Emotional Eating always has a trigger. It may be something benign, traumatic, or anywhere in between. Too often, it’s self-inflicted.
When you go walkabout from your nutrition plan, what do you say to yourself? What is your assessment of what happened? How do you get back on track?
Beat Up
Too often, we beat up on ourselves. We speak harshly, call ourselves names, and generally berate ourselves. It’s painful. When I’m working with clients, my question is always, “How does that help you?” Their unfailing answer is, “It doesn’t.”
Yet we do this, don’t we? As if somehow shaming ourselves will help us to avoid the behavior next time. At this moment, I’m sitting here, shaking my head, thinking, “And I did that over and over for 40 years.” Believe me, it DID NOT help me avoid that behavior. It just made me feel bad, and then I wanted soothing even more. In fact, it more likely drove me to the peanut butter or Oreos.
Beating up on yourself is a clever form of self-sabotage. We think we’re just responding to frustrating behavior, but the tool of beating up on yourself neither changes it nor motivates you to return to your plan, does it?
If beating up on yourself is a frequent reaction, maybe we could have a chat about that. You truly do not deserve that, and I can help you find a different response.
Doubts
See if this resonates: You’ve tried many diets and started fresh many times, and with the latest effort, you’ve spent most of the time wondering if THIS ONE will do it. You genuinely want to succeed, but there is a niggling doubt that you ever will.
Know that feeling?
You’ve heard the phrase: You find what you’re looking for. So if you’re letting that doubt stay even in the back of your mind, what will occur?
It is essential to entertain no doubts. Yes, they will pop up now and again, but you don’t have to invite them in for tea. Stop repeating them in your mind or aloud. Instead, dismiss them and focus on something else, something affirming to your goal. Make choices based on your belief in your success.
What would you do differently if you believed you’d succeed? How would you choose? What might you do with that Twinkie temptation if you believed in yourself?
Be careful what you say to yourself, even in your thoughts. A) You deserve better, and 2) What you think and believe tends to come to pass, so choose carefully what you think about.
If you need a little help straightening out those habits of thoughts and reactions, contact me. I have a summer bonus offer for the first ten who sign up for my course.
