In our weight-obsessed society, it’s easy to fall into the trap of believing that our self-worth is intrinsically tied to the number on the scale. Many people come to me saying they’ve been unhappy with the image in the mirror for years and if they could just shift those few pounds, they know they’d feel better. They often have a number in their head, a number that they think if they see it on the scale, they’d be happy. Unfortunately, as a nutrition and performance coach, I’ve seen all too often that this simply isn’t the case. To a lot of people, what they don’t realise is achieving that number wouldn’t actually change their life for the better in the way they think it would.
We often maintain we want to lose weight to improve our health, but really, our preoccupation is with how we look and we become obsessed that a certain body shape, size or weight will bring us status and success.
But this often isn’t the case and instead leads to disordered eating, emptiness and a sense of failure. Health, fulfilment, and a positive relationship with food go well beyond our body image and perceived ideal weight. So how do we shift our focus from weight loss to these more enriching, sustainable goals?
Redefining Health
First, it’s crucial to understand that health is not a one-size-fits-all concept. It’s a multifaceted blend of physical, emotional, and mental well-being, rather than simply a certain body weight or size. When we define health more holistically, we can focus on nourishing our bodies with wholesome foods, moving joyfully, and embracing self-health (forget self-care, Instagram has marshmallowed the shit out of that and made it way too sickly for me to stomach and robbed it of all substance and meaning…), all of which contribute to a healthier relationship with food.
1. Embrace Mindful Eating
Mindful eating involves paying full attention to the experience of eating and drinking, both inside and outside the body. It encourages listening to your body’s cues for hunger and fullness, and understand the difference between physical hunger and emotional hunger. This practice can lead to a more balanced and fulfilling relationship with food, one where no foods are off-limits and eating is a source of joy rather than stress.
2. Prioritise Nutrition Over Numbers
Instead of focusing on calorie counting or restrictive diets, emphasise the nutritional value of the foods you eat. Ask yourself, “What nutrients is this food providing my body? How will this help me?” Focus on what you can include more of instead of focusing on what to restrict and remove. This mindset often leads to greater positive emotions around food and cooking as well as better health metrics and better performance from your training and exercise goals when you are thinking about fuelling yourself well.
3. Seek Pleasure and Satisfaction
Food isn’t just fuel – it’s also the centre of many of our social events and has the power to make us smile! Denying yourself the foods you love can lead to feelings of deprivation, which may subsequently lead to overeating or binge eating, it’s a futile battle to say “I won’t eat x food” as it simply emphasises what you’re trying to avoid and makes you fixate on it. Instead, try incorporating your favourite foods into your life, but eating them mindfully, slowly and not worrying about the amount you’re eating. You might overindulge the first few times, but as you start to let go of the rigid rules you’ve had in place before, that goes away and soon you’re able to enjoy the foods you love in moderation without guilt and shame.
4. Practice Body Acceptance and Gratitude
Body acceptance doesn’t mean you have to love every single thing about your body. Instead, it means acknowledging your body’s unique strengths and abilities and focusing on what your body does for you functionally; it helps you to lift your kids up, carry heavy shopping bags, get to the top of that mountain you want to climb and more importantly, keep you independent for as long as you look after it! This shift in focus can help foster a more positive body image, which, in turn, can improve your relationship with food as you begin to focus on the strengths of yourself instead of the perceived (and often false) weaknesses.
5. Remember, Movement is Joyful
Exercise SHOULD NEVER be a punishment for what you ate or a prerequisite for what you plan to eat. Find physical activities you genuinely enjoy and view them as an opportunity to celebrate what your body can do. When you disassociate exercise from weight loss and instead link it with feelings of enjoyment and accomplishment, you’re more likely to maintain an active lifestyle. Exercise is fantastic for health and wellbeing, independently of food and I think the most powerful thing we can do is separate the two. Sadly, society has become all to accustomed to the “Eat less, move more” mantra and this punishes us with exercise and food deprivation, neither of which are successful modalities for long term health in reality.
6. Get Professional Guidance
Navigating the journey from a weight-centric focus to a health and fulfillment approach can be challenging. A nutrition coach who understands the importance of intuitive eating, the principles of how to achieve it and who has experience in working with those who have been struggling with yo-yo diet cycles for years, is a person who can help you.
Starting this type of journey is scary and can seem like a futile or pointless challenge. But my clients tell me once they’ve started working with, that it’s the best thing they’ve ever done. They have not only got a handle on their relationship with their food and their body, but all the other metrics improve too. Self worth goes up, confidence increases and the result of that is way more fulfilment and happiness in their lives, both in and outside of the boardroom.
If you want to get started on your journey to improve your health and relationship with food and exercise, get in touch and click here to book your FREE 30min intro call with me.