Hello, friends! :)
I’ve been thinking about some of the past work I’ve done with clients who, very understandably, struggle with the concept of letting go of certain foods that do not support their goals. Whatever the reason, most people have foods that constantly call to them and are extremely difficult to remove from their daily diet, but are often not goal-friendly and have the potential to sabotage their health and fitness efforts.
This challenge is mostly emotional and mental, in my opinion, but not unusual or odd - quite the contrary, in fact. Long-standing relationships with food can be very difficult to change, but I have a suggestion about how to shift the way we think about adopting a healthier way of eating to make it much easier and a lot more fun!
I like to call it the minimum mindset.
Instead of fixating on all of the things you’ll be missing out on or giving up, try instead to focus on getting enough of the healthy foods you know are better for your body FIRST - and promise yourself a little treat, if you still want one, once that has occurred.
So rather than calling your favorite treats off-limits (not sustainable, in my opinion), consider telling yourself that you can have a small amount of whatever you want once you eat all of the servings of healthy things you’ve committed to for the day.
Make some goals for yourself that are targeted around eating a minimum quantity of healthy food, rather than setting deprivation-related standards - determine your serving sizes and quantities of each ahead of time so that you have measurable goals to shoot for!
Just a couple of examples: “I want to eat AT LEAST 4 servings of green veggies (at least 2 cups each), drink AT LEAST 80 ounces of water, eat AT LEAST 100g of lean protein, incorporate AT LEAST two different colored veggies into my meals…”
Make yourself a little checklist or chart of the amount of servings of healthy foods (or water intake, exercise, active minutes, steps, etc. - this technique is pretty versatile) you want to get in before the end of the day, and feel good about fueling your body properly and knowing that there’s a little reward in it for you if you eat all the goal-friendly things you promised yourself.
I’ve noticed that with my own use of this practice, once I hit my minimum intake goals I’ve already had so much healthy food that my cravings for treats drastically diminish… Basically, once I’ve eaten ALL the things I want to make a part of my healthy eating plan each day, I’ve eaten so much volume that there isn’t much room (or desire) left for treats!
I love that even though I feel completely at peace with having my end-of-the-day treat, I don’t always want it anymore because I’m so satisfied with the healthy foods I’ve chosen - but if I do still want it, I eat a little bit and enjoy the hell out of it knowing that the rest of my day was a nutrient-dense health fest! And when I have my treat, I’m usually already so full that I can only eat a fraction of what I might usually be able to, so it naturally keeps my indulgences on the small side without even having to try :)
I have also noticed that when I make it a point to eat so many healthy foods, I feel so good as a result that I am much more motivated to continue - that might be the best side-effect of all :)
Although this technique gives you a lot of freedom, it is important to note that keeping track of your macros or overall intake is still a good idea, to make sure that you’re not over- or under-eating… It’s still possible (difficult, but possible) to overeat even the healthiest foods, and certainly possible to under-eat when your foods are high-volume and lower in calories, so make sure you’re still eating to support your goals!
So why not give this a try? :)
Just the small shift from “I can’t have _______” to “I will eat AT LEAST_______” allows your mind to focus on abundance, variety, and satisfaction rather than deprivation, elimination, and disappointment.
I think this is a great way to really start thinking about food in terms of being fuel, or even medicine - choosing health-bolstering foods chock full of nutrients to help your body feel and function its best is a great principle to hang your healthy lifestyle on.
Even in the healthiest diet, there’s still room for treats now and again, but if you’re giving your body everything it needs first, you can feel even better about having that treat when you want it - if you still even want it at all!
Plus, it’s way more fun and mentally liberating to think about trying to eat enough food for a change, rather than constantly trying to cut down on stuff - wouldn’t you agree?
What are you going to make sure your body gets enough of today? :)
Please feel free to comment, upvote, or resteem if you’d like!
