Organize Your Eating Behavior For A Great Summer

Kim Wolinski, MSW Dr. DeClutter” http://www.drdeclutter.com/

Organize Your Eating Behavior For A Great Summer

The summer holidays and vacations are upon us. ROADTRIP!!! JUNKFOOD!!! BACKYARD PARTYYYY!

I can’t speak for other countries, but one of the things we Americans do that can really make one “crazy” – for lack of a more sophisticated term – is how we talk about food, eat food, aren’t conscious of food and waste food. In order to really enjoy food and feel good about what you eat and what it’s doing to your body is to consciously do some decluttering of your thoughts about food and eating.

The bottom line is, as the summer winds begin to blow, start loving food. Yes, love your food and your body that is eating it!

Here are the “rules” to learn to love your food and enjoy your life this summer.

1. Whatever you choose to eat from now on, you can’t talk about it negatively, even in jest.
Example: “Oh, I’m going to order chocolate pie, but you know what it’s going to do to my waist!”
This will test your routine conversations with others. It’s harder than you think.

2. When you buy food, plan ahead and don’t let yourself go on autopilot and trance out, bringing home food you “shouldn’t” have or your family and all bodies concerned don’t need.
Example: A customer in a grocery store was looking at high calorie food, saw me come around the corner and said with a laugh, “Oh, I should never go shopping when I’m hungry, I buy the stupidest things!” I replied, “Just say no!” It made her stop and think.

TIP: Eat before you go shopping. You have control over this! Or, grab an individually wrapped cheese stick and eat it while shopping, remembering to pay for it before you leave. Let protein help you out of low-sugar land.

3. If you want to eat something, don’t keep thinking about it. Either eat it, in moderation or go for it, or change the focus of your thoughts and stop thinking about it.
Example: “I’ve been thinking about eating chips all day, it’s driving me crazy!” Well, if you’re saying that out loud enough, you’re driving everyone else crazy too! You can buy 1-3oz. bags of chips and sate your craving. You don’t need to buy the 100 oz. biggie-size-my-butt-bag and then complain about that for another couple of years!

4. Stop talking about your weight, “fat”, cholesterol, calories and any other related topic. Eat or don’t eat. Think ahead: be wiser, buy and order wiser. We all know what to do – it’s in the doing. X calories a day + X minutes of exercise = where you are now and where you’ll be in the future. Pretty simple!
Example: “Everything goes to my hips!” “This has so many calories, but if I just eat a little… oh, how did I eat it all in one night!” “This has so much fat, but I’ll eat it anyway, I’ll exercise more later.”

5. Tell yourself the truth, and then live with it. OUCH! Yes, we rarely really want to see ourselves as the self-deceiving and creative people that we are. There’s nobody “out there” with a tally card. It’s just you and your body and your health. If you tell yourself the truth, what will you hear?
Example: “The truth is, I’m afraid to lose weight because I won’t feel in control and safe.” This is a pretty common feeling and thought by women.

6. Watch your language about yourself… and others. No more putting yourself down. No more self- or other- criticism, even in jest. Your body hears everything you say and takes it VERY seriously.
Example: “I will never lose this weight.” “I feel so fat all the time.”
Also, let others know that it’s no longer okay to put you down or joke about your physical appearance. Remember this: We teach people how to treat us. Don’t laugh at their jokes about you or themselves or anyone. It’s not funny, it picks at your spirit until your self-worth quits fighting. You can say, “stop,” no matter how they feel about it.

7. Love every morsel of food you eat and enjoy. Enjoy every morsel of food you love!
Example: “Oh, I love strawberries and cream.” “I just so love garlic bread!”
Enjoy food. It’s here for us to enjoy. No “tags” to the back of your joy statement like, “but…”. Nope, just stop at your enjoyment.

8. Love yourself. No matter how you look, love yourself. Start any change from where you are, one new positive conscious choice at a time. Or not! Either way love yourself. In fact, fall madly in love with yourself this summer. I am!

©2006 Kim Wolinski, MSW “Dr. DeClutter” Stress, Change and Organizational Skills Expert See my books and other products to support your organizing every level, INNER, OUTER AND OTHER. http://www.redecisionsinstitute.com/kims_store.html

Available now, my new ebook: THE WORRY CONTROL HANDBOOK, How to destroy the FE.A.R.V.I.R.U.S. and take back your peace of mind at http://www.drdeclutter.com/worrycontrol.html

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