10 thoughts to ditch in 2020 around food and your body
As we near 2020 I am sure many people are starting to formulate resolutions or goals to help them succeed in the New Year. Here are some suggestions that I came up with of thoughts that may be keeping you stuck and are best left in 2019.
I am bad if I eat “bad” foods and good if I eat “good” foods. Let’s be clear, while certain foods may have more nourishing effects on our body, classifying food as good or bad will only keep you stuck in diet mentality. More importantly, our value as a person is not dictated or impacted by the foods that we choose to eat.
I already ate something “bad” today so I might as well keep eating “off plan” for the rest of the day. This is a thought that I will admit getting stuck in often. The best analogy I ever heard around this was if you have one flat tire, are you going to go ahead and slash your other 3 tires? Go on with your day and put whatever you feel bad about eating behind you.
My diet starts tomorrow, or Monday…you know the drill. As soon as you tell yourself that you are starting a “diet” or new program, your brain will anticipate restriction and go into survival mode craving all of the foods that you are planning to restrict or eliminate.
Carbs are “bad”. This is such a myth and while subsisting on sugary carbs, bagels and pasta may not leave you feeling energized throughout the day, incorporating carbohydrates such as quinoa and sweet potatoes daily is so important as we derive a lot of our energy from these foods. And it is important to get a balance of all macronutrients (fat, protein and carbohydrates) each day.
I am not “allowed” to eat after a certain time at night…with Intermittent Fasting gaining popularity, there is definitely research to support the benefits of going at least 12 hours without eating, especially for adequate digestion. However, more importantly is learning to tune into your body cues and if you are starving past the time you have set as your cut off for the day, don’t deprive yourself. And learn from that…maybe you didn’t eat enough throughout the day. I am not encouraging eating late at night but rather emphasizing the importance of tuning inwards rather than your eating cues being dictated by the clock.
I am never going to eat sugar again. This is another thought that I really struggle with. While I do know that sugar is known to be as addictive as cocaine and has many negative effects on our bodies, I also know that saying I can never have it again is not realistic. There will be a party where I want a bite of cake or a date night with my husband that we want to enjoy a dessert together. This relates to #3 where as soon as we implement strict restriction, we want that item even more.
My value is determined by the number on a scale. My best advice, get rid of your scale. I have not stepped on mine in a few months and it is quite liberating. I know as soon as I do, I go back to having my mood for the day being dictated by that number. This is tied in to the need for external validation. If you are eating and moving your body in a way that makes you feel good, why should an arbitrary number on the scale change how you feel about yourself?
I will love myself when I fit into my old pair of jeans or get down to a size X…I talk about this a lot and when you are so used to speaking to yourself this way, it is hard to shift. However, withholding love from yourself until you are a certain size will never get you closer to your goals. It will keep you stuck in shame and self-hatred and less likely to even want to take care of yourself. Going from self-loathing to self-love I recognize is a huge jump…start small by spending time each day appreciating parts of your body and extending gratitude towards those parts. For example, I have always hated my arms and it would be a HUGE stretch for me to wake up tomorrow and start saying that I love them. However, I can start appreciating them for allowing me to carry my heavy groceries into the house or being able to do a tough upper body workout.
I ate so poorly today I need to have a crazy intense workout. No, no, no!!! Workout because it feels good to move your body, and you want to be strong and keep your heart healthy. When we start to see working out as a form of punishment or a rite of passage to “earn” certain foods, we begin to resent it. By all means, if moving your body after a huge meal makes you feel good because it gets your blood flowing than I think that is great. But be honest with yourself about why you are working out and make sure that your motivation is a healthy one.
I am going to wear sweats and baggy shirts until I feel good about my body. Again, this is a thought that often resonates with me. When we don’t feel comfortable in our skin, we are less apt to want to wear more form fitting clothes. But putting on outfits that we feel good in will make us feel more confident with how we show up in the world and more motivated to continue to take care of ourselves in mind, body and spirit.
