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[av_heading heading=’The Off-Track Mentality’ tag=’h2′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=” subheading_size=’15’ padding=’36’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” custom_class=” admin_preview_bg=”][/av_heading]
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This morning I had a session with my client, Lauren. Lauren is going through a lot right now: her daughter is ill, her mother had a bad fall, and her husband recently lost his job. In recent weeks, Lauren has sometimes been completely on track and feeling so good about being in control of her eating, but some weeks things have been harder, and she’s struggled more.
This week, Lauren told me that she has felt very off track the last few days. She said that controlling her eating has just felt really hard, and she’s not sure it’s worth it. I discussed with Lauren something I know to be true for myself and virtually all my dieters: that the “Is it worth it?” question is just a product of the off-track mentality. I reminded Lauren that when she’s feeling very on track, feeling very much in control, and feeling like she’s making choices that are good for her, she never questions whether or not it’s worth it because it just so obviously is. It’s only when she’s off track and struggling that she starts to question whether she should put forth the effort to stay on track.
Lauren thought about it. When she reflected on the last few months, she was able to remember times when she was on track and feeling good about it (memories that she temporarily lost access to amid her off-track mentality) and she had never questioned whether it was worth it.
Next, Lauren made a Response Card:
Questioning whether it’s worth it is just a product of an off-track mentality. When I’m on track and feeling in control, I know 100% that it’s worth it. Don’t think about whether it’s worth it. Just know that it is and instead focus on doing what I need to do TODAY.
Lauren then told me that the place she seems to be struggling the most is around her 3 p.m. snack time. She said that when it gets to be that time, she’s usually already dealt with hard things that day. She’s feeling frazzled and stressed—and then she just starts eating and has a very hard time stopping. To help this problem, Lauren and I decided that first, she wasn’t going to have her snack until 3:15. From 3:00-3:15 she would engage in either deep breathing, mindfulness meditation, and/or stretching or yoga. In other words, instead of using food to help her calm down from the day, she would use another method. Then, she would portion out what she was having for her snack and sit down to eat it (instead of sitting down with a whole box of crackers).
Once she finished her snack, she would read the following Response Card:
I’ve had enough food, so if I want to eat more, it’s not because I’m hungry, it’s because my body is telling me I need more stress-relief/relaxation/soothing. I can achieve this without food, and when I do, I feel so proud and in control.
With these strategies in place, Lauren felt both more willing and more able to commit herself to getting back on track and getting back to feeling good.
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