Well dear readers, it’s a brand new year. And research shows that January is usually accompanied by resolutions to lose weight, change employment or finally sort out your finances.
Which category are you focused on?
Because of the area I specialize in, many people who employ my coaching and therapy services in the new year are usually wanting to lose weight, be happy, and find more peace and inner calm.
The biggest lesson I teach them is that they won’t find what they’re looking for by going on a new diet.
What your body desperately wants and needs is homeostasis, not deprivation. Your body craves balance and hates extremes.
Dieting can cause many disruptions to your hormonal, chemical and emotional wellbeing.
Temporary restriction isn’t a long term fix, especially if it doesn’t address the subconscious programming of negative thinking, or the real reasons why you want to make changes in the first place.
After years of dieting and eating disorders, I’ve learned how to understand what my body needs so that my blood sugar remains stable and my adrenals calm.
Restrictive eating patterns rob your body and brain of the micronutrients that they need to create balanced appetite- control neurotransmitters, and balanced metabolism-boosting hormone levels.
My work is focused heavily on eating psychology and mind-body nutrition – understanding why we eat what we do, and how our body responds and reacts to both conscious and unconscious choices.
I encourage self-compassion, acceptance, and trust for your body’s own inner wisdom alongside making quality choices that serve to regulate appetite, boost your metabolism, feed your brain and balance your hormones.
Here are five tips to help you do this:
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REPLACE “dieting” with living. Try to let go of the all or nothing, black or white, good or bad, dieting mindset. It may have boosted your confidence in the short term but it probably hasn’t made you any happier within yourself, so why keep going back to something that really hasn’t worked for you long term?
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SWITCH your focus. If you focus on what you “can’t” eat or on calculating calories, you’ll miss the enjoyment of eating i.e. taste, pleasure, aroma, satisfaction, texture, etc., and cause more stress and upset to your mind and metabolic digestive power.
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CHOOSE quality whole food over processed and packaged. Focus on what you can add in to your daily food intake: quality fat, fibre, clean protein and flavourful herbs and spices. Look to increase the colour and aroma on your plate.
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TRUST your hunger and fullness signals. The more you diet and eat according to external rules, the less connected you are to your own inner wisdom. Trust yourself and your body.
Yes, that means you’ll have to give up dieting and learn a healthier way to nourish yourself. It is a challenge, but you can do it with the right guidance!
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DRINK water. We need plenty of clean water to help hydrate cells and bulk the fibre for healthy and regular elimination pathways. You’ll also begin to learn the difference between true hunger and actual thirst, which helps in regulating your meal times and portion sizes.
If you need help to implement healthy changes or get to the root cause of your emotional, stress or binge eating, I’m here to help. Find out HOW…
Be Well,
Viki xo
Founder, MindBodyFood Wellness Counselling and Coaching, and the MindBodyFood Institute holistic training college. Visit www.mindbodyfood.net or www.mindbodyfoodinstitute.com
About Viki
Viki Thondley is a Mind-Body Wellness Specialist and qualified Holistic Counsellor, Food, Stress & Lifestyle Coach, Meditation Therapist, and Eating Disorder Recovery Coach who inspires women to shift from limited thinking, low self-esteem and restriction to whole-self nourishment, body confidence and whole food healing. Recovered from bulimia nervosa and the many years of hormonal imbalances, food prison and self-sabotaging behaviours’, Viki is an inspiring coach, speaker and event host who also provides personalised holistic programs, workshops and live events to instil self-love, happiness, body confidence and real food freedom. She is author of “Achieving Your Wellness: Create a Life You Love” and “Healthy Chocolate Delights: Real Food Sweet Treats”.
