Binge eating / comfort eating / eating when you’re not hungry
Is complex.
I mean, it’s not like food and not emotion attached to it.
We have birthday cake, social events, good news and bad news
Which are all often centered around food and drinks…
Then throw in the food Industry which market sweet treats for breakfast, snack, lunch and dinner
^^ often foods that don’t give you The nutrition to stay full up and leave you hungry
And it’s no wonder we are left blaming willpower…
Especially with the conflicting information
And the stressed and tiredness of life!
I mean, even one poor night of sleep can make us perceive foods as being more rewarding than they actually are.
Remember that next time you really “think” you want a cake…
Is it you wanting it or is it just that you’re tired?
Maybe you want to change the way you feel through food?
Or maybe you’ve restricted so much in the past
Labelled foods as “bad”
That you now can’t stop eating them.
Look, there’s no one solution for this that’ll work straight away.
But what I will say is that with EVERYTHING
We know that the more decisions someone has to make, the more willpower we have to use.
So some researchers actually believe that because there are different types of ‘eaters’ (comfort eating / binge eating is very complex and some people do it to change their emotions whereas others perhaps it is more due to restriction),
some people actually benefit from having rules.
Sounds contradictory to the ‘give yourself permission to eat the foods you love’ BUT for some people this MAY actually make things worse as they are faced with many choices
For some people?
Starting with ONE rule seems to work well. For example: I will only drink twice a month. For a certain type of person, this can make it easier because they now see this as I will choose the two events and that is it.
For others?
A more flexible approach is better. Giving yourself permission when you want…The key? finding what works for you and documenting 🙂
But either way,
Just having some kind of plan…
Will allow you to make decisions in the moment without having to use up all of your willpower.
And I get this sounds all fluffy unicorn and rainbows 🌈
And it probably is without asking some deep questions….
About what happens if you don’t get a handle on your behaviour?
To your energy? Body ? Health?
To family? Relationships? Work? Your mood ?
How much has it cost you in the past? In time, energy and beating yourself up ?
Because as I’ve said before,
Life is challenging
But you get to pick your challenges
So why not choose a challenge that at least gets you the results you want?
Whether that’s with your fitness
Saying “yes” to more social events
Having the confidence to talk to more people
(This was a big one for me)
Being an example to kids
(Another one that’s big for me… they’re always watching)
Wearing the clothes you want to wear…
Because there will always be an alternative
And challenges that come up…
It just so happens that they’ll probably be the ones that you don’t want
(Or get to choose)
And if you need more help and guidance on this?
Our 28 day kickstart for ladies 40+ in Marlborough, Burbage and Devizes has one more start date from 7th March
Specifically for ladies who know what to do but still don’t do it
Want more details?
Message me with “Marlborough”, “Burbage” or “Devizes” and I’ll get you the details
Matt “hungry?” Fruci