LEARNING TO EAT FOR LIFE

Everything is constantly changing or morphing in multiple ways. The same is true with weight loss, because we are trying to change a big part of our lives - a well-established part of our lifestyle that we may actually like. Well, sort of, that is. We like the food part, but not the outcome! And as we move forward on our journey of lifestyle change, we often find ourselves having to learn some new things; having to learn a lot of things, actually.

If we change the way we look at the situation, the situation we are looking at will change. It’s all about how we choose to look at it – because we do have a choice. And that choice has to be intentional. With weight loss you will have to choose not to think about all the things you can’t have. Rather, direct your thinking to encompass all the things you can have.

Real, sustainable weight loss is a lifestyle in which you actually learn how to eat real food. It’s a process. It takes time. After all, we have done things our way for decades, so it can be a hard habit to break.

Many of us have become unrealistic in our thinking about how healthy eating should affect our weight quickly. We need to understand that, while on this journey, we are going to have good days and not-so-good days. And we would be wise to remember that change, even though we may not like it, is inevitable. It’s coming one way or the other. It’s either coming because we chose to do something positive to make it happen, or it’s coming because we didn’t.

We have told ourselves for so long that certain foods make us feel good, bring us comfort and make us happy, and that when we remove them, we are at a loss as to how we are going to fill that big void that is left. Many of us have filled that void for decades with foods that have now put us in serious health conditions or have us trapped us in bodies we want to change. However, we feel helpless to do anything about it.

An important discipline to understand is that you can’t let your feelings dictate your actions. Your actions will eventually dictate your feelings, if you just show up to do the best you can each day. The payout of showing up goes a long way. It builds confidence and puts you in control, and you begin to grow a little at a time. It might be a little painful. It might stretch you, but with that growth your mindset will start to change. Pretty soon, you start to enjoy it. You start to feel empowered.       

It’s not all about the number. It’s about change, it’s about progress, it’s about learning a new way of living, and it’s about becoming educated as to how different foods affect our bodies and how a healthy inside affects weight loss on the outside. It’s a whole new way of thinking, and a huge lifestyle change!

Embrace the lifestyle change that you are embarking on. Enjoy your journey. Don’t look at it as punishment or denial. Change your thinking from looking at all the things you can’t have to all the things you can have and can do. If you embrace that thinking, you will win every time.