Do you regularly say things like “I’m a sugar addict,” or, “I just can’t control myself around [insert any food]”?
Do you find yourself avoiding social situations because you don’t trust yourself around food?
Are you on the flip side of that coin and you partake until you feel guilt about your choices and try to restrict later to make up for it?
You’re not alone. These are thoughts that so many women have even if they don’t say them out loud.
But those things don’t have to be how you continue to define yourself.
It’s possible to improve your relationship with food and learn how to trust yourself, even around your “triggers.”
Or keep reading the post below:
Wipe the Slate Clean
The first step in learning to trust yourself around food is to be willing to wipe the slate clean and accept that what you have done in the past does not need to affect your future.
If you continue doing the things you’ve always done, you’re going to continue to get the results you’ve always gotten.
This also means being willing to rewrite the stories you have been telling yoruself about who you are around food.
You can’t continue to say things like “This food is my kryptonite,” or “I know I won’t be able to control myself if this food is on the table.”
Giving up that identity as someone who doesn’t have control and instead talking to (and about) yourself as the in control person you want to become is one of the most important things you can do to help you improve your relationship with food.
Earn Your Trust Back Around Food
In order to trust yourself around food, you’re going to have to be around food.
I’m sure you may be reading this and thinking, “Duh, of course, I have to be around food, but it doesn’t have to be that food.”
And, you’re right.
You can choose to completely eliminate a trigger food from your diet if you know that the end result of eating it is going to make you feel worse.
With that said, I would encourage you to consider moderation as opposed to complete elimination.
If your trigger food is something you know is going to show up in your life outside of your home, then you can’t truly eliminate the temptation.
By allowing yourself to be around the food and eat in moderation, you are proving to yourself that you can be trusted.
Then when you are in social situations where anxiety might be high and the food is present and your default may have been to “fix” your emotions with that comfort food, you can trust that you’ve done the work to be able to enjoy in moderation and walk away satisfied – physically and emotionally.
Name Your Emotions
Another important step in the process of learning to trust yourself around food is being able to notice and name your emotions and find the thoughts that are driving them.
Once you’ve done that, you need to sit with the discomfort of the negative emotions (guilt, shame, frustration, etc.) to get to the root cause and start to change the way you feel about indulgences.
Naming the emotion, accepting it for what it is, and pausing to process it will allow you to see that you don’t need to react to it
You will be able to allow the negative emotion to run its course without feeling the need to respond with over exercising or food restriction.
In our Gone for Good program, we help you address the root issues that have held you back from losing weight for good and becoming the healthiest, happiest, most confident version of yourself.
Part of that is learning how to trust yourself around food if you’ve struggled with it in the past. If this is something you need help with, check out estheravant.com/coaching for more info.
