How To Handle A Food Blip

by EDDIE JONES ONLINE COACHING & PERSONAL TRAINING

“Where did that piece of cake come from?
Well, there goes the diet, so what the hell – may as well take another slice…
Uh-oh, now I’ve really done it…
Might as well have a third piece…or was that my fourth piece?”

 

Welcome to the “what-the-hell effect”.

You have a little slip, and the next thing you know your self-control is slip-sliding away. Depending on your personality and what you tell yourself, you might continue to binge for the meal, for the day, or to just give up on your weight loss goals completely.

Truth is, everybody fucks up and overindulges on the cake at some point.

My clients here in Darlington do, my online clients do, and I, admittedly, do too.

That’s no biggie…

What is the biggie, is how you handle your cake.

So… How do you handle it?

For me, and my personal training clients, I recommend handling it with self-compassion.

Because taking a self-compassionate view on any setback will make you more likely to take personal responsibility for it than when you take a self-critical point of view.

And taking responsibility means you can no longer try and escape the shameful feelings that follow a setback by burying yourself in more food. Without the guilt it becomes much easier for you to reflect on how it happened, to then learn from it and to then become less likely to repeat it.

Here’s a quick experiment you can try right now to help you bring a little more forgiveness and self-control into your life.

Bring to mind a specific time when you gave in to temptation and experiment with the following three points of view on that setback:

1. What are you feeling? As you think about the setback, take a moment to notice and describe how you are feeling. What emotions are present? Does self-criticism pop up? If so, what are you saying to yourself? Allow yourself to feel all of this without wanting to escape it.

2. Accept you’re only human. Part of the human condition is to struggle with self-control and willpower. Your setback does not mean there is something wrong with you. Consider how true this is. Can you think of other people you respect and care about who have experienced similar struggles? Allow this to soften your voice of self-criticism.

3. What would you say to a friend? Consider how you would comfort a friend who experienced the same setback. What words of support would you offer? How would you encourage them to continue pursuing their goal? Consider this and take the advice you’d offer your friend.

To avoid self-sabotage you need to learn to forgive your setbacks and not use them as an excuse to give in or to give up.

Because when it comes to improving self-control, self-compassion is a far better strategy than self-criticism.

What Next?

Most people know that regular movement, being mindful of portions and managing cravings, are important for looking and feeling better. Yet they need help applying that knowledge in the context of their busy, sometimes crazy lives.

That’s why I’ve recently created a free online 21 day programme here at EJay Fit – to help you start losing fat and winning back control of your body. It’s completely free, delivered straight through to your smart phone and it’s purposely designed to help you build the essential foundations needed for successful long term weight loss.

I’ve also set up a small, private Facebook group so I can provide you with any help you need in dealing with the challenges you face. I hang around in there to answer any questions, offer support and post anything that I think will be useful to your health and weight loss goals. The group is 100% private and is exclusively for people on a similar journey to your own.

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Created on Oct 9th 2017 02:50. Viewed 297 times.

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