As you know, food deprivation is a one-way ticket to…
…can’t stop thinking about the chips in cupboard…
…I’ll have one because I am doing that 30-day ab challenge…
…well I’ve already had one, so I’ll have another…
…mmmm…noms…
…well, I’ve thrown in the towel, so I might as well eat the rest of the bag so they are gone for good and out of the house….
…gaaaahhhh!!!!
Followed by commitments to do 30 minutes of extra cardio every day and eat strictly kale, nori sheets and salmon for the next week.
When I talk about getting off the ‘all or nothing’ diet train, ditching the deprivation mindset is KEY. And deprivation is a mindset…because you can restrict foods without the emotional ramifications that come with deprivation (deprivation = food rules -> guilt -> failure -> I suck -> repeat).
Food becomes a lot less interesting when you drop your self-imposed and guilt-laden restrictions (a.k.a. deprivation).
But, food deprivation is not the root of your problem. While dropping deprivation will greatly minimize your desire to Propofol yourself with food, it’s not going to relieve the guilt that follows your post-chip WTF meltdown. When there is guilt, there is always further sabotage and restriction.
Our urge to control food is a response to something else that we are depriving ourselves of, such as:
Reading a book for non-self-help or financial freedom purposes, a hug that lasts longer than 1 nanosecond, headboard bashing sex, strolling to an appointment instead of moving so quickly that you break into a full sweat, feeling sun on your face, brunch and champagne with friends, sleeping in, staying in your pajamas all day, a trip to Fiji, cuddling your child or fur child (not while checking Instagram), a Scandal marathon, not having a soul sucking job with an asshat boss, etc.
I urge you to ask yourself: what are you really depriving yourself of?
Then chase after it. Talk about it. Plan it. Make sacrifices. Set boundaries. Push yourself out of your comfort zone. Schedule it. Hug it. Enjoy it. Repeat.
Life is too short to deprive yourself and fill up on chips.
What do you make time for to enrich your life instead of deprive? Let me know in the comments!
Be Smashing!
