I’ve worked with many people with disordered eating issues.
For many this time of year is one of the most challenging,
as wherever they go they have friends and relatives trying to ram food in them.
Especially if you have trigger foods which set you off on a binge,
it’s very difficult for people with a weight loss goal to relax at this time of year.
But it’s still seen as acceptable for people in the fitness industry to ridicule those that aren’t eating to excess
Like they are doing something wrong by wishing to be reserved in their eating.
But for the rest of the year these same people in the industry are preaching ‘calorie deficit’
and telling people to swap their yoghurts because it’s 10 calories less.
If you’re reading this it’s likely that weight/fat loss is something you’re interested in knowing about.
You may have even been in that situation.
You’re fine eating just a small amount at Christmas and have to put up with the endless barrage from family members trying to ‘feed you up’ because they think you’re too thin.
Why is it any of their business what you do with your life anyway?
Of course they think they are trying to help you but there’s nothing more stressful to my clients than family not taking the hint when you say you’re full or not hungry.
I mean let’s turn the tables, you don’t sit down at Christmas and tell Aunt Susan to lay off the Yorkshires because she’s verging on breaking the chair.
That would be rude and inconsiderate of her potential issues with food she suffers as well as drawing attention to it.
But it’s totally fine to do it to those perceived as ‘on a diet’ or ‘not eating enough’?
Seems totally wrong to me.
Same as those people who are ‘influencers’ or ‘coaches’posting up some infographic about how calories don’t count at Christmas.
That really shows their lack of understanding of nutrition.
It’s not JUST about calories
Calories are the maths, any dweeb with a calculator and My Fitness Pal can be a nutrition coach
What’s really the issue is the way you manage the psychology of eating
How to prevent over snacking or to recognise when your emotional eating Muncher Brain is driving you rather than your hunger.
Then learning how to manage that driving force so that you don’t go crazy and eat everything
That’s the real trick with helping clients
If it was just about calories it would be easy
Don’t get me wrong, calorie deficit is the key to weight/fat loss
But managing that deficit, that’s the real skill
So I do get annoyed when I see so called diet coaches saying ‘one day doesn’t matter’
Because that 1 day might set that person off on a huge binge that they may not recover from which is a very real possibility with disordered eating.
Then comes
Guilt
Shame
Crash Dieting
Repeat cycle
Alcoholics and recovering drug addicts don’t get a day off. They have to be strict all year round. It’s how they manage their condition.
It’s the same with people with disordered eating issues. Keeping control and some sense of management allows them to eat right and manage their condition so that they are in control not their condition.
Yeah it’s only one day. Just switch it back on after
If you’re interested in learning more about the psychology of eating then have a look at my You Tube Channel where I’ve posted some videos about this
As always, if you have any questions or feedback please feel free to message me
Tom
To see how I could help you if you suffer with disordered eating have a look at my Target Lean programme
