Restrictions and rules are not the answer.
A multi-level marketing person who sold diet solutions once shared with me how they coached their customers. They told them to “quickly drink down” their protein shake despite the nausea and frequent vomiting that came with it. Customers wanted to lose weight, and the shake was the fixed solution. Period.
More recently, I read this study about self-compassionate attitudes toward eating and how it helped people eat less, even when there was a bowl of candies in front of them.
Self-compassion involves:
Reacting with self-kindness and understanding when experiencing negative events;
Holding emotions in nonjudgmental awareness through mindfulness; and
A common humanity view of life in which being part of the larger human experience involves going through difficult times.
There are many remarkable studies with results positively correlated with self-compassion. Rigid control and restrictions or rules result in worries and stressors that root deeply.
Compassion, though, can uproot stress, self-critical thinking, and negative feelings associated with eating, sleep, work…life.
Skill-building lifestyle factors and competencies is often a matter of shifting and shaping a healthy attitude towards yourself. Shifting involves reframing a situation with an attitude of self-compassion. Shaping the path of your environments can trigger responses aligned with your values (and goals) to achieve the desired outcome you’re seeking.
Does the results of the study sound feasible to you? Eating less by way of self-compassion? If yes, how so? If not, why not?
