Are you struggling to lose weight? Have you been on a million diets but nothing seems to work? 

Trying to figure out the reason you are overweight can be a very difficult process. But often, it comes down to one of four things:

1. 1. 1. Education: we simply do not know what to eat or what quantities of food we need. 

      2. Physiology: problems related to hormones, digestion, stress, gut health and metabolism.

      3. Environment: our surroundings (job, family life etc) do not support healthy eating habits.

      4. Psychology: there is some relationship between our thoughts and food that is doing us harm and leading to unhealthy habits. 

      

      (1) can sometimes be the case but if you have researched healthy living and diets then I think you probably know what to eat and are aware of what constitutes as a reasonable amount of the various food types. (2) does occur but only in a very small percentage of people. (3) is often an excuse and very rarely a valid one trying to cover up the main culprit…number (4)! 

      I am neither psychologist or nutritionist but I know that when I used to feel bad about myself, I would eat. And not the “blow it, I will have a slice of cake” kind, but the “I will keep eating until I feel different” kind. I am not sure in hindsight whether I was trying to make myself feel worse or better. The former not really achieving anything and the latter, most unlikely! 

      

      One day, I had a break through and I realised I didn’t want or need to make myself feel bad through eating anymore, nor did I want to do any extreme diet which would create the perfect environment for the behaviour. The principle was simple, it was this:

      “I will no longer eat in a way that disgusts me. I will eat in a way that results in positive feelings and thoughts”

      Now we all have different boundaries for what “disgusts us” but most of us know when that feeling arises. Disgust is linked to humiliation, shame, disappointment and self-loathing – all of which are very powerful emotions. Emotions that often lead us to repeating the behaviour and get us caught up in unhealthy cycles. 

      Does this mean that I no longer eat junk food? No! But it does mean that I don’t eat food that makes me feel grosse. Does eating a chocolate bar disgust me? No. But more than one does- so I don’t do it! 

      

      Food is wonderful and can be such a pleasure. If we don’t eat in excess then we can enjoy all culinary delights provided we eat in moderation and within the mind frame of love and respect for our bodies 🙂 Be kind to yourself and make your relationship with food a healthy one. Your body and your waist line will thank you for it! 

      If you would like help and support changing your ways then our in house nutritional coach Tor Burrows can help you. Please contact us today to book yourself a nutritional consultation. We can help you identify the problem and then we can beat it together!