Mind/Body Weight Loss – Day 8
Mind/Body Weight Loss- Days 8
Week 2 Building Awareness
Day 8 Keeping a Food Log Awareness of what you are eating is the first thing we are going to tackle before we answer the question of why you are eating it. I have heard so many times in my career, “I don’t know why I am gaining weight, I don’t eat that much”. Then when I ask them to log their food, they are blown away by the results. Two things usually happen when I get clients to log their food. First, people realize where the deficits are in their diets E.g. Not eating enough vegetables or fiber. Second, they realize how much they are actually eating.
This challenge is not to instill guilt, but you have no chance of changing what you don’t recognize. Once you can see what it is you are eating on a daily basis, you will notice very quickly where you can substitute out unhealthy foods for better choices. Food logging on its own is not enough. Focusing on just the food, without doing the other work is why so many people fail on diets. The challenge for today is to log for two days, however as you make further commitments to yourself at the end of the month, I would encourage you to food log for up to three months to get the most out of it.
Important Considerations:
Focus on Quality Not Calories:
This is a hard program to unlearn. One of the pitfalls of getting people to log their food is that they initially want to get obsessed about the calories. People will opt for the low calorie or “light” options, just because they have less calories. When you choose quality, whole foods you will need to eat less. There will be a shift in your preferences as well. If you are putting low calorie, nutrient deficient foods in your body, your mind may be satisfied for a short time, but your cells are starving. You will then get the signal to eat more because you need the nutrients, but not necessary the calories. So eat the nuts, and the avocados. They may be high in calories, but they are packed full of nutrients that your body needs. Also, high quality fats make you feel full and satisfied. Focus less on how many calories, and instead on the nutrients they offer.
