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Use Your Baby Instincts to Stay on Track
Have you ever paid attention to how a baby eats?
If you put a plate of food in front of a toddler, they will eat some things, throw some others and completely leave some alone.
Some people might consider this picky or not good behavior, but the truth of the matter is, babies know what they need.
A baby usually doesn't eat things they don't want. They don't aimlessly graze. They don't eat until they are so full they get sick.
They eat when they are hungry and stop when they are full. They listen to their own body cues and choose things based on what they need. They don't always eat everything on their plate.
Now of course, you are not a baby.
As we get older and have more things drilled into our heads, we begin to lose this inherent self trust in eating. We lose all instinct of what we do and don't need based on things like:
* I need to eat 5 times per day.
* Carbs are bad.
* Fruit is bad.
*Healthy fats!
*Intermittent fasting is great...
*There's cookies here so I'm going to eat them.
...and more.
Now, instead of listening to our bodies cues and concerns, we eat because of a time on the clock or because it's there. When we go out to eat, we consume because we've paid for it and it's in front of us. At home, we snack because we're bored.
Well...
what happened to our baby cues?
As we learn more about food, we begin to ignore our natural signals and focus solely on what we know to be true. Or we want something and can very easily get it.
As the holidays quickly approach us, think about this concept if you have some goals in mind.
1. Eat only the things you truly want or need, don't over stuff yourself because it's there. Have a little bit of the things you want and go back for more if you feel you need it.
2. Try and focus on foods that are "worth" it to you--for example, protein rich turkey vs. the cold appetizer salami. Maybe pecan pie because you have it once per year compared with a chocolate chip cookie that doesn't even satisfy you.
3. Use a smaller plate or fork to trick yourself into not filling up everything to the max. This is a trick used by MANY and it works.
4. Don't feel like you need to clean your plate. Trust us: the host won't really care that much (and if they do...well...). Eat until you are satisfied, not stuffed.
5. Enjoy--enjoy the foods, enjoy the company and don't let one day of eating get in the way of ruining your holiday. One day won't change your bottom line.
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