Do not allow judgment or morality slip into your eating lexicon. Guilt and deprivation are two of the most powerful emotional triggers for overeating, This mindset leads to “eat-repent-repeat cycle” that keeps you trapped in endless yo-yo dieting. Eat for both nourishment and enjoyment! What to replace when this message comes along? How about “NOOOO, I was not bad today, eating food doesn’t make me a bad person; it makes me human who is trying to survive. I am worthy of food!”

2. “I shouldn’t be eating this.”

Do not ruin your eating experience with negative thoughts in your head. Instead of fully enjoying what you’re eating, you’ll plan to pay penance by exercising more or skipping your next snack or meal.  As a result, exercise becomes punishment and you feel you have to earn the right to eat. Often, the next thought is, “Well, I might as well eat it all then!” Instead, I recommend eating what you love mindfully and without guilt or regret. How do you do that? Just use your god given senses. Look, smell, touch, and really taste each bite. That’s how you mindfully eat. If this negative thought come in, fight back and say I am not a child, I have no food rules. All food is neutral.

3. “I can’t have that.”

Rather than keeping a mental list of forbidden foods, learn how to enjoy the tempting foods you crave and feel good about it because that’s one of the secrets to life-long weight management. The allotment for “play” calories from sugar, fats and alcohol is about 250 per day for a healthy adult who is moderately active. If you add more physical activity to your day, you get to add more play calories. That’s right! Thank you Studio Sweat! Anytime you put a restriction on yourself the thing you are restricting yourself from becomes more enticing. It’s science. You can’t fight it so learn from it and never say that to yourself again!

4. “I blew it.”

Push those thoughts of perfection out of your head. It’s the all-or-none approach to eating that leads to overindulgence and guilt. I would rather hear you say, ‘I ate more than I wanted at dinner today. No big deal, I’m going to pay more attention to eating slowing and savoring my food.”

A ton of people often catastrophize their eating. These feelings of failure and self-loathing are likely to lead to more overeating. A 500-calorie “mistake” could turn into 2,000 calories or more. Trust me. I’ve been there and seen it a million times.

5. “I’ll start over on Monday.”

There’s a mentality that you can’t get back on the healthy eating horse until the beginning of the week. I’d love for you to understand that one decadent meal or indulgence doesn’t wreck the whole week.. I promise. Maybe you ate more than you intended, but move on. Get back on track with your healthy eating routine at your next meal or snack. Don’t look back.

6. “I deserve this.”

You always deserve to eat as a human being and have permission to eat anything you want. However, watch out if you’re frequently using food as a way to reward yourself or numb your painful feelings. Don’t do this to yourself and don’t do this to your children.

Negative emotions are beneficial because they tell you there’s a problem that needs your attention. Food won’t solve your problems and ‘reward eating’ can often lead to a vicious cycle of shame, blame and dieting.

7. “I can’t help it, I’m addicted to sugar.”

Telling yourself that you are addicted to sugar or certain foods becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. You are actually giving your brain instructions on how to behave much like when you push during that last hill climb with Cat. 😉 Instead of giving certain foods power over you, remind yourself that you are free to make decisions about eating, then proceed slowly and mindfully.

8. “I simply can’t control my appetite.”

That thought is like a Chinese finger puzzle. The more you struggle, the harder it gets. Instead, relax when eating. Believe in your ability to make choices in your own best interest. Use mindfulness to tune into where you fall using the hunger scale, what you feel like eating and add a little gentle nutrition knowledge to check in with what your body may need. Then enjoy. Do this step by step process and you will gravitate towards a weight that suits your body. Capiche?