down on myself. So what did I do?
I learned to distract myself instead of gorge myself. I realized that if I sit and watch TV all I want to do is eat eat eat. If my hands are busy, I don’t eat. SO ~ if I’m on my computer, if I’m knitting, if I’m reading a book ~ I don’t sit and eat eat eat.
You have to figure out WHY you’re doing what you’re doing, and then HOW can you change that. And YES, you can change them. YOU are in control of you.
~ When you decide to splurge ~ ENJOY it ~ don’t stress over it or feel guilty
Now we can’t eat great all the time. There are birthday’s to celebrate and the holidays, and sometimes you just want that not so good for you chocolate cake or whatever it is for you. It’s O.K! Have it! Splurge! BUT DON’T feel guilty for hours and days afterwards – that isn’t going to do you any good. It’s important that you see there’s a connection between your food and how you feel when you eat. Your state of mind plays an important role in your health whether you want to believe that or not it’s true. How you feel when you eat, play an important role in how you digest your food.
When you’re happy and content your digestion works better than when you’re feeling guilty, shameful, and bad. If you’re eating 80-95% healthy and clean, then a splurge here and there isn’t going to hurt. So get excited and enjoy it. Just don’t splurge for an entire week!
~ YOU be the good example for your family and friends
You often want to change, but notice that everyone around you doesn’t think like you do. It’s ok, YOU be the change that you want to see around you. You decide to set the example for your family and friends. Don’t sit on the sidelines and wait for someone else to do it ~ YOU do it. You’ll be amazed at how others will then join you. Just a heads up, it may take some time, but they will join you.
~ Healthier habits take time ~ don’t expect it to happen overnight
Remember that healthy doesn’t happen over night, but if you just stick with it you’ll get there. If I could go from toaster strudels and pop tarts to eating all clean, then you can too! I went from peanut butter with hydrogenated oil to just peanuts. NO, it didn’t take me a few days or weeks. It took me MONTHS to get there. So give yourself a break. It takes time. Try to work on one new thing a week.
~ VOW NEVER to give up on yourself ~ I will never give up on YOU!
I won’t give up on you. I’m here for you, so don’t you dare give up on yourself. No one said it’s going to be easy, but I do promise it will be worth it.
The more you take care of yourself, the more you can take care of others. And look at it this way, you’d rather make healthier habits now so that you can stay out of the doctor’s office later, save money on medical bills, and use the time that you’d be waiting in a doctor’s office to do something you’ll actually enjoy.
If this has been helpful and you know that someone else could use this information please SHARE IT and PIN IT! And don’t forget to leave me a comment below!!! I LOVE to hear from you AND I’d love to hear WHAT I could help you with in the future!!
As Always ~ Remember
Eat Clean ~ Stay Lean
Risa
