When you are trying to lose weight, your brain comes up with ALL the reasons why it’s hard. First and foremost is this lie: “I don’t know what to eat.”
Friends you DO know what to eat. You’ve been on all the diets. I know because if you are reading this, you are probably a woman in your 30’s or 40’s or 50’s. Statistically speaking, by the time you are 45, you will have tried 61 diets/plans/programs/detoxes/cleanses/meal plans/regimes/eating systems. You’ve done them all right? Cabbage soup diet anyone?
In every diet you’ve tried, there has likely been “good” foods and “bad” foods. Or foods that you were instructed to cut out or limit. In doing this, you’ve seen how your body reacts to such things.
How do you feel when you eat lots of vegetables?
How do you feel when you eliminate sugar?
How do you feel when you eat more protein?
How do you feel when you limit carbs?
How do you feel when you eat tons of carbs?
Do you get more cravings when you eat more processed foods?
How do you feel when you eat more fruit? You get the idea.
Now–think about when you felt your BEST. Not when you weighed the least. Not when you saw the biggest, fastest change on the scale. But when your body felt the best.
What types of foods does your body thrive on?
Do you have less pain when you don’t eat sugar?
Do you have more energy when you are eating plenty of complex carbohydrates?
Do you feel full the longest when you are eating more protein?
When you eat certain foods, do you sleep better or worse?
This. This is the purpose of tracking our food. Not so we can count every calorie, but so we can see the cause and effect of our food choices.
When you go in the kitchen and your brain offers you confusion and says “I don’t know what to eat. It’s just so hard.” Say no. That’s just not true. I’ve gathered tons of evidence in all my dieting and I do know what to eat.
Now don’t go thinking I’m suggesting going back on that diet where you felt the best and following it to a T. What I’m suggesting is to eat the things that help you feel the best. This is how you take care of your body in a sustainable, healthy way. This is where you start on your weight loss journey. You can imagine that if you only ate foods that made you feel your best, you’d likely not choose high sugar, processed foods, or greasy things–the stuff that sits in your stomach and makes you just feel gross. If we eliminated those foods, you would naturally reach your healthiest weight. (what about cravings though? check out this post)
If you are still feeling confused about what to eat–start with lots of vegetables. Lots. Add in lean proteins, healthy fats, fruits and whole grains. Track what you are eating and how you are feeling. Track how much you are sleeping. Note down if you had good energy for your workout. Get the information you need for your own body. Maybe you’ll notice sluggishness when you have oatmeal for breakfast. Ok got it–no carbs in the morning. Maybe you’ll notice just the opposite. Pay attention to your own body in all the ways you can think of–energy, cravings, sleep, motivation, satiety, fullness, and what foods kept you full the longest.
Let me know what you discover!
