Following on from my previous post โ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ต๐ ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด & ๐ณ๐ถ๐๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐บ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ผ๐?โ (read here if you havenโt seen this yet, or need to refresh your memory).
Often what people also tell me when theyโve had a busy day, life gets in the way or a bad day that they have found themselves eating their body weight in chocolate or drinking too much wine!
Howeverโฆ.. In this moment you also have this โgenius ideaโ that you might as well finish the chocolate/drink the rest of the wine now that its open and start being healthy again tomorrow, right?! It would be a shame to waste it!!!
Does this pattern sound familiar too?!
I hear you! Because I have been there & done thatโฆ.MANY TIMES, more than I can count๐. This can happen to me too from time to time, we are all only human right?!
I also know the aftermath feeling all too well of beating yourself up, that youโve โfailed againโ & feel like nothing will ever work.
Be honest with yourself now.
What do you do on a bad day? What comfort foods/drinks do you turn to?
What if, we can then spot the โtriggerโ and that we are turning to our comfort foods before we start overconsuming them and find comfort in another way?
The confusing thing is that the same foods are often used as rewards! After thinking about this and discussing it with clients over time, Iโve concluded that in a sense we are โrewardingโ ourselves for getting through a bad day.
For example, many years ago when I lived in shared accommodation I came home from work and one of my housemates was telling me about their bad day at work. They were eating an 8 inch chocolate celebration cake with a dessert spoon off the cardboard tray.
Cake can be eaten in joy to celebrate a birthday, and can be eaten in comfort after a bad day. Two very different reasons! What my housemate really needed was a friendly ear, a hug and reassurance, but unfortunately, sheโd found the cake first.
This might seem an extreme example. Over the years Iโve heard from clients the comfort food is usually a bottle of wine, or a packet of biscuits.
If we can pause in that moment and ask what do we really need in this moment that is consistent also with our health and fitness goals, then we can choose another way.
It takes patience and courage to pause. Sometimes we need accountability too, but once youโve conquered it once, trust me it gets easier, and when youโre on the other side itโs an even greater sense of reward that you didnโt overindulge!
If youโve enjoyed reading this article, you might also enjoy Jayneโs lockdown blog on her reflections of eating Toblerone.
If this topic resonates with you then you may be interested in watching my 5 healthy habits secrets video where I will share more ways that you can finally overcome the challenge of sticking to an eating & fitness routine that works for you.
