Have you ever said this? Or, more importantly, felt it. Felt as though you know what you “should” eat but for whatever reason you just can’t get yourself to follow through?
It feels terrible.
As if you are broken or have some horrible character flaw that no one else seems to have. Well, I can tell that this isn’t true and you are not alone. In fact, this is the most common phrase that I hear from new clients, friends, family and strangers on the street (back when we interacted with strangers).
I have found that it typically comes down to one of three factors.
Over or Incorrectly Educated
Let’s be honest, there is no shortage of nutrition information out there. When something is as important as health, we can become a sponge. Absorbing everything around us. This usually results in us either:
- Assuming what works for other people is best for us
- Feeling overwhelmed with conflicting information
So, we start doing something that is not right for our body and suffer from cravings, hate it and would rather punch ourselves in the face than start it again. OR we just get caught in overwhelm and stay stuck.
Learn more about simple changes you can start today >> 4 Small Healthy Habits with Big Results
Focus on Rules and Not Behaviors
The diet industry takes credit for your success and blames you when you fall off track. If you lose weight, feel better, etc., it will say that it is because you followed THEIR rules. If you don’t, it is because YOU did something wrong or don’t have willpower, self-control, etc. A fairly genius business model and a 100% terrible business practice.
The truth of the matter is that the rules aren’t the most important part – the behaviors are. If you look back to times when you have had “success,” even short term, I would bet there are common factors that contributed to it more than the fad.
Examples are planning your meals, finding a support system, being fully committed, allowing flexibility, etc. Yours may be different but I challenge you to look back and see if you can find any behaviors that contributed to your success. That is the secret sauce.
Learn more about eating behavior >> Why Diets Don’t Work the Second Time
Not Addressing Emotional Eating
Truth be told the vast majority of what we typically consider emotional eating is solved by understanding the nutrition that is best for our body and the eating behaviors that support it. This cuts down on both cravings and decision fatigue.
Still, food is not just fuel. It is social, it is love, it makes us feel good – and it is sometimes we use it to cope. This is not a bad thing – in fact, I think that enjoying and sharing food is one of the great joys of life. The problem is when we are so ashamed of emotional eating that we use it as a reason to quit (or do something more extreme) or when it is our only coping mechanism. The key is learning when to move through it and when digging into our emotions is worth is.
Learn more about emotional eating >> Are you and emotional eater?
So if you are struggling with getting started or staying consistent it usually comes down to overwhelm, not focusing on the behaviors or emotional eating. If this resonates with you, be sure to contact me directly or shoot me a DM over on Instagram. I’m here to help!
