Relationship with Food

Do you seem to be locked into a seemingly endless battle with food? Do you resolve to stop eating certain foods, only to find yourself indulging in them just days, hours, or minutes later? Do you finally get serious about weight loss, drop the unwanted pounds, but then gain them all back and then some? Are you stuck in a cycle of shame, guilt and judgment about nearly everything you put in your mouth? Do you feel defeated?

Whatever the particulars of your battle with food, I invite you to call a cease-fire, take a step back and consider this: the one thing that may be missing in all your frantic, repeated efforts around food is an actual, honest-to-God relationship with yourself and your own body. So many of us treat our body as it if can’t be trusted, as if it is the enemy. And it’s no wonder. We’re bombarded with so many confusing and contradictory messages about what we’re supposed to eat, what we’re supposed to avoid, how much we’re supposed to eat, what our bodies should look like, what’s an acceptable weight and what’s not. All the rules, diets, fads, and messages are suffocating.

Someone once said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. If you’d like to step out of the insanity and discover how to nourish yourself in enjoyable and truly satisfying ways, I recommend reading “The Slow Down Diet” by Marc David. The inclusion of the d-word in the title is unfortunate, because this is not a diet book. It’s book that will nourish your body, mind and spirit. If you decide to read it, take your time with it. Savor it. Let it set you on a path of deep healing.

Written by Elena Walker, MA, LPCC

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