Give Yourself Permission to Eat

If you find yourself thinking or should I say ‘obsessing’ over food, when you’re trying to lose weight. I suggest you give yourself permission to eat any food you like.

WHAT?! That’s just foolish. If I give myself permission to eat anything I like. I’ll eat everything.

Whoa, whoa!

It’s a very particular frame of mind to take. Giving yourself permission to eat, is to give yourself a flexible approach to your food choices. Not restricting yourself to only eating low calorie food options.

It means, being able to eat some cake, if you want to. For example, having a slice of cake, instead of sorbet for dessert.

It doesn’t mean you get a free ticket to eat as much cake as you want. For weight loss, you still have to follow a calorie deficit. So let’s be clear on that.

Giving yourself permission means, you’re telling yourself it’s ok to a serving of cake. Account for it, in your calories and then move on with your life.

By having that permission for yourself, it can help decrease your fixation on food. I mean, if you’re trying to lose weight and you enjoy having a couple of glasses of wine on a Friday. And you follow a diet that’s banned alcohol.

What’s going to happen?

Mostly likely come Friday, your brain is going to be screaming for wine, if all week you’ve been thinking ‘no wine. no wine’.

Of course, not everyone will experience this, but if this is you. Then give yourself permission to have wine, but change how you drink. Perhaps try having 1/2 a glass less. Drink water between glasses.

Organise to meet someone for a drink, (in real life or a zoom party) so you’re chatting and not drinking in front of the tv.

This is what giving yourself permission to eat (or drink) is about. Removing the mental weight of restrictive dieting on your mind.

If you want to know how to include foods you enjoy in a weight loss diet, check out the DROP course.