Do you find yourself saying “oh man, I blew it, I may as well finish the [insert delicious dessert here] and start over tomorrow?” I said this probably 7 times a day when I was trying to stop dieting and binging! Here’s how to shift out of the “I blew it” mindset and keep your eating under control 🙂
**As a reminder post, read the 3 Things Never To Say To Yourself Around Food!
So, the next time you think to yourself, “Man, I blew it” after eating something you “shouldn’t” have, ask yourself these 3 questions to help keep your eating under control:
1. Where Are You In “Diet Mentality”?
If you are “on” something, you will always go “off”. So, of course you’ll “blow it” (too many air quotes in this part?!) if you’re trying to adhere to something!
When you think this thought (that you ruined your day), it’s a red flag to pause and look at where you’re still in that sneaky little diet mentality!
Remember the Law of Dieting: if you jump ON the bandwagon, at some point, you have to come off. So reflect on where you’re trying to eat super clean, restrict carbs, or cut out sugar; this is a very helpful pointer in seeing where you can soften that all or nothing mindset!
2. What Was Happening Before You “Blew It”?
If we jump right into criticism and self-loathing, we never learn WHY we turn to food in the first place. Gently take a deep breath. This is as an opportunity to dig deeper into the reasons BEHIND the food (which is how we heal for the long term!)
What was going on before you ate the {insert delicious food here}?
Physically:
Did you have enough to eat during the day? Were you so hungry that your body had no choice but to take any fuel it could get?
Emotionally:
Were you overwhelmed, stressed or bored? Did you use food to avoid looking at a feeling? Were you overeating because it’s nighttime and it’s a habit you’re trying to break?Â
Look deeper to find the clues…THIS is where the lesson is learned and the healing begins to happen!
3. What Rule Were You Following?
Typically, when we think we’ve blown it, it’s because we think we are SUPPOSED to be eating in a different way.
For example:
If you have two cookies after lunch and you think “I blew it”, your rule is that you shouldn’t eat cookies after lunch.
If you have a muffin as a morning snack and think “oh screw it, I ruined my day already”, your rule is that muffins are bad and you shouldn’t have them!
Begin to examine what rule you’re following (and use this blog post to soften and begin to release it!)
Remember that “I blew it” can actually be turned around to something useful…if you can be more aware of when you think those thoughts, use these 3 questions to dig a little deeper and help turn it around!
(Post overeating help is here!)
You can also check out the “How to Make Healthy Food Decisions” training series here.Â
Eating late at night – even in the middle of the night is so shameful for me – and I do it often
I relate to #2, what was happening. Thank you for breaking it down into physically and emotionally with examples, Jenn!
You’re so welcome 🙂 It can be helpful to have steps instead of it all being a jumble in our heads!
Hi Becky, I’m going to be doing a “stop overeating at night” challenge in September, so that may help! In the meantime, know that many people struggle with this and there is no shame in it. I struggled with it, as well. You are not alone. Sending a hug.