This week a client told me that instead of focusing on weight loss, she was thinking in terms of taking care of herself. Wow! I asked her what difference that made. She told me that she had less resistance, and that eating well no longer felt like a chore or like she was giving something up. There was a sort of incentive to this new way of looking at it: she was actually getting something instead of giving something up. She also said that she felt less rigid because now she was viewing her changes in eating as an experiment. And she was eating less!
As I listened (thrilled – this is a really significant change in perspective!!), I noticed that there was a feeling of kindness and generosity. So I asked about that. The idea of kindness really resonated for her, and she told me that being kind to herself was new. She had had times of kindness in the past, but being kind to herself was not something she had ever done on a daily basis. It felt good.
I think this is a really great example of how our viewpoint impacts our experience. When we are eating certain foods just to lose weight, or because we should, we are dieting. This is a restrictive kind of experience that we can’t wait to get off of! It is a struggle and an effort. It is a completely different experience to eat in a way that makes you feel good and honors your body and health. This approach is more sustainable because it is internal, aware and feels good.
Pay attention to how you think about your way of eating. Shift your focus to eating well and feeling well, and developing the kind of habits that support that. That is how to make healthy eating habits easy and a sustainable way of life!
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