Posted by mmorand on April 9, 2011
So! 2 weeks ago we looked at The Diet Mentality in detail. Last week, we looked at the definition and characteristics of Natural Eating. This week, I’m going to be brief. Really, I am!
What happened with your answers to the questions about your goals and your definitions of success from last week? Did you take the time to answer those questions and really get clear on what you would consider a successful outcome of our work together? I hope so.
Get those ideas of what success around food and body image is for you, out of your noggin and down on paper or on your computer screen.
Allow yourself to really see what you’re shooting for. The clearer your perception of your goals, the easier it is to establish the steps you’re going to take to meet them. It’s also easier to catch any unrealistic expectations, which, if left unchecked, will only ever keep you feeling stuck and like a failure.
Where are you now in your Diet Mentality? Answer the following questions to find out.
- How often in a day, or in a week, do you not eat when you are hungry or resist having what you really want even when you are hungry?
- How often in a day/week do you eat more than you’re hungry for or have foods that you don’t want but feel compelled to have?
Whatever your answer, we are shooting for an ideal scenario where the answer to the first question is “never,” and the answer to the second question is “rarely.”
When that is your truth, you will be eating naturally. You will be coming to a natural and easily-sustainable weight for your body without dieting/restricting and without rigorous exercise programs.
So, where are you now? How often do you engage in those Diet Mentality behaviours?
Whether you like it or not, that is your truth. That is your starting point at this time.
So, to make sure that you know that you’re headed in the right direction and to make it easier to assess your progress in this process from The Diet Mentality to Natural Eating, take some time now (10 mins. max) and write out where you are now (e.g. Restrict throughout the day, most days. Binge at night, most nights.) and where you’d like to be (e.g. Eat when hungry, stop when full, everything is allowable in moderation.), and then fill in three – yes three – interim stages that you will use as interim goals to determine that you’re making progress. Make them reasonable and well spaced so that the steps between each are balanced. Feel free to send them to me at mmorand@cedriccentre.com if you want me to check them out for you.
If you clarify your goals and how you’ll assess that you’re making progress on the way from here to there and read over the natural eating and diet mentality handouts from the previous article in this series, you will begin to see change in your relationship with food, I guarantee it. Tune in next week for some Natural Eating troubleshooting (which really means, some sneaky Diet Mentality removal)!
Love
Tags: anorexia, anxiety, binge eating, body image, bulimia, compulsive eating, diet mentality, eating disorders, healing, nurturing, overeating, self care, self esteem, self love, self worth
Posted in:
CEDRIC Centre, Natural Eating 101
Hi Michelle,
I don’t understand how to let go of craving sweets and wanting them all the time? Often when I want something sweet I am not hungry… so is that my answer right there? I should not be eating it if I am not hungry? … or as mentioned in your principles of natural eating I should go through those steps and assess whether or not it is emotional hungry etc.?
How do I get off my autopilot around food. Sometimes I am halfway through eating before I realize I forgot to even ask myself if I was hungry in the first place? For example I’ve eaten the cookie already and then I realize I forgot to ask myself and I think oh well you’ve already screwed this up so you might as well have another cookie.
Any clarification would be helpful. I have done what you suggested and answered the questions around what I am hoping to achieve and where I am now.
Many thanks,
Julia
Hi Michelle,
Here are my answers regarding these questions about interim levels leading to where I want to be:
Where am I now?
On and off, sometimes lost in the food, sometimes feeling “light” and un-bothered by it. More often than before I ask myself the right questions when I notice I’m eating or want to eat for the wrong reasons.
Where do I want to be?
Natural eating, everything in moderation that doesn’t trigger me mightily.
Three interim stages to see I’m on the right path:
#1 – Eating mostly healthy or home-made foods.
#2 – Being able to feel that twinge that means I don’t need any more food, physically, and peacefully put it down.
#3 – If I lose weight, not to try and control that, take it too far or too fast. Not to examine myself sideways in the mirror, focus on weight, etc. etc.
Hopefully those seem reasonable. It seems like I’m jumping all over the place, but those were the things that came into my head.
Cheers! Jan
Hi Jan,
thank you for sharing this. I really appreciate the opportunity to support you and to have this thread to share with others.
What you’ve actually written here are 3 goals. These are fabulous goals – i love them!
What you need to do now is to establish 3 steps for each goal. What would be a natural first step on the path from where you are now with eating healthily to where you want to be which is to eat mostly healthy or home made foods? what would the second step be? third?
fill those out a bit a let me know what you come up with.
Love Michelle