Why the diets keep failing us & how to change your eating habits for good

The more time I spend working with women on their eating habits, the more profoundly I see the problem with why so many of us have struggled to lose weight through dieting.

It’s not the food itself or something inherently wrong with our bodies, it’s why we’re eating when we’re not hungry.

I used to eat when I wasn’t hungry because I was bored, tired, restless, stressed, angry, frustrated, overwhelmed, happy, lonely, worried, disappointed.

I taught my brain that there was reward for eating when I wasn’t hungry. Lots of dopamine and pleasure. And all those uncomfortable feelings (which my body perceived as a threat) would go away temporarily. 

Over time, it became habitual, automatic and unconscious, and I kept thinking I needed a new diet to solve the problem.

We live in a world where food has become incredibly complicated. So complicated that everyone wants medicine to stop them wanting it. 😵‍💫

Mindy Pelz is telling us to intuitively fast.

Stacy Sims is telling us to never fast.

Layne Norton is telling us to count calories.

Jason Fung is telling us calories don’t matter.

Andrew Huberman is telling us a different thing every week (but it doesn’t really matter because he’s so handsome).

Mark Hyman and JJ Virgin are telling us to eat more protein.

Gabrielle Lyons is telling us to eat even more protein.

And Mel Robbins is telling us to LET THEM! 😜

But the problem isn’t WHAT we’re eating, it’s WHY we’re eating and HOW we’re eating it, and this is something that no diet helps you with.

The Love How You Eat principles are so simple for a reason.

They help you stay tethered to what really matters for eating behaviour change.

It doesn’t need to be more complicated than this.

If you want to eat a chicken kiev and chips when you’re physically hungry, do it.

If you want to eat a bowl of popcorn with picky bits when you’re physically hungry, do it.

If you want sushi, a salad, soup, some fruit, a ready meal (whatever it is) when you’re physically hungry, do it.

And PAY ATTENTION to how the food tastes and notice when your body whispers you’ve had enough (because it does).

Notice how the food makes you feel in the moment and afterwards. Be curious about whether the story you’re telling yourself about that particular food is even true.

Everyone is distracting you from what’s going to make the biggest difference in changing HOW and WHY you eat, and therefore how you feel in your body.

Emotional eaters and yo-yo chronic dieters don’t need more nutrition advice.

They need to connect back with the power, simplicity and EFFICACY of tuning into their hunger and fullness cues and RESPECTING what their bodies are telling them.

And if there’s resistance to this basic principle, look at what you’re believing about yourself and your body that’s creating that friction.

Your mission this week is to not let the latest headline or quick-fix pull you out of your body.

Your mission is to stay in your body each day, asking the simple questions before and during eating:

• am I physically hungry?

• has my body had enough?

• do I feel empowered by this food choice?

And if the answer is no, ask yourself what you’re going to do next and why it’s important to do that…