Sounds like a dream come true, right?
I can do nothing and lose weight!?
Well, not exactly. But, I'm glad I have your attention. I wanted to talk about something really important and often missing in most health and fitness nutrition programs.
Food and diet obsession.
Truth bomb: there are more factors to sustainable weight loss than just calorie deprivation and exercise. One important component is our mental health around food.
Embodying a balanced, healthy, easy going affiliation with food can really transform your life and lead to sustainable weight loss.
However, many of us carry around old food narratives derived from diet culture that hinder our ability to enjoy, relax and trust ourselves around food.
If you have ever been stressed out on a strict diet, you know what I mean.
So, be honest with yourself, are you a chronic dieter?
Do you go through cycles of “punishing” yourself with stricter, clean-eating plans after a weekend of over-indulgence?
Do you exercise extra to “burn” the calories you consumed when you enjoyed a dessert?
Then you might have food obsession.
Do you think about food constantly, always researching for the latest and greatest new diet paradigm?
Are you constantly judging what you are eating and beating yourself up when you stray from your idea of a "perfect" diet?
Are you terrified at the idea of NOT tracking your calories or macros?
Then you might have food obsession.
And it's OK. Many of us do, to varying degrees. I certainly did! It is a daily practice to eliminate these old narratives and work on letting go.
My intent for this article is to make you aware of the problem with obsessive dieting, and hopefully encourage you to be introspective on your own relationship with food, in order to feel better about yourself.
I believe that any effective nutritional coaching program needs to address the mental issues that can arise around dieting.
Wouldn't it be nice to easily and effortlessly eat the same way on Mondays that you do on Saturdays, leaving room for daily treats without overindulging?
(Sounds awesome, doesn’t it?)
You see, chronic dieting or long-term deprivation is hard on both your mind and body, and can give you the opposite of the results you desire.
"Long -term dieting"
Is difficult to maintain because motivation, cravings, compliance start to dwindle eventually
If done too long (left in calorie deprivation), will actually increase food cravings
Limits your results because your metabolism adjusts and calorie deprivation becomes no longer effective
Puts a strain on your hormonal stress response system
Creates a chronic stress dysfunction that can lead to lack of strength, binge eating, poor body image, inflexible metabolism, fatigue, rebounding weight gain, and other health issues
That deprivation/binge cycle is not the path to healing.
That’s not to say I don’t have some specific nutritional guidelines for my private health clients based on their lab test results, symptoms and goals. Often, certain trigger foods need to be avoided to achieve a desired health result, at least for a finite amount of time.
For example, it may be beneficial (if not necessary) for someone to avoid gluten and dairy while we are healing chronic gut issues or hormonal imbalances.
With this said, we still need to have a healthy, supportive mental health around food, even when we are avoiding certain foods for a specific therapeutic purpose.
My goal and passion is to help improve their food psychology, so that we can end the cycle of always trying the latest diet, ping ponging between deprivation and binging, and finally just enjoy food.
At the same time reaching sustainable health and weight goals using a strategy of supporting the body's systems holistically, and enhancing metabolic flexibility by varying calorie amount and activity level.
So, how do we accomplish a positive food mindset?
Some key positive food framing tools:
Practice the art of moderation: learning to navigate the middle with actionable steps and mindfulness practices
Create easy to follow, personalized nonnegotiable "commitments" in your nutrition plan that guide your daily habits
Find creative ways to allow for preemptive treats that increase your daily satisfaction, but do not de-rail your health efforts completely
Find the power within you to be sure of your choices, even when friends and family want to question you
Enter my solution: the coaching course I have been completing:
Moderation365
I am super excited to be incorporating this amazing coaching process with my clients.
It is a professional certification for health practitioners and coaches to help their clients navigate a healthier relationship with food.
This material is FULL of actionable tools and tricks! I am so excited to share this program that I am completing, and thrilled to add it's curriculum into my 1:1 coaching program.
If you:
· Are a chronic dieter
· Get stressed out about eating choices
· Have issues with binging or self-control
· Tired of counting calories or macros and want a different way
· Want to learn mindful and intuitive eating the right way
· Simply wish you could think about food less
· Want to easily eat the same way on Saturdays that you do on Mondays
This type of coaching is for you!
During the Moderation365 coaching, I cover actionable practices and break them down into systematic habits and steps.
When you work with me, we get rid of old food narratives, lower our food obsession, AND learn to savor and enjoy all our meals!
This program is offered inside my Metabolism Reboot signature program that includes hormone, gut and hair tissue mineral functional lab tests. A truly transformational program!
You can reach your goals and enjoy food along the way.
Want to learn more?
Click the link below to set up a complimentary enrollment call with me to discuss your options!
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