Relationship w/food & Mistakes

I heard this the other day:

"How we feel in her bodies affects how we perceive the world around us."

How true is this?? When we feel fat or old or tired, we stay home, feel introverted and feel less motivated. In contrast, when we feel fit or young or full of energy, we usually feel so invigorated that we make more plans and become an extrovert.

I used to be in weight watchers, and it was decent for learning how to portion your food. I felt my knowledge of nutrition had moved past what they taught me and stopped going, but a few of the lessons from the leaders stuck with me. One was - whether you lose or gain, you are still the same person. You shouldn't hate yourself for a bad week, you should learn from it. People have relationships with food whether they want to believe it or not. Some turn it into a control thing - whether it be I can eat as much as I want or I can eat as little as I want. Sometimes it's a feelings thing - literally, you eat your feelings. (Which, as we all know, doesn't do anything.) And sadly, sometimes it's a boredom thing - literally a few minutes with nothing to occupy your time ... and then "hey, how did this twinkie get into my hand?" For the food 'enlightened' - 75-85% of the time, you should be looking at your food as fuel.

I really detest the word diet only because it's become synonymous with deprivation and goals that have an end-date. (If you modify your behavior to get a better result, you have to continue that behavior to maintain it, not go back to your previous behaviors once you reach it!) How many people do you know associate dieting with NOT having something or constantly yo-yo unhappily? A healthier alternative to the dieting seesaw game is to change your vocabulary. Instead of dieting, change your lifestyle! And if you do still 'diet' - consider each change you make as a long-term change.

Some tips?

1. When you decide to eat healthy, diet, or change your lifestyle - remember it's YOUR decision. Don't focus on deprivation or foods you can't eat. It's only going to make you feel like you want to do what you can't do.
2. Do not take the easy route to feeding your emotions -- to your pantry/nearest fast food joint/desk drawer. You have to learn the difference between a hunger feeling and an anxiety feeling -- for some people, they are the same!
3. If you go to a restaurant for a meal and it's replacing a meal you would otherwise eat at home -- choose a simple fuel-dish (chicken & rice, salad w/lean protein, etc) instead of a "cheat" meal ... which is the next point ...
4. Plan your cheat meals ahead of time.
5. Learn when you are hungry. Ideally, you should eat every few hours and add some protein to every meal.

For a quick reference if you have a healthy relationship with food - try this quiz:
Healthy Relationship with Food?

Be aware of what you eat. The simplest way to do this would be - prepare your own food. If you are at a restaurant - be that guy and change up what's on the menu by asking to remove sauces (or have them on the side), etc.

Conscious eating requires commitment and awareness. And back to my original point. Learn from your mistakes! And remember - everyone makes them. We're human! Why do you think they make so many types of erasers?