How Do I Control My Eating Habits Better? Here Are Three Ways

How do I control my eating habits better? I’ve been asked this question, or some version, of it multiple times.

Feeling out of control around food. It’s common. We’ve been conditioned to fear food. Food has been placed on a pedestal and has been given power.

Unfortunately the diet industry has benefited from this messaging. But it’s time to take back the power. Our power.

Instead of trying to control ourselves around food, how about we learn to trust ourselves around food?

The first step in that is to take food off of a pedestal. Food has no power over us. Food is neutral. It’s not good or bad. It doesn’t have to be scary.

Food is food. It’s nutrition. It’s fuel. It can be pleasing and fun. Food is delicious. And, it’s okay to admit that you enjoy food.

I allowed food to rule my mood for years. It started when I was in elementary school. I followed Weight Watchers with my mom. I had times when I deprived myself. Other times, I would binge. Sometimes I’d hide my food. For a season, I did some purging with laxatives, and for years, used excessive exercise as a different purging mechanism. All because I gave food way too much power in my life. I feared food. I had an unhealthy relationship with food. I desperately wanted to lose a few pounds and tried every diet, gimmick, and quick fix to do it.

How did I learn to control my eating habits? I didn’t. I had to learn trust instead. I had to get in tune with my body and break free from trying to manipulate and control it with diets.

3 Ways to Learn Trust Around Food

Exposure therapy – Bring into your house “trigger foods.” Expose yourself to that thing that you fear the most and then practice being around it. Eventually it will lose its luster.
Intermittent Sampling – Have a little of something throughout the day rather than all at one time. This helps you learn that food is available whenever you want it but gives you the opportunity to listen to your hunger and fullness cues.
Satisfaction Factor – Eat to satisfaction but stop before you’re feeling stuffed. Slow down.

These are just a few tools and strategies you’ll learn in #Moderation365. It’s the approach taken when you apply the food pillar of my Faith and Fitness Framework™. The women in the support and accountability community are practicing this daily and learning to trust themselves around food. This has led to confidence in themselves and their food choices. It also frees up mental space so that they can more fully live the life God designed for them to live.

To learn more about the Faith and Fitness Support and Accountability Community, go here.

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