How Can I Change My Eating Behaviours?

How much does what's happening in and around you dictate your actions? What if you were to change what is happening to make it easier to do something and harder not to?

Our actions have a lot to do with the influences around us.  Often the reasons we eat have little to do with hunger and a lot to do with the subtle cues (triggers) that drive us. These triggers can be found in the eating environment, in the food environment and in the emotional environment.

The eating environment triggers may be regarding the atmosphere or ambiance of the place you eat, the ease and ability to eat, the social aspect of eating,  the distractions around the eating and the time and length of time for eating

Imagine being in a busy, noisy, fast paced, “all you can eat” restaurant. Will you want to eat more because you are seeing other people eating, unaware of how much you are eating, wanting to get value for money, eating fast and distracted by the conversation around you?

The food environment triggers may be regarding the salience (prominence and visibility) of the food, the structure and variety of foods, the size of food packaging and portions, the shape and size of food plates, glasses and bowls.

Imagine being in a room with  a large bowl of brightly coloured, assorted chocolates in the centre of the coffee table, will you want to eat more because of they way they look, because there are lots of different tastes and textures and because they are constantly in your view?

The emotional environment triggers may be regarding your internal feelings, the need for reward or punishment, the need for fulfilment and satiation, the need for energy or relaxation, the need for stimulation and variety…

Imagine being in a place where you feeling tired and bored and you think food will provide the energy and stimulation you need. Will you eat more because the food won’t be satisfying your real needs?

So what can you do to change your environment so that it supports the eating behaviour that you want to see in yourself?...........

Move!!!!

What can you move away from or move away from you?

What can you move nearer to or near to you?

Who can you move away from?

Who can you move nearer to?

Where can you move away from?

Where can you move nearer to?

Move away from the things that trigger unwanted eating behaviours

·  Move away from self destructive feelings about yourself and move nearer to positive feeling about yourself.

·  Move away from worrying about things you can not control and move nearer towards things that you can influence.

·  Move away from the things you are fearful about and move nearer to the things that you have courage about.

·  Move away from the lack of satisfaction and enjoyment around food and move nearer to feeling satisfied and pleasured around food.

·  Move away from feeling guilty about what and how you eat and move nearer to feeling happy about what and how you eat.

·  Move away from the larger portions/packages and move towards the smaller sizes.

·  Move away from irregularity and being unorganised and move towards structure and planning.

Move away from the person/people who trigger unwanted eating behaviours

·  Move away from seeing yourself being this person with this eating behaviour and move nearer to seeing yourself being a person with a different eating behaviour.

·  Move away from the person/people who encourage your unwanted eating behaviours and move nearer to the person/people who encourage your desired eating behaviours.

·  Move away from the person who tells you, you must, you should, you ought, you will…. and move nearer to the person who asks if you can.

·  Move away from the person/people who disrespects you and move nearer to the person/people who respects you.

Move away from the places that trigger unwanted eating behaviours

·  Move away from sitting near the vending machine at work and move nearer to a place that provides you with stimulation and energy at work.

·  Move away from having coffee where there are cakes and biscuits on view and move nearer to a place that allows you to enjoy your coffee on its own.

·  Move away from going to the same garage/service station where you always buy fuel for you as well as your car and move nearer to a different garage where you will only buy fuel for your car and have your own fuel elsewhere.

  ·  Move away from the unhealthy food isle in the supermarket and move nearer to the healthy food isle in    the supermarket.

 ·  Move away from socialising around places you eat and move nearer to socialising around other places.

Of course, if you don't feel able to change the environments, or think it's important to change them, or don't really see yourself making the changes, or don't think there is any point in changing these environments that are influencing your behaviour, then that's another story.....!

Embracing Change And Uncertainty

Why do we often fear change? Probably because it creates uncertainty and uncertainty can feel uncomfortable.

How much more comfortable it feels when we know we are doing the right thing, when we are certain that the change we are making is the right change to make. It explains why we are always looking to “Experts” to tell us how to lose weight, what the right diet is etc. “Experts” seem so certain about what they are talking about which, in turn,  installs the confidence that we are looking for. We no longer have to worry, we have something to believe in, and we think we have the magic answer! We put our trust and faith in the “Expert” and can then blame them when we don’t get the results we expected but as we cling to an idea of perfection we are still clinging to a fear of change.

Uncertainty is a good thing. By 'not knowing' we have to learn to trust, find faith, be humble and be patient. When we fear uncertainty we resist, we tighten up, we become stressed and stop the natural flow of our metabolisms. Change is inevitable and necessary. Without change we would stagnate. Change creates difference and when things are different there is transformation and variation. And we all know that “Change is as good as a rest!”

How would it be if next time you are faced with change and uncertainty you trusted your intuition, you had faith in yourself, you respected your needs as well as the needs other’s, and took one step at a time…? Can you imagine how you might feel? By embracing uncertainty we can breathe, be open, relaxed and welcoming and let the mystery flow and unfold. We can learn what works and what doesn’t work for us. We can search and find our own answers and make change easier.

FatScrap Chat Room September/October

Hi and welcome back

Somebody asked me the other day “Why can’t I ‘Just Do It!’? I know I need to eat healthily, I know I need to exercise, I know what to do and how to do it but I just don’t seem to be able to apply myself!

Well the reason why it’s not that easy to ‘Just Do It!’ is because we  hold onto limiting beliefs and unconscious negative behaviours about ‘Doing It’.

For example, you might think you will go out for a run but somehow it never happens. Perhaps you have a deep down belief that you are not a good runner, or perhaps one time you ran and felt sick, well these are the sort of sabotaging thoughts and memories that can stop you in your tracks!

To be able to ‘Just Do It!’ you need to explore and uncover your limiting beliefs and unconscious behaviours around the It and start to focus on the beliefs and behaviours that support you in being able to ‘Just Do It!

Here are some questions that may help you begin this process..

Do you have any fears about It?

Do you have any joys about It?

What is important about It?

Do you have any painful memories about It?

Do you have any happy memories about It?

Can you see yourself doing It?

What have you learnt about It?

What is your relationship with It?

Sue x