How to heal your relationship with your body and with your food!
I have lost a lot of weight this month, I have also had some massive breakthroughs in the area of body acceptance and food shame. This is not a coincidence. After an up and down battle with weight loss since I got out of the house with mold, I have struggled to maintain a healthy relationship with food and my own body. This has been a long time coming, and I don’t propose that this change will be instant… but you can learn from my failures and begin the process now.
First of all… if you are doing this to lose weight… don’t! Seriously. The fastest way to fail at this is to make it about body appearance. If you are so laser focused on physical results I promise you will not recognize the changes as they occur and you will give up (*raises hand* cause this is what I have been doing for a long while).
If you want to feel peace again with your body and your food… do this! If you want to look at yourself in the mirror and feel happy no matter your shape… start here. If you want to view food positively, instead of an enemy to be conquered… try this for a few days! And the bonus is that you’ll likely begin moving towards your other physical goals like weight release.
I want you to do 2 simple things!
- Stop and savor your food. Do not eat while distracted. That means no eating while driving, or watching TV, or scrolling facebook. Stop. Breathe. And pay attention to the food going in your mouth. Even if that food is McDonalds and candy, I PROMISE you, that you will feel satisfied quicker and desire less of the nutrient deficient foods if you stop and pay attention to the flavors. Let go of shame and pay attention to every little flavor you taste. Savor it on your tongue. Enjoy it fully!
If you feel shame about what you are eating… STOP! Has shame ever motivated you to weight loss or better food choices? I’d wager not. Probably it drove you to stuff your face with oreos while hating every minute of it. Try instead living in gratitude for your food, and see if you don’t naturally start desiring other options. When you really taste it you often realize your palate can hardly handle those nutrient deficient foods. But start simple.
- Thank your body through your day. When you feel sore muscles, thank them for the hard work they are doing for you. When you see water splashing off your hands as you do the dishes, thank them for their strength and efficiency. Admire your skin and your hair and the wonder that is your physical form. Learn to touch your pudgy stomach, or your wrinkled skin and send it love. Think about your own body with the admiration you would give someone you love. I know this might seem crazy, but we spend so much time living in hatred of our body… why is it any crazier to live in radical acceptance?
These two simple steps will begin to radically transform your relationship with food and your own body… and if you are faithful to continue in these, you may find the physical goals you set start to become a reality.