January seems to be the starting line for the "new me" the slimmer, happier, more successful me. This is so much pressure to be putting on yourself, especially now during this pandemic. Here is a thought. What about not going on a diet, what about changing your relationship with food rather than doing the binge/deprivation dance of the new year diet?
What about enjoying that piece of cake without shame or feeling like a failure?
The idea is to eat intuitively, being mindful of every bite, but not counting calories, fat, micros and macros! Being aware of your hunger cues and respecting when you are feeling them. Ask yourself that scaling question: am I 1 not hungry at all or am I at a 10 Starving! When I can judge how hunger I am, then I can decide what I want to nourish my body with.
Our food culture is very confusing, demoralizing and shaming. We advertise these delicious high fat low nutrient foods on our media, but we follow it up with advertisements for weight loss and new exercise gadgets.
Why do we make it so complicated?
When we change our relationship with food, we change our view of our body. When I love myself I want to feed myself good wholesome food, I want to feel satisfied and not bloated after eating. I want to move my body with joy and love, not punishment and pain.
I want to feel like I am enough.
My goal for 2021 is to respect my hunger, love myself enough to choose foods that serve me energy and nutrients and I pledge that I will not shame myself for any food choice I make. If I want cake, I will eat cake! I will take every bite with the reverence it deserves and I will leave that plate feeling satisfied and not ashamed.