I was asked several times last weekend at The Radiance Retreat how I made the shift from all-or-nothing competition dieting to #moderation365.
And the answer is actually because I was starting my business and couldn’t afford to think about food constantly and be at the gym 3 times a day.
And also because I was exhausted.
What I was doing (weekly deprive-the-binge cycle) was not working. And I needed to find a way to minimize the amount of mental energy and time I was distracted by everything: mental calculations, is this enough protein, is it too much carb, how many cals have I burned today, when’s the next time I eat, is my food prepped, do I have enough time to make some chicken between clients, AM I GETTING LEANER OR FATTER??!!!
I couldn’t.
#Moderation365 and DNCs and #SatisfactionFactor and Intermittent Sampling and preemptive cheats, etc., were all born out of a desire to automate my eating–making room in my brain for other stuff.
At first, this mental shift can be super disorienting.
When we have been dieting all our lives and used to thinking about food constantly, this shift feels foreign. Like, shouldn’t I be more stressed? Shouldn’t I be thinking about stuff more? This isn’t enough, right? Right??
You might feel like you’re not doing enough.
You might feel like you’re not trying hard enough.
You might feel like you don’t even know what to do with all that time and mental energy you freed up!
But no matter how simple things now feel, embrace it. Even if it makes you anxious and worried and like, “I don’t know, is this okay??”
It *is* okay.
To not be stressed about food every second is what you said you wanted. It’s why you had the courage to try a new way.
Moderation in many ways is harder than all-or-nothing, at least at first, because really, you are teaching yourself mindfulness. There’s a ramp up period.
You aren’t following someone else’s rules anymore. You aren’t blindly following random meal plans and program-jumping anymore. You are thinking for yourself, you are becoming an expert in *your* body, YOU ARE GETTING SMARTER.
But on the other side of the fear and anxiety and what-if’s, there is a huge amount of ease and liberation and mental freedom. And even room to like yourself, ha!
And THAT is why the journey is worth it <3
#MindlessToModerate #GimmeAYear
Want more in-depth exclusive insights on nutrition and mindset? Be sure to add yourself to my weekly email newsletter
