Does anyone remember a time before juice fasts and Paleo restaurants? Before everything was gluten-free and dairy-free and contained "10 million probiotics cultures"?
I certainly do. Back then, conscious living was a philosophy that hadn't occurred to me, food-wise. What I used to think, at 5'3" and 140 pounds was this:
"My body just IS this way."
I was right in the middle -- not skinny or obese, not particularly toned but not terribly out of shape. I was never really satisfied with the way I looked or felt, but I lived with it. I tolerated my body. And I thought about it, a lot.
I thought, Hmmm, my body looks like everyone else's in my family. Did it occur to me that it was maybe because they were the ones who taught me how to eat?! Nope.
I also thought, from a vaguely feminist perspective, I'm the one who decides what to do with my body! I'm not going to let let our image-obsessed culture define my food choices.
It was my right to eat whatever I wanted, yoga pants be damned!
But I knew that I wanted to live in a healthier body, and it became clear to me that the food "culture" I was used to wasn't going to get me there.
Up until then, my food culture consisted of a few misguided beliefs. I thought every meal had to include starches and end in dessert. I thought muffins were a healthy breakfast and I thought eggplant parmesan was "virtuous" because it contained a vegetable. I thought a certain brand of ice cream was healthy because it had tie-dye on the packaging (never mind that I am allergic to dairy).
Of course, I dreamed of the healthy lifestyle I wanted to adopt -- the farmers market, the exercise routine, the pride I would feel when I treated my body like a temple. When I came to face the facts, I couldn't believe the contrast between that vision and my current reality.
I had a vision of myself as a salad-eating yogini, but in actuality I was a sugar addicted, carb-over-eater who sat all day and most nights at a desk in an office with no windows.
I needed more than a diet. I needed an overhaul. I had to learn a new lifestyle and rearrange my thinking. I had to try out whole new theories about eating. I needed to change my "culture" around food.
My new food culture was actually more about my life than food:
- Life without processed carbs.This got me leaner and more clear-headed, because eating gluten and processed foods caused mental fog.
This food culture changed my life radically. I didn't just change my thoughts about food, I changed my actions related to health. I experimented with healthy marinades. I "tasted" my food and discovered and attended the best exercise classes ever. I now happily and easily maintain my goal weight of 115 to 118 pounds and I love my food (still).
It was a spiritual (and of course physical) awakening for me. I got so many benefits from the new philosophy behind my "food culture." I dropped weight (22 pounds), looked better, felt better, I had an increased desire for sex, increased ability and desire to exercise, increased confidence which helped me in my career, increased pride and faith in my choices, and on and on.
What are your beliefs about your body and food? Do you have a food "culture" you need to change? Having gone from a size 12 person to a size four person, I know how good it feels to deal with body issues once and for all. It didn't just happen overnight. It's something I learned how to do, and you can too.
Coming from personal experience, I can promise you this: No matter what you look like or what your food culture is, gaining a sense of empowerment and strength regarding your body will impact all areas of your life.
To your health and vitality,
Laurie
Sign up for our Dream Body 8-Week Course and learn how to adopt a food culture that gets you the body and the life you want. First timers can schedule a free 30 minute coaching call and test-drive the method to see how it works.