I’ve got some #toughlove for you today!
And you thought this was just a meal prepping challenge. đ
You probably had no idea what you were getting yourself into right?!
But unlike other food bloggers and health/fitness coaches who simply throw a bunch of recipes at you, I think it’s important to dig a little bit deeper any time the main topic of discussion is food.
One of the most important fundamentals when it comes to establishing healthy eating habits is eliminating feelings of guilt or shame when it comes to your food choices.
And of course, this doesn’t happen overnight or from reading an article or two.
This is a PROCESS that takes time, focus, and practice to develop, not unlike establishing your own meal prepping routine.
And yes, we should all strive to eliminate guilt and shame from our ENTIRE vocabulary but our relationship with food is a great place to start.
In addition to your eating and exercise habits your VOCABULARY has the potential to lead you to a life-changing transformation. Negative self-talk is one of the fastest ways of destroying self-esteem, sabotaging your goals, and upsetting your mood and emotions.
âFat-talkâ (speaking disapprovingly about your body) can lead to all sorts of problems including disordered eating habits and low self-esteem.
Statements like I COULD HAVE, I SHOULD, and my personal nemesis I USED TO, short-circuit progress toward your goals and keep you focused on the past or future, not your accomplishments here in the present.
How many times have you made the following statements?
“I was so good today; I ate really healthy.”
“I was so bad today! I had ice cream and cake at the party.”
“I cheated on my diet with a glass of wine.”
“I’m a total failure–I didn’t realize there was cheese in that dish.”
“I’ve been really good with my diet lately–no gluten or dairy.”
“I’m a total disaster–I can’t stop eating sweets.”
The words you choose to describe your food and yourself have real power. Treating yourself like a child who needs to âbe goodâ on her diet is misguided. Or treating your diet as a jealous lover who will be critical and disapproving if you âcheatâ is damaging. Feeling guilt and shame over your âinfidelitiesâ will never lead to true freedom when it comes to your eating habits.
More so, linking your food choices with your âsuccessâ or âfailureâ as a person is destructive. Who you are and your self-worth has nothing to do with the pile of Doritos or broccoli on your plate.
Insulting yourself for your choices–any choice–is perhaps the most harmful behavior of all. You arenât a mess, a disaster, a train wreck, or a slacker. You arenât hopeless, worthless, or pathetic.
You are a committed, motivated, healthy person working hard to change your relationship with food and the pull of long-standing habits.
You are so much more than the results of your struggles!!
As you work on developing your meal prepping skills I also encourage you to develop a new language when it comes to you and your food.
You are not good or bad based on your choices. They are simply choices.
You do not cheat; you make a choice.
You do not fail; you make a choice.
Your choices do not define you as a person.
There is no guilt, shame, or punishment, only consequences.
Imagine, for a moment, that your food is just food, and that your choices are just choices. What you eat is not a statement about your self-worth, your value, or significance in this world and in the lives of the people who love you.
BELIEVE THIS, AND EVERYTHING CHANGES!!
Emotional eating and the negative self-talk that goes along with it is very real and a huge reason why so many people struggle with achieving their health and fitness goals. All of your actions are driven by your emotions, and your thoughts are what create your emotions. Creating new habits that go against what youâve done in the past is a MENTAL workout that requires A LOT of effort.
So many people focus on just the food, the meal plan, recipes, exercises, diet, etc. and overlook the most CRITICAL part of the entire process…your MIND!! It takes practice if you want to create a new mindset when it comes to eating, but IT CAN BE DONE!!
Some people donât realize that it IS possible to love yourself AND love food. However, you need to take time to step back and reflect and figure out if you REALLY do love that food or are you just using food as a way to distract yourself or cover up feelings? After learning how to become more consistent with healthy eating habits I realized that so many foods I âlovedâ before no longer seemed appealing.
THATâS the ultimate goal!
Itâs not about developing this huge sense of willpower despite what so many people think.
Isnât that a HUGE relief??
It all starts with the CHOICE to acknowledge and address WHY we make certain food choices in the first place. Once you do that you become more in touch with your emotions, thoughts, and ACTIONS.
Remember: you are always 100% in control of your choices.
You are NOT powerless when it comes to food!!
Even during these past 2+ years as I find myself re-learning the entire process (which you will most likely need to do too from time to time…itâs NORMAL!!) I need to be very careful about the words I use and how I talk to myself.
For example, when you say things like I CANâT EAT THAT you are already setting yourself up for failure. You are letting the food have power over you.
Instead tell yourself I DONâT WANT TO EAT THAT RIGHT NOW. You are giving yourself permission to change your mind later, but chances are you wonât after youâve had some time to think about it. And even if you DO end up eating that food later…WHO CARES? You took the time to make the conscious decision that it was âworth itâ instead of just mindlessly going through the motions like you typically would.
Thereâs no reason to feel guilty about it.
JUST MOVE ON!!
This picture lists a few more examples. (Itâs probably hard to see on your phone but if you save it to your camera roll you should be able to zoom in and read it more closely.)
If you find yourself more on the left side of the picture try to use more of the phrases on the right side when youâre talking to yourself about food.
Remember, just like any other skill, this takes PRACTICE!!
POSITIVE SELF-TALK
Remember: BE KIND TO YOURSELF
We would NEVER tell our loved ones, âYou canât do that. You suck. Youâre so slow. What makes you think you can accomplish that??â
SO WHYYYYYYYY do we do it to ourselves!? Because itâs easy. Itâs HARD to continually think positive but itâs POSSIBLE. Itâs just like practicing a golf swing, or practicing our workouts, or practicing eating healthy and turning down junk. WE MUST PRACTICE!!
Positive self-talk plays SUCH an important role in assuring that you STAY on this healthy path!!
The way you talk to yourself can either be encouraging and positive, or discouraging and negative. Obviously, we all want to be that positive person and continually believe that we have EVERYTHING we need to be successful.
Here are some TIPS to stay positive and the best ways to talk to yourself when it comes to your nutrition and fitness.
1. When youâre saying to yourself, âYou suck. You cannot do this. Youâre so slow.â â> ELIMINATE THAT and tell yourself âIâm having a rough time but Iâm DOING it. Iâm pushing to my limits. Iâm succeeding in my workout.â
2. When youâre saying to yourself, âI donât know what healthy carbs are. I suck with nutrition. I eat crap all the time.â â> TELL YOURSELF âIâm going to do my research. I already know what that cookie tastes like…I donât need it. I donât want it. I am doing my 100% best to stay on track.â
3. When youâre saying to yourself, âI want to quit. I want that cheeseburger. Iâm so lazy…I can skip my workout because my workout yesterday was really tough.â â> TELL YOURSELF âMy workout is only ___ minutes. Iâve got that time. Iâm spending more time making excuses. I know I wonât want that cheeseburger after I exercise.â
For better or worse, the way you speak to yourself EVERY DAY, through EVERY action will guide how you feel about your life.
Once you start turning your negative thoughts into positive statements and affirmations, you will notice that anything is possible for you and you can conquer anything!!
Doesnât that sound like fun?!?
Read through this list of positive health and wellness statements/affirmations:
1. I believe in my ability to love and accept myself for who I am.
2. Every day I am eating well, exercising and taking care of my body.
3. My health is improving more and more each day.
4. Everything I eat heals and nourishes my body.
5. I am so happy and grateful for my health.
6. I am letting go of any guilt I carry around when it comes to food.
7. I am the best version of myself, and I am working hard to become even better.
8. My body is my temple, and I take care of it every day by eating foods that heal and nourish me.
9. I have the power to easily control my weight through a combination of healthy eating and exercising.
10. I am grateful to my body for all the things it does for me.
11. Every cell in my body is healthy and fit.
12. I believe in my ability to change my habits and create new, positive ones.
13. I enjoy life by staying healthy and fit.
14. I will not let anything or anyone stop me from achieving my goals.
15. I love my body exactly the way it is and constantly work on making it even better.
16. Every day I make positive choices for my body.
17. I have non-stop daily determination to reach my health and fitness goals.
18. Developing healthy eating habits is becoming easier each and every day.
19. I am able and willing to work on changing my daily habits to achieve optimum health and longevity.
20. I am enjoying the process of teaching myself how to be happy, healthy and fit no matter what the scales says.
/// QUESTION OF THE DAY ///
Which one speaks to you the most TODAY?
Write it down on a piece of paper (writing helps you commit things to memory!!) and place it in a spot where you can revisit it multiple times a day.
Post your favorite in the group under our daily post here –> https://www.facebook.com/groups/290505694685477/permalink/476361029433275/
I canât wait to see which one you picked! đ