Your relationship with food...

UpToTheChallenge

I find that people either have a negative relationship with food or a positive relationship.

Some people eat whatever they want without thinking how it works for their body, how it fuels them and how it makes them feel either while they eat it or afterwards. Usually feeling guilty after they indulge in a piece of chocolate or even just one little gummy bear. Some eat because they're upset, others eat in a time of happiness and celebration.

Others who have a positive relationship with food know that food is our fuel to make our bodies run to their maximum potential. Provide yourself with food that makes you feel good, full, healthy, and energized.

So with that being said... I really need to think before putting something in my mouth "how will this make me feel?" Is it going to give me energy? Make me feel satisfied and full? I'm tired of eating something and thinking... ugh. why did I eat that? It wasn't even worth it!

But how did we get this way? How did we develop such a negative or positive relationship with food? Was it from seeing our parents eat things and then complain about it going straight to their thighs? Was it from the magazines with models who are a size 00 or airbrushed to look that way? Is it what Media and Health Organizations tell us? Did we have a positive influence who made sure to provide us with fresh fruit and veggies, whole grains and milk?

And does having a negative or positive relationship with food affect how we see our selves? For example, if you have a negative relationship with food, do you have a negative body image?

I personally have a negative relationship with food. I see it, crave it, eat it and then feel guilty about it. Or as I am eating it I don't even enjoy it that much but just eat it, because I can and then I think "why did I continue eating it, even though it wasn't good?" I was never taught to watch portion control or make sure to follow the health guidelines. I would just eat what was made and placed on the table in front of me each night. I also developed a habit of eating everything on my plate. My brother and dad would never finish their plate entirely and my mom would complain that food was wasted, so began my habit of finishing all of my food, just to make mom happy.

Now I am not bashing either type of relationship you might have with food, but what I want you to do is think about which one describes your relationship with food. I plan to fix mine to have a healthy relationship with food from here on out. I want to maximize my results from Insanity, fuel my body properly so I can get the most from my workouts and feel good about the decisions I make.

Does this mean I will never eat another piece of chocolate again? Definitely not.
Does this mean I will embrace the decisions I make, track it and move on? You better believe it!