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Actual comment from one of my fat loss coaching clients…
I know WHAT to do, but I seem to do the wrong things anyway.
It’s like I am sabotaging myself. How can I stop ?
Maybe you can relate..
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Here are 10 tips to stop self sabotage
Prefer to watch the Facebook Live version? Click the video below to view..
1) Stop restricting so much.
Restricting food is like pulling back an elastic band, it usually results in an equal and proportionate rebound.
Restriction can be about the actual restriction of certain foods, nutrients and calories, OR it can mean that you are restricting yourself from enjoying the food.
Both often result in rebounding.
Common scenarios…
Restricting in first part of the day = rebounding at night
Restricting in first part of the week = rebounding on weekends
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2) Enjoy your food.
When you eat mindlessly, or worse when you eat with guilt or shame, your body doesn’t fully register the fullness and / or the pleasure (yes food can and should = pleasure).
This usually results in continuing to seek out food / taste / enjoyment in order to fill this need.
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3) Stop the ALL or NOTHING mindset.
Thinking you have to be perfectly ON plan or completely OFF plan is not true, not helpful and usually leads to disaster.
Your body is more like a bank account, where everything both IN and OUT counts. Its not a test that you either pass or fail. A little more one day or one meal and a little less at another is fine and normal.
Sorry if that’s not what you want to hear, but its the truth.
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4) Stop labelling foods as GOOD or BAD
Definitely stop any link between eating and your moral worth.
You are not a GOOD person because you ate salad. You are not a BAD person because you ate sugar. Food is just food.
All food and food groups can fit into a healthy plan
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5) Feel your feelings
If you are using food as a way to avoid uncomfortable feelings, you will never alleviate the original problem.
Allowing yourself to feel those uncomfortable feelings actually gives them LESS power over you, not more.
** This is tough. I fully admit to being hopeless at this one. Working on it. 🙂
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6) Fill your life up with fun, purpose, meaning and connection
Much easier said than done I know. Maybe you need a new hobby, new friends, new career, new something.
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7) Get enough quality sleep.
Its that important … really.
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8) Write your own plan instead of following someone else’s rules.
Following rules often brings out our inner rebel.
We want to break those rules… “No one tells me what to do !”
When you have the freedom to follow your own plan, you take on internal responsibility.
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9) Stop trying to HATE yourself into change.
Pretty sure if you are reading this that you have tried this tact once or twice before…
How’d that work out for ya?
You should eat well and exercise because you love your body and it deserves to be treated well, not because you hate it and it needs fixing.
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10) Get professional help
If these thoughts and feelings are taking up a large portion of your life / time / emotional space, then it may be time to seek the help of a professional who deals with emotional eating disorders.
It is NOT a sign of weakness to ask for help. It takes strength and courage to do this.