Feelings and Food-The Diet Plan Killer

Feelings and Food-The Diet Plan Killer

By Annie Berryhill

Have you ever noticed that we humans make a lot of decisions based on our feelings?

I don't mean just BIG decisions but everyday decisions like –

• I'm going to get out of bed with the alarm, or I FEEL like hitting the snooze button because I am too comfy to get up

• I am going to snap back at someone because of something someone said and how it made me feel

• We do things like buy stuff based on our feelings all the time too

All of this because of a FEELING

With just a few examples like the ones above it's easy to figure out that following your feelings all the time may lead you down roads that you may not want to go.

I have noticed that it is especially prevalent when it comes to feelings and food.

• People use food as a crutch when they are feeling sad

• They use it when they celebrate

• As bribery

• As a self-esteem builder (cooking for others!)

So there are a lot of feelings involved with food, and I would guess that if you really put some thought into it, and how your feelings affect your relationship with food, you would probably admit that those feelings are not always good or beneficial to you.

Here's how I have had my feelings trip me up!

I love chips and salsa! For sure it is the downfall of my nutrition program. I limit how often I can have it, but I am always ready if I allow it. The funny part is, I can be cruising along, not even caring whether I eat it or not, but if I hear Mexican music on the radio, I immediately feel the need to eat chips and salsa! Sometimes the feeling is so strongI have even found myself driving to my favorite chips and salsa place to satisfy the feeling. UGH!

How about you?

Do you get feelings associated with an event, a day of the week, a stressor? What is your normal response to it?

How often do you give into that Friday-night-cocktail feeling? We all know that usually leads to reduced resistance to tempting, and unfavorable food choices.

What about the "I'll-just-have-one-small-piece" feeling at a birthday party? What are your feelings telling you there?

We often let our feelings be the driver by going on auto-pilot and don't benefit us. Those decisions are not made from focus on goals, or choosing better, but are reactionary!

The Solution

A good exercise for anyone who is very devoted to their training and nutrition, it to use your food journal as a feelings journal as well. Write down when you had a feeling to "cheat" and what happened or what you were doing right before the feeling struck.

Write down if you resisted, or if you caved. It's really important to record if you did resist and HOW you did it. That HOW becomes a powerful tool to resisting temptation in the future. As you continue to use that skill, you build that skill and it becomes a very powerful ally.

Keeping track of your triggers is important to overcome those triggers and stay out of the Temptation Red Zone!

Why not let me help you by using my expertise to create a personalized nutrition program for you so that you can get and stay on track. By working side-by-side, together we can create a powerful alliance for overcoming feelings, staying focused and getting around trouble areas in your Diet and Nutrition program.

You are DESIGNED to live

LEAN – STRONG – HEALTHY!

Today is a good day to get started

Anne (Annie) Berryhill is a Crossfit Level 1 Trainer, athlete and competitor who owns and operates OC Fitness Revival in Orange County, CA.  

Her services include personal and group training, online nutrition classes and counseling, as well as providing incredible health-improving supplements to help people  to make the most out of what they've got. For more information, contact her via email anne@anneberryhill.com