A little bit of this & a little bit of that!

By Sonia Salfity,
Desperate Dieter

I don’t know about you, but I can get really creative at convincing myself that another piece of cheese won’t hurt.

 After all, it’s protein and not carb. In my mind, I should get a gold medal.

I conveniently forget that I just finished eating dinner and I already snacked on pistachios, yet I still crave biting into a piece of cheese as soon as the television is on.

It’s as if a secret signal is transmitted from the television screen to my brain reminding me it’s time to munch on something!

Reframing the scenario

I’ve found that trying to stop that pesky munching habit is easier when I change the narrative in my mind.

It’s a matter of reframing the entire scenario and flipping things around to work for me and not against me.

It takes practice to be our own best advocate. It also takes the willingness to accept that we’ll never do it perfectly, but that doesn’t mean we should stop trying.

Replacing habits

Here is the strategy that I’ve been using as I aim to replace harmful habits by adding new ones and calling them “a little of this and a little of that”. Here are a few examples and you can have fun coming up with your own.

A little of this broccoli and a little of that spinach will make the good bacteria in my gut happy.

A little of this water and a little of that dance workout will help me have more energy which I desperately need.

A little of this hard conversation and a little of that honesty will help me not to shy away from facing conflict or feeling uncomfortable.

A little of this walk with a friend and a little of that connection with that neighbour will give my mood a much-needed boost.

A little of this slowing down and a little of that patience will help me focus better on the more important things in my life.

A little of this vulnerability and a little of that courage will help me not to sugar coat the true reality of my challenges and frustrations.

A little of this salad and a little bit of those nuts will help me not to show up starving to that birthday party I’m invited to.

 Food, exercise and connections

As you can see, some of these habits have to do with food and exercise and others have to do with relational connections. This helps us take our focus off what we’re going to eat and think about other enjoyable things we all like to do.

This shifts our attitudes from “No Can Do” to “I can do anything I set my mind to do”.

This shift in attitude can be a game changer and I highly recommend you work on it daily.

As with any challenge in life, the more we practise the better we get. Think of it as retraining your brain and, above all, have fun doing it! You might as well embrace the process to take control of and not live at the mercy of those pesky habits!

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine