Forgetting What It's Like To Stress About Food

Wow, I never thought this day would come. A day where I no longer stress about food. About eating "right", eating "clean", not over-eating. I couldn't imagine it.Over the weekend I was thinking about this. About how I sometimes forget what it was like to stress out about food. When I first started this work coaching women with their relationship with food and their bodies, it still felt like a recent memory. But now, it feels distant. Almost like that was someone else who went through all of those issues with food in the past. It's such a cool feeling!

I wanted to write to encourage you today. Because, though it feels distant now, those days of stressing about food are part of my past. And I know what it is to feel so overwhelmed by always trying to make the right decision with eating that it turns into something that rules your mind and your life. I know what it's like to go to bed counting up the day's calories in your head hoping you stayed under your predetermined amount. And I know what it's like to step on a scale each day, stressing about any change, big or small.

I want to write to you today and encourage you... There is hope. There is freedom. There is peace. You can look back one day on this time and feel like it's such a distant memory that you hardly remember what it was like to not eat intuitively!Freedom isn't for that other girl. It's for YOU!I thought it'd be helpful and fun to share some things I've learned about myself through no longer stressing about food. 

I enjoy eating something sweet every night.

Whether it's some fruit or something chocolatey (more often the case :) ), something sweet after dinner always seems to seal the deal and leave me satisfied after a meal. My favorites include...Trader Joe's dark chocolate peanut butter cups, any ice cream that has chocolate, and full-fat yogurt with granola. 

Getting full at a meal isn't a bad thing.

I used to really fear getting full...can you relate? That full feeling brought up thoughts of guilt, shame, regret. But, something I've learned about myself is I actually enjoy being full. Not so full that I feel sluggish and without energy. But full in that I can go a bit of time without getting super hungry again. So this knowledge of actually choosing to eat more at a meal so that I can maybe go a bit longer between eating (especially on busy days) is where learning about my individual body and becoming body wise helps me accomplish what I want with the food that I eat, which is feeling satisfied and enjoying it. 

Frozen meals aren't cheating.

If you follow me on Instagram, I love sharing with you what dinners we're making. And lately, you know, dinner's been featured by the Trader Joe's freezer section. But for real! There's no guilt in heating up frozen food. There's a time and place for all foods...even convenient food! Especially when the time part is lacking. So know this. No guilt! Do what you can. And don't stress or feel like you're cheating by not cooking everything from scratch or homemade. There's a time and place for that. And some seasons of life we have more time to enjoy that. But other times we don't. And that's ok! 

Big breakfasts...what did I do without them!?

I love taking time in the morning to put together a big breakfast. It doesn't always happen, but when it does...so happy! Long gone are the days where SpecialK and almond milk were thought to be substantial. Yeah, not possible. 

Eating enough makes you feel so much better!

I feel so much better eating enough for my body. Fancy that. But really, eating substantial meals and snacks throughout the day guided by feelings of hunger and satisfaction makes you feel so energized and yourself! As opposed to the opposite, how I spend many years of my life, not eating enough and moody and hangry all the time. Of course, these emotions still come up. But not because of restricting. I hope this is encouraging to you wherever you are currently with your relationship with food. If you're practicing intuitive eating and getting discouraged, know that you are capable of being intuitive with food! If you're new to all of this and scared to let go of food rules, know that life is so much sweeter without the bondage that food and diets can have on you.I'd love to hear where you're at? Are you new to all of this? Or have you started to experience your own lessons you've learned about yourself? Leave a comment below!