Did you overeat yesterday?
Chances are, if you live in the US, you’re nodding your head.
Many of my clients sent me “oops” and “oh shit” emails about their overeating during Thanksgiving dinner.
Then they told me that is the last time they will ever overeat again.
Did you tell yourself something similar?
That kind of huge promise is going to make you gain weight.
I call it “all or nothing” / “black and white” / “on-off thinking” and it’s very common among overweight women because of our long histories with being “on diet” (and then “off diet” …. ).
And we know how that ends. Every time.
Get still for a moment.
Close your eyes and connect with your body.
Think about how you’re never ever going to overeat again.
How does that feel to you?
You’re probably feeling some tightness – maybe in your head, or your chest or stomach.
Any time you feel that way, you’re telling yourself a lie.
And it won’t get you the results you want.
Try something different today – give yourself the space to practice finding the wiggle room between these two all or nothing extremes.
Decide why you don’t want to overeat this weekend.
Find a reason that feels very exciting to you, and give that all your focus and commitment.
Find all the reasons you want to be where you are that don’t involve food, and give those all your focus and commitment.
If you’re finding it hard to be where you are without medicating with food, because of all your emotions that bubble up when you’re with the people you’re with, click here to find out how to deal with this. I’ve got you covered 🙂
Then,
If you overeat or overdrink , simply wait until you’re hungry, and eat nutritious foods again from then on.
Don’t make it mean anything about yourself (it doesn’t, unless you make it), or your ability to do lose weight (ditto).
If you don’t turn your overeating last night into a black/white catastrophe, and you stay in the present moment, and you remember your reasons for wanting to lose weight, which feel so motivating to you, it will be very clear to you that all you need to do is keep eating when you’re hungry and stopping when you’re full. And connecting with the people you’re with. You’re going to not overeat more than you overeat, and chances are, you won’t gain weight. No extreme promises in either direction.
A wise therapist once looked at me with these very gentle eyes and said “Grey is where the AWESOME is”.
Practice finding the awesome in the grey, while being fully committed and excited about your weight loss goal.
There, doesn’t that feel better.
Uh huh.
And when we feel better, we usually do better.
Are you worried about overeating during the next few months? I’ll help you lose weight while navigating the parties, holidays, or the lack of parties and holidays in your life. Click here to schedule a free consultation to experience the magic of coaching.