Getting healthier is all in your head! Our relationship to food and to eating has everything to do with the stories we tell ourselves about food and eating. These stories are made up of beliefs we have held for many years, creating cyclical thought patterns that keep us in a rut of unhealthy habits. You must train your brain for a healthy lifestyle in order to counteract these erroneous thoughts. Any of the following sound familiar?

“I can eat sweets today because I will work out harder this weekend.”

“What I eat today doesn’t matter; I’ll just skip dinner tonight.”

“It’s okay if I eat fried foods; my grandpa ate like that and he lived to be 90!”

What is the story you have been telling yourself about food? Try to observe the thoughts you are having when you are struggling with unhealthy habits. Then come up with true statements that counteract this reasoning, put them on notecards and stick them on your mirror, in your car, at your desk. Repeat them out loud at least three times a day. It may feel silly at first, but it will help to create new cognitive patterns that can help you beat your cravings! Here are some examples based on the thoughts mentioned above:

“I can eat sweets whenever I want or I can get healthy and lose weight. But I can’t do both.”

“I will eat healthy at every meal and enjoy each bite because I am getting healthier every day.”

“I am eating healthy so I can be my best self, how other people eat does not change my body.”

Don’t be shy, give it a try!

This is just a small glimpse into the guidance patients will receive when enrolled in Austin Preferred’s Functional Nutrition Program. Anyone interested in working with our providers to achieve their wellness goals should contact us today for an evaluation.