Did you know that your mindset around food can significantly impact mental health and long term success with weight & wellness goals?

It’s an area that can be easily overlooked when working on goals where the focus is often on what to eat or not to eat.

Here’s an example:

An “all or nothing” mindset may cause a specific response to various challenges and experiences with food. If you have that treat labeled “bad,” it may lead to giving up on your goals or deciding to temporarily not put effort in due to feeling like a failure. Once you have that cookie or [________], you may say “I already messed up… I may as well throw it all out the window.” This response then tends to result in overeating, which leads to guilt, regret, and shame. So unhelpful for making sustainable progress or mental health!

The fact that mindset can profoundly impact whether we respond to various situations and challenges in a beneficial or harmful way makes it so important to address.

Throughout the nutrition coaching process we help people develop and maintain a mindset that supports:

– Self-compassion and kindness
– A beneficial relationship with food
– Realistic expectations
– A “middle ground” approach versus an “all or nothing” approach.”
– Resilience

Habits and results naturally follow when effort is put into this piece of the puzzle.

Here are a few tips to help you address your mindset:

1) Try to stay aware of how your mindset and thoughts impact your eating behaviors and food choices.
2) Reflect on whether those behaviors and responses support your mental health and relationship with food or if they are causing you stress & struggle.
3) Make the decision to start introducing different perspectives, thoughts, and/or re-framing things.

And know that the mindset is like a muscle. It takes repetition and reinforcement to shift it & grow stronger!