Sometimes overeating and being healthy isn’t so much a matter of control; it’s actually about a lack of self-awareness:
AWARENESS of what we are doing that is contributing to why we are getting what we are getting and then what we can do to change it!
Why? Well, research shows that we often are just not aware of actually what and how much we’re eating!
When we are not mindful of our triggers and patterns, we can’t differentiate between real hunger and cravings and we don’t eat consciously, instead we just rely on automatic pilot- and that can get us into trouble and cause us to make poor choices that’ll ultimately lead to an unhealthy lifestyle and a whole bunch of other problems!
One of the first things I ask all my private clients and members of my #FitClub program to do is to start a #FoodJournal for 5 – 10 days. This is a simple, low-tech but extremely effective tool for self-awareness and gives us an accurate baseline of where we are starting from. It also helps the client to get to know themselves better, to understand their body, how it works and what “symptoms”, cravings, behaviors and habits are leading to what outcomes.
Like you’ve heard me say before:
All real and lasing health starts with self-awareness and knowledge!
The power of the food journal is that it keeps you accountable and makes you more aware. Journaling is doing research about yourself and discovering your relationship with food which is THE KEY to getting and staying fit!
By entering data, you’ll quickly notice a lot of things. Like for example:
- If you’re taking in a lot more sugar, salt, fat and calories than you think you are
- If you have poor sleep patterns that lead to cravings and over-eating
- If you are going too long between meals
- If you’re eating from real physical hunger or habit, emotion, boredom, politeness, stress, loneliness, etc
- If you’re not getting the proper balance of essential nutrients (and at the right times!) to fuel your body and mind for optimal function and energy
- If you’re eating beyond the point of satiety.
- If you have trigger foods and how to deal with them
- And much much more!
Mainly, you become more aware of the emotions tied to your food or the habits you’ve fallen into. Perhaps you’ll find that you crave fatty snacks around 4pm when you sit down and ask yourself the simple question of “why” in your journal, you realize that 4pm is the peak stress time at work! The following day, you come prepared with a healthy snack to munch on that crucial time; or we look at the macronutrient ratio of your last meal to see if it might be the cause, or maybe next time, you or take a quick mental break for a few minutes OUTSIDE in nature and return back to work to manage your stress and control your energy (‘cuse that’s what it’s all about!)
Journaling is a scientifically proven #weightlosstool, but it can help you with so much more than just that! I can teach you all my tips and tricks if you decide to jump into my weekly LIVE Coaching Call Program. Let me know by emailing me at: amy@amyfournier.com
