Last week’s post, talked about mindset and getting super clear, honest and intentional with yourself before you get cycled into the yo-yo, hellish hamster wheel of restrict>binge>restrict>binge, on-off, good-bad — AAAGH and ICK – soooo draining…
It’s a total nightmare way to live, but most of us have done it for years.
Including me. And to be honest, my mind can still go there.
At times (like maybe this past Saturday) I may drink too much wine (or Spiked Seltzers) and then binge on potato chips or something else that’s carby or crunchy and delicious.
But then I feel like crap –
and I just don’t want to feel that way if I can help it.
So then my mind wants to go to undoing the damage…
Which means restricting, right?
Nope. Not going there.
My shift instead is to #1 – let it go, then learning what I can from it and seeing where I may have been out of balance with myself either in the moment or in the days leading up to “the overdoing”.
Lastly, using this compensation episode to reconnect with that vision thing I shared last week.
Asking myself, is it strong and clear enough? Have I overlooked a pattern that leads to this contradictory behavior?
I encourage you to pay attention to the “slips”. They’re powerful teachers if we don’t just sweep them under the rug.
OK… last week I promised more tactical tools to help get closer to your vision of health when it comes to food.
Let’s say you have your strong, clear vision, all your potential blocks/patterns are called out, but your plan of action isn’t clear.
You may be wondering, what the heck should I actually be eating or doing to improve or achieve optimal health in XYZ part of my life? It’s so confusing!
Well, for starters, there’s no ONE way of eating that’s perfect for every person. You’re too unique – not only genetically, but functionally, biochemically, hormonally, in your food preferences, schedule, ability to buy and prepare food, etc, etc..
So here are 3 approaches that will set you on the path to better health:
- Establish your baseline. “You can’t manage what you don’t measure.” < maybe the biggest lesson from my corporate days. Using a notebook or an app like My Fitness Pal, track everything you put in your mouth – just for a few days. Don’t adjust or be “good” for tracking purposes. Be real. This is data for you (or me if you want me to analyze). How many carbs are you eating, what about protein and fat? How does the overall picture look in terms of nutrient density? Other metrics to use are weight (body composition is best because scales are UUGGH!), waist – hip measurements and ratios, symptoms, performance, blood levels (if you’re concerned about Diabetes or Heart Disease, for example) or blood pressure, etc.. Establish your baselines and determine what inputs and outputs need to be adjusted to reach your goals and the ultimate vision you have for yourself.
- Eat real food (most of the time). Your body – your cells – know what to do with real food. Processed food – not so much. Exceptions to the real food rule are minimally processed foods like high quality oils, meats (like pastured or naturally cured meats), milks (like almond or coconut milks with no junk), clean functional foods like protein supplements, minimally refined flours and real food based butters (and not margarine for God’s sake!). Ditch all the gluten free “carbage” (or make them an occasional treat only – like once a month or on the weekends depending on where you are in your process). If you need help with this, just reach out.
- Be a detective. This is where being honest and mindful with yourself and your food connections are critical. For example, I may (and usually) suggest a dairy and gluten elimination for 30 days for most people with unexplained symptoms. But if you’re not connecting the food elimination to a benefit, you probably won’t stick with it. PLUS, there may be other “healthy” foods that could be causing reactivity too. An example of this is: I usually have people start their day with protein and fat (shifting away from carb dominant breakfasts to keep blood sugar balanced). For most this involves eggs, meat or protein smoothies (with veggies and some fruit). But what if you notice that the eggs have you running to the bathroom? This is a clue. A clue that eggs may need to be removed temporarily or longterm depending on what’s going on. Other clues to look for in terms of how you’re doing with food are: hunger, energy levels, cravings, symptoms improving or worsening, body changes, etc..
You are empowered. You know your body more than anyone – including me.
Once you give this a go, please let me know where you may be feeling stuck or overwhelmed. Bottom line: if you have a health issue or want to improve upon something – know that something has to change in your life and you have to be consistent with it – most of the time (allowing for a few sips, chips and slips on occasion though is totally OK, am I right?! :)).
There’s a fine line between denial and acceptance though and I can help you with that too.
Sending you love and healing,
Ev
xox
