Why Losing Weight All Comes Down To Your Body's Relationship With Food
I’ve tried every fad diet and trendy workout New York City has to offer.
Ive strictly counted calories and preoccupied overeverything I ate.
I’ve done juice cleanses, cycling, pilates, personal training and sweaty dancing classes.
None of that helped me lose weight.
But over period, Ive detected why.
I wasnt listening to my body.
I wasnt being loving and fostering. I was being harsh, critical and exceedingly judgmental.
“Why cant you do anymore jump squats? ” I had just done 120 reps, so maybe thats why.
“Why arent you losing weight? ”
“Why dont your abs look leaner like the women you train with? ”
“Why do your knees hurt when you run? Why are you so tired? Ugh, whats wrong with you? ”
Wow. With that sort of self talk, Im astonished my body does anything for me.
No wonder I wasnt feeling like my best self, physical or otherwise.
Ive since learned the biggest health and weight loss secret no one is talking about: listening to your body.
Thats what I wasnt doing.
When my body told me, “Hey, Im depleted, ” I ignored it and pounded away at the gym anyway.
When I wasn’t hungry for food, but truly yearned for love and needed to do something relaxinglike sleep or talk to a nurturing friend, I ordered pizza instead( and ate the entire tart by myself ).
When my body was craving physical activity, I lied on the couch.
Our bodies are constantly sending signals.
The problem is, many of us arent listening to our greatest allies.
Our intellects, picking up on many self-limiting messages and images from the media, thinks it knows best.
The key is to have our minds and bodies in sync with one another.
Our bodies talk to us, and we need to listen.
All the things you can do to find inner happiness necessitate the body. The intellect isn’t living in a separate house.
I could never fully commit to the best regime of diet, exercising, stress reduction and meditation until I got my body fully on board and comfy with it.
That meant loving, honoring and respecting my body for all it does for me, rather than criticizing it for not being superhuman.
It is vital to work with your body and not against it.
Here are the ways I learned to listen to my body 😛 TAGEND
1. Feel what you are feeling.
Simply ask yourself, How do you feel right now? Be honest with yourself.
Feel what you’re feeling rather than escape through distractions and denial, including narcotics, alcohol, food, run, shopping, social media and TV.
Now, when I crave my go-to consolation food( pizza ), I ask myself why I feel the need to be comforted in that moment.
Last night, for example, I felt lonesome.
Instead of ordering pizza to comfort myself, I called a dear friend on the phone to connect, and I FaceTimed with my niece and nephew.
Afterward, I felt joyful and realise I was no longer hungry.
I made myself some white tea and curled up with a good book.
2. Accept what you are feeling.
Don’t judge or criticize what youre impression. Practice radical self-compassion.
Instead of beating yourself up for wanting a cheeseburger and fries instead of salad, compromise with yourself.
Order something that’s a compromise( like crab cakes, for example ). It can be something fulfilling that is neither super healthy nor super unhealthy.
3. Be is accessible to your body.
It’s always speaking, so be willing to listen.
I do this through prayer and meditation in order to give my body a deep sense of peace, relaxation, ease, calmness, lightness, alertness and energy.
When you are open to your body needs, you are less likely to pollutes it with food, drugs or alcohol you know doesnt agree with you.
You work together as a team with the common goal of feeling good, instead of dismissing each other.
4. Trust your body.
Every cell is on your side, which means you have hundreds of billions of allies.
Ground yourself by turning inward and feeling the sensations of your body.
Take deep breaths, and be aware of your body.
I recommend trying pilates or yoga.
When you are connected to all the ways your body is working foryou, you will attain healthier options that support you.
5. Live your life.
Before I eat, I ask myself if I am hungry for food or hungry for something else like love, comfort, stability, validation, etc.
I shed unnecessary weight when I stopped obsessing over everything I was putting in my body and rigidly counting calories.
When I stopped labeling myself and food as good or bad and enduring the shameful feelings and emotions that accompany that way of thinking, the weight literally melted off my body.
The next time you want toreach for “bad” food, feeling tempted to overeat or have any kind of craving, try to stop focusing on the food.
Listen to what your body is telling you instead.
When I’mout with friends and feel seduced to order a brew like everybody else, I can literally hear my body gently remind me that beer constructs meextremely bloated and sick for hours.
I order a glass of wine or iced tea instead.
If I only want to drink water when Im in a social set and dont want to deal with any pushback from party-goers, I ask the bartender to set a slice of lime in my drink.
People suppose Im sipping on vodka and leave me alone.
Another trick is to ask, “How do I feel right this moment? ”
Either you are hungry, which is natural, or you feel something you don’t want to feel.
Instead of self-medicating through food, try being emotionally available to yourself.
Through the practice of checking in with and nurturing yourself, you will eventually stop feeling the need to comfort yourself through food.
Journaling has helped me open up and be honest with what Im actually experiencing.
Enjoy what your body wants to do.
I choose to ask my body what it needs, and I follow its advice without judging, whether it’s sleep, remainder , nourishment, physical activity or time spent in nature.
If you can barely keep your eyes open, its likely best to go home and sleep and skip spin class.
Why Losing Weight All Comes Down To Your Body's Relationship With Food
Why Losing Weight All Comes Down To Your Body's Relationship With Food
Why Losing Weight All Comes Down To Your Body's Relationship With Food
Why Losing Weight All Comes Down To Your Body's Relationship With Food
Why Losing Weight All Comes Down To Your Body's Relationship With Food