Ep: #66 - Unlocking Lasting Wellness Through Balanced Food Relationships

Nourish Your Body, Mind & Soul: Unlocking Lasting Wellness Through Balanced Food Relationships

Ok let’s dive in.

We all know or should I say have been told repeatedly that eating a ‘balanced diet’, and taking care of our health and well-being is important for maintaining physical and mental well-being.

We have all been told how our ‘diet’ can lead to health conditions if we are not ‘careful’ but do we actually listen? Do we care? Why then do we act or not act?

This is a huge topic in itself with lots of layers to unpick but today I want to concentrate on those of you who have a dietary related medical conditions or are concerned about developing one. Whether that be diabetes, heart disease or other chronic illnesses.

You see not everyone in the Backstage Pass Membership or who works with me 1 to 1 is working on ‘weight loss’ some are working on overall well-being and/or improving their relationship with food either due to illness themselves or having health conditions in the family so if that is you, this one is for you.

Today I am going to touch on how you can work on your relationship with food in a way that helps you prevent, manage and better understand your illness or your fears and concerns about developing one.

This is clearly a sensitive topic if you are comfortable sharing what you are working on please do so, remember anonymous posting is on in both the free and membership group if you need it but in sharing as a community we can help and sharing is often helpful to others too.

Health Fears - A Motivator Or Overwhelming Trigger?

Fear of illness or developing a health condition or having a health condition can be a huge motivator for taking extra care of our dietary intake, but it can also bring up very strong fear based emotions like stress, overwhelm and guilt

Fear may seem like a strong word but our hopes and fears are the strongest emotions we have and can be the driving force behind how we live our lives and how we show up in the world and more importantly how we feel of course in the process.

Where you are on this spectrum, as it is always a spectrum, will be individual to you but let’s explore that a little today. Want to work on it further check out the Backstage Pass Membership or reach out if you want to explore your 1 to 1 options.

It is often easy to spot fear-based beliefs/thoughts see if you spot any of these as part of the things you say to yourself:

I have to change my diet or else…

If I don’t change my diet …. Xxx will happen.

I don’t want to end up like…

I must go to the gym or else…

I need to change my eating habit or else…

I will get xxxx if I do not change….

It’s a common misconception that you need fear as a motivator. Sure fear can be a motivator, a big one but how does it make you feel? Does it make whatever you are working on sustainable, do you feel good about your journey? Your life?

How an individual copes with a diagnosis, on-going treatment and requirements varies dramatically depending on how you have been triggered and their brain's natural defence responses, the old flight or fight.

But what do we do when food is part of the problem or solution? Making change can be harder at the best of times but when it is something that you cannot avoid as you need it to survive and you have to think about it several times a day that is a lot of thinking to do and so the overwhelm can easily set in.

Thankfully this all can be worked on and you can use the Triple-A-Way™️ to do it and when I am certified, Belief Coding®️ too… Yay!

Food Group Reduction/Removal

As a general rule, I don’t recommend the removal of food groups or an extreme reduction in intake. What I encourage is working on your relationship with whatever item it is.

For example, you may think of yourself as someone who has a sweet tooth and cannot say no to sugar, or maybe it is carbs in general. You may crave stodgy food. Maybe it is just specific items within that group.

Funny how we hardly ever get obsessive over things like carrots and broccoli.

I jest but there are reasons for this of course physiological as well as mental and emotional and they can all be worked on.

But what about when you are medically told you HAVE to change, reduce or eliminate?

Maybe you are diabetic or pre-diabetic, maybe you need to reduce cholesterol or blood pressure, maybe it’s a food allergy or intolerance, maybe you have had weight loss surgery, or other medical conditions/interventions that require this.

That is different of course if there is a health professional telling you to but can still illicit fear and other strong emotions.

When we are told we cannot do something we typically do not like it. It is likely you could be feeling very restricted.

So what then?

Friction occurs and conflicting thoughts. It can be like this when working on ‘weight loss’ or well-being in general. We know working on eating a balanced diet, moving our bodies and in some cases reducing weight would help our health and well-being and we would feel better but yet we don’t want to do it.

Following my ‘weight loss’ I released indigestion, breathing issues, knee pain and back pain.

But when I was told to lose weight to fix these things it felt so hard and I resisted it for a long time.

I hated and resented the fact I was being told they were weight related.

I hated myself even more for not wanting to or doing the work.

I hated the thought of being so restricted and miserable from the ‘dieting’ I was told I had to do.

Even when a situation is literally life and death, it can be a struggle to change.

So even fear itself is sometimes not motivational especially if the mindset we get into is one of what is the point, it is too hard, why bother and I can’t.

But it does not have to be this way either.

Shift Your Food Focus

Let’s picture the scene of starting a new ‘diet’, whether it is for ‘weight loss’, well-being or medical it likely starts the same.

It’s a Monday.

You join/rejoin whatever club it was that you were going to follow this time.

You’ve declared to the universe this is it.

Bought all the products.

Paid for the booklets.

This time is going to be different.

You’ve obsessed over the literature.

You’ve set up your new folder to keep all the stuff together.

You are ready!

Let’s do this!!!!!!

But then what!

Thoughts! Loads of thoughts! Likely about food. You can think of little else other than food and your diet.

At some point, you start to

Question every move and decision

Maybe fantasise about chocolate, ice cream, pizza and doughnuts

Cravings and urges go through the roof

You talk about nothing other than your new habits

But then you feel restricted, you feel deprived, you get bored.

These are all perfectly normal when you approach habit change with a diet mentality.

The previous thoughts of 'have to', 'got to', 'must', 'go hard or go home' come into play as you bully your way through.

Eventually, you get sick of it. Sick of doing the same shizzle. Sick of feeling restricted. Sick of being bored.

You crave relief.

You feel confused, guilty and shameful because you know you are supposed to be doing this for your health.

You question why you can’t do this for yourself when it is so important.

You start to question what is wrong with you.

This may create another little wave of motivation and momentum where you want to prove yourself wrong so you dig deep but the cycle starts again.

This is the ‘diet cycle’ a never-ending loop of overeating/going off plan diving into restriction, cracking and then overeating/going off plan again as you can’t sustain the regime.

I know this paints a dark picture but it's what many of us have been through time and time again and even if you are trying to work on your relationship with food for some serious health reasons this does not change.

We have to shift your food focus. Whether it be obsessing on it, thoughts on it, or relationship to it. Find it and change it and do so in a way that feels good and is sustainable.

Working on your relationship with food means understanding how different foods nourish you personally.

It means making positive changes based on this knowledge.

It is about breaking any restrictive habits with regards to eating - whether we're avoiding certain types of food out of fear or simply just following rules without really thinking why we do so or working on your mindset around how it impacts your health.

Listen To Your Body

Your body is listening to everything you do but are you listening to your body?

Belief Coding®️ has opened up my understanding of the mind and body connection. Couple that with my life coaching teaching, it has allowed me to reflect back on my ‘weight loss’ experiences with different eyes. I now understand more about what I actually did to ‘lose weight’ and why that worked and what I want to work on going forward.

Dieting introduced me to restricting food and a set of rules that were impossible to sustain.

The ‘weight loss’ program I followed to start with my intuitive eating journey introduced me to life coaching and the mind but yet also on reflection was a further set of rules and a ‘you can do hard’ method.

I am now transcending this and bringing you all of the best bits from the things I have experienced and tried with my own unique blend that you can then make yours as you need and see fit.

It may be cliched to say and has been used to death but Mind, Body and Soul the whole holistically collected lot is where I sit. Life as a whole, ‘weight loss’/well-being for health it all goes together like a jigsaw.

So do you currently listen to your body?

Do you pay attention to your body and what it is telling you?

Or do you ignore it?

The answer might be somewhere in the middle and probably is for most people.

Paying attention to your body doesn’t only mean nourishing it with food but nourishing yourself as a whole.

This means understanding what your individual body and health needs are and creating positive changes with food that you can sustain physically.

Mindful eating can be about seeing how your body reacts to certain foods. You can tune into your body's hunger and satiety cues, allowing us to eat according to our body's needs rather than external rules or restrictions.

Listen To Your Mind

Whatever you are working on and why regarding your relationship with food, health or both. The focus should not solely be on what you eat and how you move, but also on how you approach food and the emotions surrounding it.

As well as your emotions around how you feel about your health needs and wants too.

I have a fair bit of experience dealing with thoughts and emotions around health with perimenopause. Even this week I had one of my low mood spells. I even had to postpone the live filming of this episode. I had to listen to mind, body and soul and it was saying stop... take time out and so I honoured that.

Not going to lie there was a lot of judgment coming up which I am working through with one of my coaches and there have been a couple of overeats to boot. This is what I have found I ebb and flow but my destination is always clear.

This is why one of the key steps in improving your relationship with food and your health is cultivating a positive mindset about it.

Food or certain food types can be viewed as the enemy or a potential threat to our goals, dreams and health. I did a reel on this which was very popular. But really food is just food. It is neither good or bad and has a neutral weighting until we put a thought to it. So notice do your thoughts feel positive, neutral or negative?

What about your health or health condition? What are your thoughts about it? How do you feel about it? What actions/inactions do you then take?

If your thoughts are more toward the negative you may find this creates anxiety and stress. This in turn knocks back into your eating and health.

By working on cultivating a more positive mindset you can start to change your thoughts and beliefs around eating and health in turn make more mindful choices for both.

If you are in the membership you have a range of tools and support available to help you to do this but check this week's resource on health and food in your portal under the video as usual.

Listen To Your Soul

I was feeling some T’Pau little bit of heart and soul writing this part. Do you remember that song? Let me know.

”Looking for a little bit of love to grow, so

Give me love, give me heart and soul”

Ok so this was about a romantic relationship of course but the love you have for yourself the joy you find, the purpose, your values, your spirituality if you have it you need to nourish these too.

If you have a health condition, naturally you may feel overwhelmed and scared.

You just need to take it day by day, focus on the here and now to make small changes that could positively affect your condition in the future.

It’s normal to feel disheartened at times but never give up hope because these small steps can add up over time!

It is better to progress through a thousand tiny ripples and maintain the momentum than to create one enormous wave and struggle to sustain its force.

Round Up

By gathering awareness around our food, health and well-being you can step into action to improve your relationship with food and health so you can prevent or better manage illnesses such as diabetes or heart disease.

Adopting a balanced and mindful approach to eating not only nourishes our bodies but also supports our mental well-being. It allows you to enjoy food without guilt or fear, promote a positive body image, and find a sustainable and individualized path to health.

Remember, food should be celebrated, not feared. Embrace the joy of eating, listen to your body's needs, and cultivate a positive and nourishing relationship with food. Your health and well-being will thank you for it.

OK, that's it folks. Don't forget to check on the description to find how you can take this show and your life & weight loss to the next level with love check the descriptions for links.

Don't forget join the Backstage Pass today to get this weeks resource all about overcoming scale drama

See you next week!