Many people believe that in order to stay at a healthy weight, eat treats in “moderation”, and avoid spiraling out of control with your food, you must have strong willpower and be smart about portion control.
And guess what? I’m calling BULLSHIT.
Here’s why.
When you try to control your food, whether it be the amount, type, or timing, you will feel out of control. It sounds counter-intuitive but stick with me.
The action of controlling tells your brain that there’s a lack of trust and there’s something dangerous to be wary of. You’re telling yourself that you don’t trust the situation. You’re on high alert in order to stay safe. Now, if you felt completely safe and trust your body and the Universe, you would just go with the flow calmly and not feel the need to control the situation. There wouldn’t be anything to worry about!
This lack of trust and fear leads to more anxiety around food, stronger cravings for that which you’re trying to control, and an inevitable feeling of being OUT of control.
Is this starting to make sense?
When it comes to portion control, it seems easiest and most logical to use numbers - measurements, calories, macros, weight, etc. Last time I checked though, our bodies are not machines that run on the same number of calories/hours of sleep/pieces of chocolate ;) needed daily! There are a million factors that contribute to what we eat, when we eat it, and how much of it we consume. Soooo we really can’t rely on a single factor like a number! Instead, we have to think in more holistic terms.
However, our society is so out of touch with how to listen to our bodies and how to be in the FLOW that the numbers approach is the only way we know how to feel safe and secure. Thankfully, that doesn’t have to be your reality though! You can choose to tap into your intuition and the energy of the Universe in order to feel more satisfied and less controlling around food.
Sounds amazing right?! Let’s continue.
I love ice cream! Like a lot :) So I often have my fave dairy-free chocolate ice cream after lunch or dinner. If I were trying to use portion control when eating my ice cream, I would probably measure out ⅓ of a cup of ice cream, worry that the scoop was too small or too big, and feel guilty after going back for seconds. Doesn’t sound amazing to me.
What if instead I said BYE BYE to portion control and relied on eating with love and intuition? Then I would scoop out some ice cream without worrying about the portion or the measurement. I would eat SOLELY based on how much I was in the mood for. I know that my body wouldn’t ask me to eat 2 pints of ice cream because then it would feel sick. I also know that my body would want more than ¼ cup because...I LOVE ice cream. Therefore, I’ll end up calmly and joyfully eating the amount that feels right to me at that moment. Simple as that!
Now, I know you’re probably reading this and thinking “Ok yes, that sounds simple, but when I start eating my ice cream, I can’t stop eating! I end up eating way more than I should because I can’t help myself. I simply need better self-control”.
Here’s my response - you’re still subconsciously holding onto control. And for that, we need to dig a little deeper and do some transformative healing around your relationship with food. Thankfully, I have the perfect solution for you!! My 6-Week Group Coaching Program - Free & Full - is the only proven program that combines science and spirituality to help you stop restricting and dieting and finally achieve real and permanent food freedom!! You can check out all of the details here! In the meantime, I’ll be enjoying my ice cream and waiting for you to DM me questions about Free & Full! Let’s change your life, shall we? :)