Are you wondering – what’s an ‘eating accessory’?
If you’ve never heard of this term, that’s because I just invented it!
I discover some fascinating pretences while helping women eliminate mindless eating!
Here’s the phenomena of the eating accessory:
Sharon tells me she really loves cappuccinos.
Ooh, and a cup of steaming tea with just the right splash of milk and a teaspoon of sugar.
Heaven, she tells me. Comfort. Indispensable.
So she thinks,
and so she says.
But, lately, we’ve been looking at her food journals,
and she’s been observing her eating behaviours,
and we’ve noticed that, as much as she says she loves these drinks,
she only has them with something to eat.
So when she thinks ‘I’m dying for a cup of tea’
What she really means is “I’m going to have a cookie and call it tea”
Or when she wakes up in the morning and decides that, instead of her usual green smoothie, she’s going to treat herself to a cappuccino,
It seems to be a euphemism for “I’m going to have a pastry for breakfast today”.
Let me be clear –
Absolutely nothing wrong with cookies or pastries.
In my world, getting thin and staying thin include eating cookies and pastries, Sometimes.
And
Getting thin and staying thin necessitates telling yourself the truth,
All the time.
So, if Sharon decides that now is the moment for her Joy food of the day, and she sits down to relish her tea and cookie,
then it won’t interfere with her weight loss at all,
because the rest of the day she’ll be eating foods that fuel her.
But.
If she pretends that this is the time to have some tea
(which is really the accessory to her cookie)
she may forget about that cookie (with the tea)
and have another Joy eat (or two) later in the day.
Pair that with a cappuccino accessorized with a croissant,
and NOW she’s interfering with her weight goals.
Does this sound familiar?
My invitation to you, is to experiment with having the drink all on it’s own.
If you say you love it, drink it. And see.
Just find out.
Is it the drink itself, or are you using the drink as an accessory?
Either way is OK.
As long as you like the result you’re getting.
If you don’t, I can help.
My coaching packages are designed to help you learn to compassionately discover the truth about what and why you’re eating, and how to bring yourself into alignment with your goals.