Is there a constant battle in your mind with food? Do you find yourself negotiating every time you eat a piece of bread or dig into a bowl of nachos?
I have been there and I have done that so many times. Here is what I have learnt from that experience. It didn’t matter what my goal was, be it weight loss, mass gain, strength etc, I could never maintain the achievement. I say achievement because I would attain the goal but I could never sustain it. I couldn’t sustain it because my relationship with food was a constant battle. I always felt restricted and uneasy. I didn’t want to go out because “I cannot eat that” or I had to tell myself “it’s ok, I’ll run an extra 30 minutes” or “I’ll skip carbs for dinner”. The battle was endless.
In November 2009, I had lost so much weight, I gave up chips... rice and everything in between for 7 months. I looked great but I wasn’t loving life, I won’t lie. Around that time I had made an Indian outfit for myself, a saree, I was so excited to wear at a friend’s wedding. Fast forward to August 2010, wedding time! I took the saree to wear at my friend’s wedding reception and low and behold the blouse did not fit!! The hooks wouldn’t even come close for me to squeeze myself in! It was off by 3 whole inches. I had let go and come so far off, I couldn't believe it! 🥺
It took a while to realize, it didn’t matter what my goal was, if my relationship with food was negative, I would always be on a “diet”. It was then that I realized that I had to learn to build a positive relationship with food and myself.
Here’s how I did it 👇:
- I started by recognizing when the negative mental chatter started. It usually started when I went overboard with eating. Most of the time, if I ate one cookie, it didn’t bother me. It was when I went for the 3rd one that the chatter would start. That was my cue to stop.
- I didn’t label food as good or bad – a bowl of avocado mash does not have some angelic power and a slice of pizza is not demonic. Some foods are better for our wellbeing, but no food is evil or benevolent. It’s all about balance.
- I started by telling myself it isn’t that I cannot eat it, it is simply that I choose not to eat more than 1. Having options is so much more positive than restrictions.
- I made an effort with balancing my plate. I ate the greens even if I didn’t want to. I understood it would fuel my body.
- When I went out, I stopped when I was full. If there were extras, I got it packed to go.
- I educated myself! I understood that a slice or 2 of bread wasn’t going to make me pack on the pounds. Rather it was the daily indulgence of 8 slices of bread that wasn’t benefitting me.
- I took the time to understand what portions meant. Does 15g of peanut butter (1 serving at the back of the bottle) look the same as 1 tablespoon (also at the back of the bottle). If not, what does 1 serving actually look like.
- I distinguished between hunger and cravings. If I was craving, which is usually attached to an emotion, is there anything else I can feed that emotion with other than food?
- Finally, I stopped cutting food out of life. Instead, I added nutritious food and left room for indulging within reason (no negative chatter or hate talk).
On a final note, food is our friend. If we can learn to enjoy everything within reason, we can be happier and healthier.