Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

So now that we’ve logged our food and identified patterns and themes, we may be ready to start making changes. If so, we’ve come up with a few do’s and don’ts to get you started:

DON’T try to change everything all at once. This is what we usually do….go shopping, buy all the healthy foods, meal prep the first week….maybe the second…by the third we’re exhausted and frustrated and we throw in the towel. Been there. Done that (again and again and again).
DON’T focus on restriction. I know, I know….you’re like how will that work?! If we over-restrict early on, we will tend to get resentful which increases the tendency to overeat to make up for it.
DON’T label food as good and bad. Food is food. It’s neutral. The cookie is not bad and you are not bad if you eat the cookie! Yes, there are foods that are healthier for us; but the good/bad mindset is not sustainable because reality does not exist in the black and white….reality exists in the gray which means you will not do “perfectly” and you will not do “horribly’, you will do the best you can and that is good enough.
DON’T ignore your feelings. Remember those thoughts and feelings we figured out last week…they don’t go away just because you figured them out.
DON’T weigh yourself multiple times a day. Weight fluctuates throughout the day for various reasons. This will only serve to frustrate you! It also only makes this about a number. You are more than a number.
DON’T blow a whole day/week/month etc because you ate an unplanned piece of cake. We’ve all had this thought, “Well I blew it today…I might as well….” All or nothing thinking is just as detrimental as the good/bad thinking.
DON’T tell the world what you are trying to do. Research shows that when we share the plan with the world and our brain registers all those “you can do it!”s, we get the same excitement as if we had done it…and it can kind of defeat the whole thing. Yes, seriously, it’s a thing!

DO pick one small change to make. Momentum will increase with success.
DO focus initially on something you can add – adding water if you’re not drinking enough; or adding a vegetable to a meal that you wouldn’t have normally had one; adding a 5-minute walk if you haven’t been active in awhile.
DO think of food as fuel for your body. Some foods provide better fuel. We want more of those and less of the others.
DO find healthy ways to process and cope with feelings. Talk about them, journal, see a counselor (especially this one…we love to help!)
DO find ways to measure your progress. Yes, if you are trying to lose weight, it is necessary to weigh yourself; but pick a schedule and stick with that schedule and write down your progress. Seeing it creates momentum. Track other things as well to create motivation and momentum. For example track your streak of logging your food x days in a row….or the number of days in a row you drink 100 oz of water…or…or….you get the picture!
DO plan for times and places that will be a struggle to stick with your plan. And plan for treats too. Treats by definition are treats…not all the time things. Ice cream is no longer a treat if we eat it every day…it’s a food group! If we plan for some treats, we will be less likely to get resentful and frustrated (see 2nd DON’t above!)
DO tell one or two safe people who have earned the right to share in your stuff for accountability and encouragement purposes. [Side note: Accountability is NOT them checking in with you to see how you are doing and and follow up on all your steps like a critical parent. Who needs one of those?! Accountability is someone that you express the intention to and can talk about successes and struggles with…but you YOU initiate it. ]

Lastly, once you have had consistent (not perfect!) success in one area, go ahead and add another change into the mix!

Again, clearly this is not the “encyclopedia of all things food issue related!” All of the things we’ve written in this and the prior to blogs are much easier said than done. Deeply ingrained patterns are hard to break. Emotions around eating can go much deeper than, ‘I had a frustrating day at work.’ This is simply intended to normalize the frustrations involved, give you some ideas, and a path to get started.

Take care of you…