My Relationship With Food

My objective as a personal trainer is to get my client into the best shape of her life. My objective in this blog is to let you know that you are not alone in your endeavors to be a healthy, fit, strong and balanced woman. I seek to make a positive imprint on your life.  

The most body-changing aspect of getting into shape for me has been transforming my relationship with food. For half of my life I weighed 15 pounds more than what I am now. I attribute the majority of this weight difference to my relationship with food. I started to make a change about 4 years ago. By becoming more conscious of why and when I would eat when I wasn't hungry, I realized that I was using food as a companion. By being mindful of trying to notice how my emotions affected my desire to eat when I wasn't hungry, I was able to start to see patterns.  

I began to realize that I would eat after I had already eaten in order to fill up my loneliness or boredom. However, the food didn't make me feel better. In fact, it produced emotions of guilt and anxiety.  This was, in turn, a viscous circle. After seeing this cycle, I decided I alone had the power to change it.  I stopped using the large plates in my cabinet and started eating on the smaller, salad-sized plates. I switched the bigger bowls that would hold 16oz to the smaller ones that hold a single serving or 8oz of soymilk and one cup of cereal. I stopped getting up for seconds. Sadly, I can see how anorexia could feel empowering. Everyday I try to be mindful of overeating because sometimes I disconnect. 

A huge trick that still works for me is this: 

When I sit down to eat food, I take a look at it. If I am hungry then whatever the food is, it looks amazing. When I take a break from eating it to drink a liquid (I love club soda with juice - half the calories and not too sweet) I pause for a few minutes.  When I go back to it and take a second look at the food, if it still doesn't look amazing, then I am done with the meal. 

We also overeat when we are super hungry because we eat too fast. This is why small food portions work. If we take the time take the time to eat between big meals, then the meals won't be so big ;) And we will be able to make healthier food choices because the mind and body is not in a state of panic.  Also, I don't use the word "snack" anymore.  A snack is food. Start to think about food as energy. What is that particular food doing for you? What is the value of it? Is it nutritionally helping you? Is it harming you? Is it just a filler?

To become more mindful of your relationship with food, the next time you are about to put something unhealthy into your body, try asking yourself why you want to eat it. Chances are it's not only because it tastes good. There is usually a deeper intention. Change occurs from small steps. With time, maybe you can pinpoint why you may be eating foods that don't make you feel good about yourself or perhaps don't feel good, physically, in your body. 

If you can get past all of the men on steroids, Muscle and Fitness Magazine is a very informative source for nutrition. I love it. :)