Health Tip: Lose weight without letting food consume your every thought

I know, is it even possible? You’ve probably heard that losing weight is all about what you eat, which may be true for short-term results.

Here’s what the billion dollar dieting industry doesn’t want you to know: if you don’t work on your mindset, the weight will come back just as fast as it came off.

So how do we still lose weight without focusing on every single morsel and crumb we put into our mouth? We get real about our past.

At what age did you start thinking about the scale? What happened?

In every private client conversation I’ve had over the last six years, there is ALWAYS a story about how they started gaining weight or why they went on their first diet.

Let’s call her, Sarah.

Sarah was eight years old when her Dad put her on her first diet. He limited her calories, exercised every day with her and told her that if she gained weight, no man would love her.
We started working together when Sarah was in her thirties and wanted to lose 30 pounds.
She lost some weight trying all the fad diets but immediately gained it back when the 14 day or 4 week diet finished.
I knew that it wasn’t about the food. It was her relationship with herself. Sabotage was comfort and food was the enemy.

I’ve worked with hundreds of Sarahs, so I feel like this mindset exercise might apply to you.

1. Draw your food story.
2. The one where you show me all your weight losses and gains and what was going on in your life during these times.
3. I want you to tell me if you see any patterns.
4. I want to hear why you think you can’t keep the weight off.
5. Now write it down.
6. When you’re finished write down the negative thoughts you think about dieting.
7. Now ask yourself if it’s actually true or if it’s a thought you had in the past that you can now release.
8. Take as much time as you need.

I did this exact same exercise when I lost 25 pounds in 2012. I was done with dieting, but I still had weight I wanted to lose and when I got real about how I felt, I started making better choices with what I ate.

Think of eating as nourishment for your beautiful body, even if you don’t think it’s beautiful yet.

Think of food as fuel.

Imagine how you’ll feel after you eat something.

Will you feel like a million bucks, uploading to Instagram in 20 seconds or will you eat and hide and hope that no one comes home? The way you feel about your food affects your mood.

When I eat a salad filled with all of my favorite toppings and dressing I make at home, I feel like I could walk for miles feeling lean and sexy.

If I have a photoshoot coming up, I’ll steer clear of chips and salsa because I know it’ll make my face swollen and I’ll lack the energy I need. But I don’t not eat chips and salsa, I save them for once a week indulges.

Food is the fun part, you can start your day drinking and eating something that jazzes you up and inspires you to get a workout in or you can start the day feeling tired and grumpy.

Take a look in the mirror and figure out exactly what you want. When I speak with women about their “dream goal weight", I ask them how and when they came up with the number they want to see on the scale.

Most people saw it in a magazine or a doctor’s office on a chart that said their ideal weight for their height.

When I dig a little deeper, I find out that these women have been at their “dream weight” before and were miserable. Yet they desperately try to get back there.

• Why is the number so important?
• What about how you feel?
• Is your health in danger if you don’t lose weight?
• Would you feel more confident at a different size?
• What is fueling this need, or want to weigh something else?

If you want to make real changes, then stop looking at food as your frenemy and start seeing it as the answer. You can love your body and have goals for it.

J. Muenz is a Detox Specialist, Health Coach for women and founder of Fearful to Fit.