It’s been two and a half hours since you sat down to lunch. Your energy is waning and your stomach is rumbling. Your body has slipped into starvation mode and all you can think about is the vending machine that stores your favorite candy bar.
You are faced with temptation and you are ready to give in and you do. It was easy. Why isn’t it just as easy to choose a handful of almonds and an apple instead of the candy bar?
Before we help you develop a healthy eating mindset to lose weight, there are a few important points to touch on. First of all, it’s important that you learn to accept yourself as you are.
You are a work in progress. That’s what life is. You’re not the finished article and that’s okay. Embrace what you love, don’t restrict yourself from your favorite food, and look at every experience as an opportunity to learn.
It goes without saying that you should eat healthily. How can you develop a healthy eating mindset to ensure that is always the case?
Your Why
It might sound like a cliché now, but your why really matters. Why is it that you want to eat healthily? To lose weight? Why else? Do you want to improve your standard of living or relieve pain? There is always more to it than meets the eye. You need to recognize your reasons, what is behind your want to lose weight and eat well?
One of the biggest reasons we eat poorly is because there’s an area of discontent within our lives. We eat to fill that void, whether it’s loneliness, emptiness or something else. Understanding your fundamental reasons for wanting to lose weight will help you shift your mindset.
Acknowledge the Past
Don’t just visit the past, be honest about it. How often have you dieted in the past? Have you ever had true, as in enduring, success? Did you heavily restrict yourself and then cave under the pressure? The early stages are easy. It’s not always nice, but you feel motivated to succeed.
Then the pressure starts and as it gets more difficult you find yourself sneaking treats. Then you overeat. You swear it’s the last diet, and that it’s forever, but temptation comes knocking again and you give in. Look at the patterns that trap you, you can overcome them.
Food is Fuel
You have to stop viewing food as a reward, it’s fuel. You should eat to satisfy your dietary needs, not your taste buds. Don’t totally deprive yourself of chips or sweets (we all know some of us prefer pretzels over chocolate). You have to learn to allow yourself treats. Don’t ban cake when everyone around you is enjoying it.
Simply have a small sliver of cake. Learn what your body needs to nourish it, when you learn to tap into yourself you are eating from a different place. Instead of being driven by your compulsive mind, you are now eating mindfully.
Trust Your Body
If you learn to tap into your body and listen to it, then it will tell you what you need. Do you pour a cup of coffee when you’re tired when what you really need is a good night’s sleep? Instead of enjoying a glass of water do you grab a snack? Your body is sending signals to you constantly throughout the day, every day, and you can give it what it needs if you really listen.
Final Thoughts
This is what you need to make your dieting mentality fade to gray. Once you can do this, you are in the right mindset to lose weight. You have to shift from strict dieting regimens and embrace a calmer, kinder way to eat.