Back to the basics: These changes will drastically affect your relationship with food.
Updated: Jun 10, 2019
I've got news for you. Taking that first step towards a more-confident-you? It doesn't have to be so hard.
Here are some of my absolute favorite ways to get back in my body, enjoy my food, and not be terrified of grocery stores. Enjoy!
Eat your meals at a table.
Eat at a table instead of:
-Your office desk
-While driving
-Your couch at home. -While walking from one place to another.
Create a main dining area in your home (you don't have to eat here 100% of the time). Make the choice to sit at a table and honor the time you have set aside for eating.
This mental shift and corresponding action helps you eat with intention and consciously switch into 'dining mode'.
Figure out your grocery store go-to foods.
Grocery shopping can be challenging. Especially when you are short on time and money (which, let's be real, is often). Making grocery shopping as easy as possible is the name of my game.
Today, before you do anything else, I want for you to create 3 grocery shopping lists that will become your best friend. I have described them below and provided a helpful printable here to help you get started.
1. Staples: This is a list of foods that you always keep in the house.
Imagine you only have 5 minutes to run into the grocery store and you want to get 5-10 items that you love, are versatile, and will get you through the next day or two.
If you're totally out of food, these are the things you could bring home and know you have SOMETHING to eat. Make sure these are foods available in all grocery stores (no specialty items) in case you're traveling or don't have time to go to your favorite grocery store.
Memorize this list. Keep it in your back pocket. Do whatever you need to do so you never run into a grocery store again with NO IDEA what to buy.
My list of staples:
-Yogurt, eggs, bread, avocados, cheese, spinach, sweet potatoes, bananas, a frozen meal or two (Amy's)
2. Extras: This is a list of your favorite foods that you love and would appreciate having in the home. These may be part of your weekly shopping list or not (they tend to make my list after I get a paycheck). They're foods you eat regularly, but could also survive without (unlike the staples).
My list of extras:
-Olives, ice cream, wine, Nutella, cereal, milk, Amy's mac n'cheese
3. Emergency foods: This list is for life's glorious "oh shit" moments. You burn dinner. You forget to pack your lunch. Your meeting runs late and you don't have time to cook as planned.
What foods can you get (and enjoy) QUICKLY? Make a list of 2-3 places you can pick up food or 2-3 meals you can have on hand for those moments when your brain doesn't want to be creative and you're getting more hangry by the second.
My emergency foods:
-Chick-Fil-A (around the corner from my house so I know it's always an option coming home from work or if I need to scoot out of my house last minute) or Trader Joe's Roasted Vegetable Pizza (comes frozen, is $4.99 and literally THE BEST. I keep two of these in my freezer at all times).
Rule of thumb for all the lists: KEEP THEM SIMPLE.
These should be foods you can easily remember and shopping for them will become second nature.
Start out by writing them down. Use this worksheet to help you out.
These items aren't meant to encompass the entirety of what you eat or buy. You can still meal plan, use recipes and try new foods. But when overwhelm strikes this list will make things easier. It will prevent skipping meals or eating food that's not satisfying.
If you get home from vacation, are exhausted and just need SOMETHING. Go grab your staples. If you have 10 extra minutes… get the extras too. Then tomorrow or the next day when you have more energy, creativity, and can think from a place of intuition + rationale, get more food for the week.
Download the guide now to get started!
Wear comfortable clothes.
If you want to be fashionable, great. Wear fashionable, comfortable clothes. If you're wearing heels that hurt your feet and pants that jab into your sides, you'll spend your day uncomfortable.
You'll most likely whine, complain, or feel insecure. If you're physically comfortable in the clothes you're wearing, you're less likely to dwell on your body and body image.
Go to therapy.
I cannot stress this enough. Your emotions take up space. Your stress levels impact the way you eat.
You don't need to talk to a therapist about food or body image for it to be beneficial. Talk about life. ANYTHING! Something as intense as past trauma to something as simple as the stress of being a mom.
Holding stress in the body creates imbalance physically, mentally, and spiritually… which… affects your relationship with food.
Intuitive eating is difficult when you're stressed or full of emotion. You may under-eat or over eat. You may turn to food as a coping strategy without realizing it.
Stress also impacts your digestive system. This may unconsciously cause you to avoid certain foods or crave others.
GO. TO. THERAPY. PsychologyToday is a great place to start.
Want more info on how to find a good therapist? Let me know! I see a future blog post in the making!
I hope these ideas help you as much as they help me! Just remember, you're not alone. Reach out if you need support; I would love to hear from you!