How many times have you started a new program for your diet and you swore you would eat piously only to find yourself shoveling fast or fatty food down your throat on the second day? You love it while you eat it and scold yourself when you are done. You swear that it will be the last time, and learn the next day that it wasn't.
Your dilemma is a common one, especially in America today. Obesity has become a significant epidemic robbing people of their pride, energy, and most importantly their health. Why do you do it? Why do you eat all those foods that take away so much from you? There are many reasons why you do it, and everyone is different. The trick to getting ahead is figuring out the
WHY. You need to know
WHY you eat food that is bad for you and
WHY you really want to eat healthier food. How do you figure out the
WHY? You figure it out by asking yourself some important questions, and most importantly by answering them honestly. If you lie to yourself, the only person who loses is you. So, I want you to answer the questions below honestly, and really think about them. You are in a safe place and I won't judge you. I have dealt with many issues when it comes to eating healthy, so I know where you are and I want you to live a life full of energy and free of the health issues that bad food can cause. Let's start by figuring out what bad food gives you that keeps you coming back for more.
WHY do you Eat Food that is Bad for You?
1. When you decide to reach for something sugary, fatty, or drive thru what are you thinking and feeling? What is going through your mind in that moment? Are you possibly depressed or lonely?
2. When you are eating sugary, fatty, or drive thru foods what are you feeling? When you put the food in your mouth what sensation comes over you? When you taste it how do you feel, what are you thinking? Can you barely wait to get the bag open?
3. How often do you eat? Are you eating 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 times a day? By the end of your day are you so hungry that you just want to eat now?
4. How much time do you have to cook at home? Do you cook or do you have a spouse that cooks?
5. What kind of foods do you keep in your home? Are they good or bad foods?
I have always had a problem with cravings. I love chocolate, and salty fast foods (curse you french fries!). When I became serious about a healthy lifestyle I asked myself the above questions and my answers started to surprise me. If you can't answer the questions now, keep them in mind when you catch yourself reaching out for bad food and just pay attention to what you are thinking and feeling. My significant other is a Pilot, and I caught myself really going for the bad food while he was away. I realized that I was eating because I was lonely. The food made me feel good while I ate it, so I was using it to fill a void, thus I started to fill any void spaces in my home! I also noticed that I ate two meals a day. One in the mid-morning and one when I got home from work. This resulted in hunger pains that led me to my nearest fast food line. Bad strategy, if you don't eat small meals throughout the day you should. Keeping yourself away from hunger can be the first step to avoiding bad foods.
Another question to consider is cooking. Many modern women and men cannot cook. We are too used to instant meals, and let's face it cooking is a scary undertaking. Every time I would pop online and view quick and "simple" recipes my head would spin thinking about all the different ingredients I would have to buy just to be able to make a few of them. Many people are working more, and operating on tight budgets so cooking is a scary thing. You may need to take some baby steps to get yourself in the kitchen. Get a foreman grill, chicken, barbecue sauce and canned beans for a simple barbecue chicken dinner. Soup can also be a great starter friend, as well as sandwiches, and healthy frozen meals. You may also have a spouse that cooks very fattening dinners, and cooks them well! If this is your situation you need a different approach. You need to speak with your spouse and tell them about your goals and get them on board. Don't insult their cooking because that will be a fast track to a night on the sofa. Tell them about what you want, why, and how you need their help. Make them feel needed, and appreciated, and you are more likely to succeed.
Lastly, you set yourself up to fail with all that junk in your pantry. Get rid of the cookies, ice cream, frozen french fries, potato chips, etc. If you have these things around the house you will reach for them when you feel emotional, bored, or hungry.
WHY do You Want to Eat Food that is Good For You?
1. What motivation made you want to stop eating bad food? Is it because you want to fit into skinny jeans? Did your doctor tell you that you need to eat healthier or else this or that will happen?
2. What will healthy foods give you that you don't have now?
Figuring out your reason to eat healthier is crucial to your success. If you just want to eat healthy food to lose a pound and fit into skinnier clothing, chances are your change will be unsuccessful and short lived. You need a reason that speaks to the deepest parts of yourself. An example would be, that you want to have more energy so that instead of sitting on the couch exhausted you could go out and play with your children. Or perhaps you don't want your kids to struggle with bad food the rest of their lives so you start helping everyone in the family, including yourself, eat the right foods. Think about what is really important to you. Instead of wanting to lose weight, perhaps you want to become more confident so that you can be more successful. Maybe you want to have more energy, and increase your health. Find a purpose that is meaningful, find a purpose that you are willing to fight for.
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