Find Your Balance
Balance is hard. Whether we are talking about standing on one foot, juggling work, life, relationships, exercise, and family time, and even when it comes to our nutrition.
Me being a nutrition coach I bet you’re thinking, “She weighs and logs everything every day,never messes up, and doesn’t struggle with food.” Some of those things are true at certain times of my day, and maybe even during certain seasons of my life, but I can tell you that learning balance in my eating has probably been the most challenging thing for me.
As a very externally motivated person it is fairly easy for me to “dial it in,” say no to the extra treat, and forgo eating out and drinking alcohol when I have a CrossFit competition to prepare for or a vacation on my calendar. I don’t mind weighing and logging everything I eat. In fact, it gives me a great deal of peace and a sense of control to know exactly what and how much I am putting in my body.
Offering myself flexibility and balance on the other hand, well this is where I struggle.At the moment I am working on this with my coach and I’ll be honest with you; this has been the hardest aspect of my nutrition journey thus far. Working to not feel anxious when I go out to eat because I don’t know how much I’m eating or what I’m eating is hard. Offering myself flexibility when I go to barbecues or family gatherings without just “giving up” or feeling frustrated is a work in progress. Trust me, it’s not easy learning what systems work well and which ones don’t. It’s even harder to stay where you are at and not try new things because it will push you out of your comfort zone. It’s been challenging to work on balance and it continues to be, but I am thankful for the opportunity to work with my coach and improve the way I view and approach special occasions, meals out, and the fun and flexibility that summer brings.
If you are anything like me, I’m sure you’ll be glad to hear that 1. You are not alone. And 2. I have some great actionable steps you can try out at your next family gathering, dinner date, or work potluck.
-Implement the 1 plate method. Fill your plate being mindful to include lean protein, lots of veggies, and a starch or a grain, and commit to not going back for seconds.
-Distance yourself from food tables. Don’t let yourself linger by the snack station or post up next to the bowl of nuts. Avoid the mindless “hand to mouth” action and you will save yourself a lot of calories.
-Drink a glass of water when you first arrive and during your meal. Help to fill your belly and give yourself time to experience fullness.
-Order a drink OR dessert.
-Look at the menu ahead of time. Decide what you are going to eat before you arrive and pre-log it to the best of your ability. This can help save you from adjusting on the fly when you see a big ol’ pizza go out to another table.
-Tell your friend, loved one, or spouse about your plan and ask them to hold you accountable. We are much more likely to follow through with a goal when someone else knows about it too.
-Trust yourself. If you have a good idea of what foods are made of, you can be fairly confident in your ability to make healthful choices even when you can’t weigh and log everything.
Allowing for some flexibility and balance is very hard. Really, I get it. If you feel similarly to how I do, know you are not alone. Most importantly, if you are feeling lost and frustrated or you aren’t sure what step to take next, reach out for help. AIM is an awesome resource for helping you to not only reach body composition goals, but to help you learn how you can make change and build habits that last a lifetime. Please know that we understand that change is scary; but I can assure you that wishing something will change without taking action is worse. We are here. We understand. We want to help.
