From Dieting To Binging
Food Doesn’t Have To Be About Weight
What does the word ‘Food’ mean to you? Is it a safety blanket to which you run in times of stress and anxiety? Is it a sumptuous luxury that you engage in?
Food is all these things, but most importantly, it’s fuel and medicine for your body. Your body craves wholesome, nutritious food like a love-starved child craving love.
Remember when your body is hungry, it wants nutrients, not calories.
But you deny the body the warm hug that nutritious food provides. Food is not about calories, it’s about nutrition. Does your food have enough protein, fiber, healthy fats, and a good amount of vitamins and minerals?
Is the food you are consuming nourishing your body and mind, or is it just vapourising empty calories? Does it promote health or destroy it? Good food can be medicine-healing your body inside out.
Fueling your body with nutritious food is the highest form of self-respect.
And bad food can be like a bad addiction destroying you inside out. When we intend to lose weight for a special occasion to wear a special dress, we hit the gym and go on this crazy diet phase.
Because we want to see results fast, we get into quick fixes and dirty tricks. And when you manage to achieve your desired weight, you swing back to abusing food and your body.
The reason for your unending hunger might be poor nutrition.
The right foods bring health and vitality to your body and clarity to your mind. The wrong foods make you sluggish and heavy and numb your brain- you can’t think or work properly.
Why go on this endless cycle of dieting-bingeing? Why put any restrictions on your diet? The more restrictions you put, the more your body craves and rebels.
Health is not about the weight you lose but about the life you gain.
Instead, eat wholesome, fresh, and nourishing food that satisfies your soul on a daily basis. Healthy food does not have to be boring and healthy living does not have to be mundane.
To be quite honest, healthy, nourishing food, if prepared right, ticks off all your taste buds and feels good in the stomach. This diet-binge cycle has got to stop.
Because this is only further going to leave you in despair. And pretty soon, you’re drained of this ever-fluctuating weight of yours that finally, you reach the stage of acceptance.
Accepting the unacceptable is the fifth stage of grief, where you give up and stop resisting your weight. Does this have to be this hard? Follow your inner guide, and it will lead you to the right foods and the right lifestyle.
Your weight is determined by multiple factors ranging from genetics to stress, work, and social lifestyle. How well do you sleep? Are you at peace with yourself? Do you binge on alcohol? Does work-life stress you?
Does your future make you anxious? All these components matter and contribute to your weight. So focus less on how much you weigh on the scale and shift your attention to living a fulfilling life.
Because most often, we try to fill the emotional void in us with food. And you know that no amount of food can fill that bottomless pit. Make sure you look after your mental health first by engaging in meditation, journaling, and creative ventures with your friends and loved ones.
Get a good night’s sleep. Have a fixed sleep-wake pattern. Try to go to bed on time and wake up early. This in itself can help tame your appetite; I’m a testament to that.
Precook and preplan your meals. This is such a life-altering trick because in the heat of the moment, when we’re starving, we make unwise choices. Have plenty of water and a cup of coffee with your meals. This also has helped me immensely in suppressing my appetite.
But it all comes down to each individual and their likes and dislikes. Eat healthy foods each day and switch to healthy practices that suit your body and lifestyle.
There is no one-menu-fits-all. But in general, just remember that you are the temple of God, and it’s your responsibility to cherish and nourish it with the right foods and health practices.
