Do you notice yourself having some of the same bad habits time and time again around food?
Maybe you’re a night eater? Or maybe you get off work and can’t say no to happy hour with friends, which is fine, but a couple of drinks later and some bloating from appetizers leaves you feeling terrible about your choices.
Some of you may have a habit of doing well during the week, staying on plan…until the weekend rolls around and it all goes to hell.
What is it for you? When do you find it most challenging to stay on your plan?
At what time do those inner voices that talk you into eating begin to pop into your mind?
Mine used to be after dinner. I’d get this feeling of “not quite satisfied” and have a desire for something sweet. I think it was a conditioned response from having dessert every night after dinner when I was younger.
But, in order to start losing weight, I had to learn to process those after dinner urges without giving into them, and it wasn’t always easy…but it was so worth it!
And here’s the good news, you too can overcome yours! The more we allow the urges without reacting, the less we begin to have them. That’s how we reprogram our brain and create new healthy habits.
Here’s how I recommend overcoming your bad eating habits….
1. Identify exactly what your bad eating habit is.
When do the urges/cravings come up for you? Is it in the evening? Is it right after work? Is it late at night? There’s usually a pattern.
2. What are the thoughts that pop into your mind at that time?
Here are some common examples:
“I deserve it.”
“I’ve had such a long day.”
“One bite won’t hurt.”
“It’s not that bad.”
“Just this once, I’ll start over tomorrow.”
3. Expect the thoughts to come.
Now that you’ve identified the time this usually happens, and what thought or thoughts cause you to go off of your plan, you can be ready for them. Know that it’s just old patterning, so expect that at X time tomorrow, X thought is going to pop into your mind…and….
4. Have a plan.
Decide ahead of time what you’re going to do instead of giving into craving. You can decide right now how you will react when the thought pops into your mind, and the desire arises. What will you do instead of eating? What will you tell yourself?
5. Take action.
Take action on your plan again and again. Not giving into the desire is how we recondition our brain to let go of the urges, and in turn let go of the habit.
I encourage you to set the intention of practicing this 100 times! I guarantee the desire for food at that time will go way-way down.
I’d love to hear your plan. What action will you take instead of eating?? Share in the comments below to support and inspire one another!
Here’s to overcoming bad habits that don’t serve our highest intentions!
In health & happiness,
Jamie
