- Melissa Mauricio
The First Step In Healing Your Food Issues
Are you frustrated because you can’t seem to stick to your diet? You’ve likely tried a few different diets in hopes of finally being able to stick to something.
What if I told you that you’re not the one failing?
I hear so much frustration, guilt, and shame because most people think their cravings are just too strong. They beat themselves up for not having enough willpower. They decide they like food too much to be able to stick to anything. They are tired of starting over again and again, and feeling healthy feels so out-of-reach.
The truth is that loving food is not a flaw. Cravings are not a flaw. Having a sweet tooth is not a flaw.
The diet mentality of “eat less, exercise more” or variations of that are actually what is causing you to feel like a failure.
The first step in healing any issues you might have with food is to reject the diet mentality. Holding onto the diet mentality will make it really hard, and perhaps even impossible, to heal your relationship with food.
Did you know that 95-98% of diets fail? Did you know that dieting is a consistent predictor of weight gain? A group of UCLA researchers concluded that two-thirds of people will gain even more weight than they lost (Mann, et al, 2007). Also, yo-yo dieting actually increases risk of premature death and heart disease- regardless of your initial weight.
The first step to becoming an intuitive eater is to reject the diet mentality altogether. This is how you finally put an end to yo-yo dieting, weight cycling, and uncontrollable cravings.
Your first thought might be “well I’m just going to try x diet again, try harder, and finally be able to stick to it forever.” Please don’t make that mistake. Reject the diet mentality now.
So let’s talk about how you know if you’re in the diet mentality. Here are some signs:
Carefully counting calories or grams of carbs
Only eating foods you deem “safe”
Only eating at certain times of the day
Limiting carbs
Punishing yourself for eating “bad” foods
No judgment if you do any of these things. This is an opportunity to take that first step in becoming an intuitive eater.
The best way I can describe Intuitive Eating is freedom. You get your life back. You’re no longer spending precious energy worrying about food and worrying about your body. You get to use that energy to live your life- and you feel healthy and energized in a way that feels easy.
What if you could go on vacation and truly enjoy the food? What if you could go to dinner and actually be present, eat what you want, and feel great after? Intuitive eating is how you get there.
The simplest thing you can start to do today is be aware of the content you consume. From social media, to TV, to books, start to notice the diet talk. Unfollow or unsubscribe from any content that pushes dieting on you. Watch for phrases like, “Lose 10 pounds in 10 days!” or advice to eliminate entire food groups. Simply decide to see it for what it is: diet culture.
Rejecting the diet mentality can be really complex and a lot of fears come up because our beliefs about health and our bodies are deeply ingrained in us. Navigating this and implementing Intuitive Eating correctly is life changing!
You can absolutely heal your relationship with food and your body, and it’s really helpful to have a guide. If you’re looking for support or are wondering if this is right for you, click here. This will take directly to my online calendar where you can book a time to talk, for free. I only open up a few of these in my calendar every week, so be sure to snag a spot today. Your time is now!
* Mann, T. Medicare’s search for effective Obesity Treatments: Diets are Not the Answer. Am. Psychologist 62, 3 (2007):220-233.