Christmas Eating Mindset

When it comes to eating over Christmas it's a fine line to tread between being very analytical and restrictive, and cutting loose excessively, leading to gluttony, guilt and bloat.

Or so most people think.

But I don't agree.

This problem, as with most if not all problems, is all in your head.

The difference between this being a major obstacle and a minor inconvenience is your mindset. And this is what we’ll look at today. If you'd prefer to listen, you can access the podcast here.

The way you look at this “problem” determines whether this is a severe hindrance that plagues your thoughts or whether it's a passing thought that can be comfortably navigated and drifts off effortlessly.

You can control this and this same ability will massively impact how you eat, exercise and live your life the rest of the year.

If you can recognise thoughts for what they are, and let them pass without putting them in a headlock and forcing them to stay around (which is what we do when we ruminate on them and give them focus), then your life will be happier, your cravings will be fewer and Christmas eating will be less of an issue.

It's not what you think about Christmas food that's the problem.

"There's loads of food present, I just want to eat it all / I can't say no / I need to enjoy myself / other people will judge me / my Mum made it especially / I'll start again in January."

On and on the merry go round goes.

And if we tackle each problem one by one. Another one springs up like whack-a-mole.

Just moderate some. Now work on saying no and communicating better. Next, be mindful so you enjoy the food. Reframe your thoughts about being judged. Explain the situation to your Mum. Ask yourself "do you really want to start again fatter in January?" And now we are back to problem one or something new has come up or one of the other skills needs perfecting.

And this is how people approach fat loss.

Problem solving and finding solutions.

And this can work. There is merit to learning new skills. But does it last? How often do people really change and keep the weight off they’ve lost?

There is a fundamental piece to this puzzle that's missing. By focusing on tactics we are building a house on shaky foundations. And if you have consistently regained lost weight, as most people do, this is possibly the missing piece.

The problem is not what you think, it's that you think.

We all put too much trust in our thoughts. We turn them into the "reality" in front of us.

The temptation of food. Your judgy Mum. Expectant friends. Your lack of willpower. The idea that the future will be better.

These are all created in your head.

These thoughts are triggered by the food, other people or diet culture.

But then we’ve collectively swallowed them and made them our own. They just feel like the world has forced them upon us.

All of these discomforts are only discomforts because you have subconsciously decided this and are hashing out the same patterns of thinking over and over.

Which is why if you quash one another comes up. You're pulling the leaves off the weeds without touching the roots.

We discuss a full range of thoughts in our podcast which you can access here and we are currently putting together a new mindset piece to help you tackle and challenge the default settings of your mind.

The joy with this knowledge is that you can apply it to EVERY area of your life. AND it can help you lose as much weight as you like and keep it off for good.

Work stress. Frustration with partners or children. Anxiety about the future. Upset about the past. Sadness. Guilt.

All of these are problems of thought. If a tiger strolled into your current location you would not be worried about how much Christmas cake you can get away with this December. This is a stress of thought and as soon as we recognise this it loses its power.

I can say, hand on heart, this has changed my life for the better in the last 2 months more than anything else I've learned in my coaching career that now spans 11 years. So if you want a slice of this (mince) pie then keep your eyes out.

In the meantime, you can grab Consistent Christmas - Volume 2 - The Mindset Edition here.

And for what it's worth the physical changes can be huge too. As of today I have lost over a stone in the last 7 weeks.