Ep 59: Enjoying Your Favourite Foods Without the Drama

Hello Hello Hello and Welcome to episode number 59 of the Wellness 4 Women Show

Ep 59: Enjoying Your Favourite Foods Without the Drama

Today I want to start off by talking about movies. Tell me in the chat what is your favourite movie?

One of the most fundamental concepts in storytelling is the hero's journey you can see it in all forms of literature, ancient epic poems and Hollywood blockbusters.

There is always the hero or heroine of the story.

They embark on an adventure and face various obstacles along the way. Where and how does the story proceed, maybe they have to leave their home and go on a big journey and fight evil like in Lord of the Rings, or maybe they have to fight their own inner demons and doubts, like in the kids movie Inside Out. If you haven't seen it and you are open to doing the inner work necessary for lasting change that one is definitely a must.

I've talked before about how weight loss is a journey. Anyone who has ever been on a 'diet' will likely say they have been on a weight loss journey but I am not convinced that the journey is actually really fully embraced and the phrase is just said sometimes out of habit.

BUT

You are the heroine of your story.

You alone are the one who can make this happen.

There needs to be growth maybe a fight with a villain or a wrangle with your inner demons but you remain the centre of it all.

Part of the journey and the story, again in any good movie is about the relationships forged along the way. The growth of the hero or heroine as they concur and succeed.

Today the journey of this episode is your journey and relationship with food.

Let me know what your take away are from this episode in the Wellness 4 Women Facebook Group? Leave a #gem plus your comment. Likewise got a question the group is the place to be for a private community and support.

Now tell me in the chat and be honest do you think of certain foods as good and other foods as bad? Do you perhaps describe your day as good or bad depending on what you have eaten? Do you perhaps say things like I have been good and I have been bad?

If so this episode is for you.

The language we use whilst on our journey whether that be weight loss or another changes that story and journey.

You have the choice as to whether that journey is a peaceful and happy story or whether you make the story an nail biting drama.

So going back to food.

If you are someone who categorise food as good or bad. Who are the villains of the piece, the food villains in your story?

Is it the poor loaf of white bread?

The Ice cream?

The pizza?

The chips andcrisps?

The sweets and candy?

Or maybe it's chocolate?

Who out of the whole array of food you can eat is your arch 'diet' nemesis that works its dastardly magic on you, to make themselves irresistible as it weaves its nefarious spell upon you?

I jest but this is serious business!

As someone who works on weight loss you no doubt often feel torn.

A tangled mess of conflicting beliefs around what you 'should' and 'should not' do for your weight loss.

Wanting and craving the foods you find delicious but perhaps aren't nutritionally the best, or choosing to eat something healthier that perhaps the think won't be as pleasurable or satisfying to your needs in that moment. It's the age old battle, war of the worlds that can be going through your head as someone working on weight loss.

With a 'dieters' mindset, the story is a right royal drama.

We have the perceived 'evil' forces of temptation, cravings, urges, foods not on prescribed lists, food in quantities that go against the 'rules'.

Forces we should use willpower to stay away from else we will perish, doomed to fail as the story fades to black as we fall off the wagon and down a precipice of diet dooooom and failure.

Now this may make a great story for Hollywood dramtic effect.

We'd be on the edge of our seats, emotions heightened with some kind of dramatic music playing throughout but is this the reality you want?

Do you want to be living your life like you are in a dramatic movie where you feel like you are fighting for your life on every corner of the globe?

To me, this was what dieting felt like.

Bounding from one drama to another.

Before eating - we have diet drama and decision fatigue over what to eat, whether you should eat it, whether it is on your plan or off plan, whether it will serve your goals of weight loss.

Whilst eating you may feel happy, life is good. Your are enjoying your food but then maybe doubt starts to creep in about how much you are eating? Are people watching you? Are they judging you? Are you judging yourself?

It could then be back to full-blown drama mode as you worry you ate too much that you are failing in your weight loss mission, hurtling downhill in a roller coaster of guilt, shame and despair.

Again every good story arc has highs and lows else we would never go back to the cinema.

But maybe we should leave the drama in the cinema and create an alternative ending to our story, a new narrative that allows us to enjoy food without the drama, without the sadness, without the guilt and without feeling like your favourite foods are bad or off plan.

Ultimately food is not an evil to be battled and overcome.

Weight loss does not have to be the tallest mountain to climb or the deepest well to climb out of.

Let's aim to build in more fun and enjoyment.

This is where food freedom and weight loss with love can come in to save the day with its cape billowing the wind.

I cannot offer you a magic wand or potion like in some good fantasy movie but I can help you learn how to listen, trust and love yourself enough to make the choices that are right for you.

A can give you a toolkit of skills so you no longer feel like a hostage in your own life story but instead an empowered heroine in her own story making positive decisions based on your goals and values.

I want to give you some growth work as part of this show.

Write down a list of things you say and think about food. If you need help check out the link in the description to grab a free resource to help you identify your current relationship with food and weight loss.

Just observe these with loving curiosity. You can even pause the video/podcast and just write them out. It's Ok I will wait (wink)

Are you back? great!

It's Ok if you didn't have a chance to do it yet, if you watching live write some of the ones that come to your mind and then come back and revisit this episode.

Maybe you have thoughts like:

• I can't eat bread
• Once I have a piece of chocolate I won't be able to stop?
• Junk food is bad
• Carbs are bad
• I can't control myself around food?
• Eating healthy is boring

Have you noticed that the thoughts you have collected are all or nothing? Good or Evil just like our story?

It's Ok if these beliefs come up for you, we all have them. But notice how they make you feel. Do they create a feeling of restriction? Fear? Anxiety? Shame?

These are all perfectly normal thoughts and feelings, especially as a dieter but they don't have to rule your life. We don't have to let the drama win.

You can start to change these stories and beliefs to create new ones that can serve you better and relieve some of the pressure you feel around food and weight loss.

My challenge for you, over the next week or whatever timeline works for you. When these thoughts come up, just recognise them, and observe them with loving curiosity.

And then ask yourself the question:

"What could I say or think instead that would help me to enjoy food and whilst honouring my goals?"

For example, if you have a thought like "I can't control myself around food" you could switch it up to something like:

"I am learning how to be mindful about my portion sizes and trust myself to make the best decisions for me."

Or just go straight in with

"I am someone who can control herself around food"

This isn't an overnight flip, it can take time and practice but it's worth the work.

The importance of shifting our underlying beliefs and thoughts cannot be understated when it comes to achieving long-term weight loss success.

Our beliefs are a collection of stories we have built over the years through our experiences. These beliefs lead to our thoughts and can then have a profound influence on how we think and act.

90% of our actions are based on subconscious beliefs. These stories and movies play out in our brains without us even sometimes knowing or maybe we do but yet we are not really connecting the dots.

I have recently signed up to become a Belief Coding®️ Facilitator with this method we can get right to the numb of your beliefs and code in the new ones. As a life coach, I can coach you around your beliefs to really cement in these positive new beliefs and help you stay accountable.

By really getting to know yourself and understanding what works for your body, you are giving yourself permission to start to experience a more enjoyable relationship with food, without the guilt and without having to sacrifice your favourite dishes.

Often we think food is the problem but food and eating is just the output and action that is stemming from the thoughts and beliefs we have in our mind.

When we start to take a kind, compassionate look at our thoughts and beliefs around food and dieting, we can start to create new empowering ones that will help us stay on track with our goals without feeling deprived or restricted.

Start with today's growth work. Identify the thoughts and beliefs you have and if they are creating discomfort.

Your beliefs create your reality so start to become aware of what stories you are telling yourself and challenge them with something more empowering.

My wish for you is that you can learn to enjoy food and feel good about it, without sacrificing your favourite dishes and without sacrificing your weight loss progress.

With the right mindset, this is totally achievable!

Right that's it folks.

Conclusion

TD:LR: We often feel like we have to sacrifice our favourite foods in order to stay healthy and fit, but this doesn't have to be the case. With some mindfulness and working on our beliefs you can learn to enjoy your favourite dishes without sacrificing your weight loss goals. Take time to identify and challenge the underlying thoughts and beliefs you have around food and weight loss to take your journey from a Hollywood-style dramatic drama fest to a harmonious journey of mindful eating.

Want to get cracking and need some support you know where I am check out the description on how you can work with me.

See you next week!

Follow me on socials: Linktr.ee

Categories: : Weight loss