DISCOVERING EASE WITH FOOD
ditching the dieting mindset
Brendan and I recently celebrated our 11-year wedding anniversary in Napa.
Given we did a staycation with our kids last year for our 10th due to the pandemic (read: nice takeout and a bottle of wine with kids crying at the table), our time together (without kids) this year felt extra celebratory and magical.
One highlight, experiencing freedom from mind draining food drama on our trip.
No guilt for enjoying bites of lemon ricotta pancakes alongside my veggie omelette.
No eating far beyond fullness because I wasn’t sure if/when I would allow myself to eat carbs again.
No deciding I’m not going to move my body at all because I’m on vacation.
No stressing about how I could make up for “falling off” some diet plan when I returned home….
Instead, I felt ease with both food and movement.
More importantly, without the extra noise in my head (i.e. the food police telling me what I shouldn’t be eating or my inner rebel voice telling me I might as well eat whatever I want and “start again tomorrow”), I was able to be fully present with Brendan.
Practically this looked like….
Drinking lots of water because I know that helps me feel my best.
Going for a walk after a delicious brunch to take in the scenery.
Savoring freshly baked bread at a swanky restaurant alongside a fresh salad before my meal.
Going wine tasting and tossing out wine I tried that didn’t enjoy, and slowly sipping the wine I loved.
Enjoying a few bites of dessert after dinner and not feeling the need to eat the whole dessert, (knowing if I wanted dessert again tomorrow or when I got back from vacation I could have it).
Getting a great workout in at the hotel’s gym (it featured several ankle/foot friendly options…I’m still in the process of healing post surgery + working on regaining strength in my body), and then soaking in the hot tub afterwards.
This might seem very unnoteworthy if you fit in the very small percentage of women who don’t struggle with food and body, but for me the ease I have around food today as an intuitive eater is drastically different from the unnecessary stress and struggle I felt a decade ago.
Leading up to any vacation, I felt pressure to diet and lose weight (because how else could I sport a bathing suit)? During a vacation, I would either staunchly avoid all foods I deemed “bad” or swing the other way and way overindulge (both are very common behaviors if you have a history of dieting). At the end of the vacation, I would mentally begin my checklist of how I could make up for all the “bad” foods I ate when I returned home. Instead of feeling rejuvenated after a vacation, I felt frustrated for gaining weight while traveling.
So much unnecessary stress.
During this season of food and body struggle, I robbed myself of joy and I robbed others of my full presence, because my mind was frequently preoccupied.
95% of diets fail….dieting, many types of plans focus on short-term results that most often backfire, leading to regaining the weight lost and frequently increased weight gain in the long run.
WHY DIETS DON’T WORK
“Biologically, your body experiences the dieting process as a form of starvation. Your cells don’t know you are voluntarily restricting your food intake. Your body shifts into primal survival mode—metabolism slows down and food cravings escalate. And with each diet, the body learns and adapts, resulting in rebound weight gain. Consequently, many people feel like they are a failure—but it is dieting that has failed them...Dieting disconnects you from your innate hunger and satiety cues, and it becomes easier to eat in the absence of hunger and develop a mistrust of your biological eating cues.” Evelyn Tribole, MS, RDN, CEDRD-S
WHAT’S POSSIBLE WHEN YOU RELEASE THE DIETING MINDSET
Ditching the dieting mindset and finding balance and ease with food is possible.
It is possible to release rigid food rules and for weight to not be a “battle” you face every day.
It is possible to learn to tune back into your hunger/fullness signals (we are born with these my friend) and feel ease (not stress) around food.
It is possible to feel empowered with your food choices…eating to gift your body with great nutrients to help you feel your best and eating in a way that supports your unique body+ eating foods that align with your preferences and that you really love and enjoy.
It is possible for the scale to no longer dictate how you feel about yourself each day.
It is possible to get off the start-and-stop cycle of dieting (i.e. on a rigid food plan for 2 weeks then “falling off the bandwagon” only to feel guilty and start all over again) and discover your body’s feel great weight.
It is possible to honor food for the pleasure it brings and the beautiful role it plays in bringing people together, traditions, and experiencing another culture.
Not only are all these things possible, but when you nix the dieting mindset and truly making peace with food and discover a healthy relationship with movement….
your mental capacity increases (because it is no longer consumed by thoughts of food and dieting),
your motivation to exercise increases,
your physical energy increases (because you are lovingly caring for your body),
your confidence increases,
you’re more capable of sharing the unique gifts you have to offer the world (because your time and energy aren’t zapped by dieting),
you can show up more fully for the people in your life,
AND the cherry on top…. life becomes a heck of a lot more enjoyable.
**Of note,
It is important to state that there are absolutely instances when certain foods needs to be avoided for health reasons. There are legitimate food allergies and health issues (such as celiac disease) that may require avoidance of certain foods. In these instances, it is in fact honoring your body and your health to avoid these foods.