by Anna Sperlich
What in the heck is wrong with me? Why can’t I simply stop and eat like a frigging normal person?
For nearly ten years of my life did I ask myself these questions over and over again.
Starting in my late teens and nearly all the way up to my late twenties, I would either starve myself, binge myself into some form of food coma, or exercise my butt off in order to prevent the sneaky weight gain that would ultimately follow after scruffing down thousands and thousands of calories – in one go.
The food obsession and compulsion to eat without stopping consumed every minute of my life and it left me feeling full of guilt, shame and more and more self-disgust.
Waking up in the morning still full from last night’s binge, promising myself that today everything will be different only to end up binging on cakes and chocolate as soon as I came home after work crippled my body and soul.
I knew I needed help – and despite my best efforts to therapize myself (I was studying addiction psychology at the time) – I failed miserable.
Why? Because a) being your own therapist simply doesn’t work, and b) I was missing the following six essential truths that lay the foundation to creating food freedom.
#1 Setting the right goal
Instead of focusing on losing x-amount of weight, never ever eating sugar again or stop the binge eating forever, make the feeling that you will achieve once you reach this goal, your desired outcome. What if you don’t lose the weight or do eat something with sugar? To avoid feeling like a failure and letting the “I’ve blown it now, so I might as well totally go for it” attitude take over, set yourself more achievable goals, heart-centred goals that focus on a feeling state rather on a specific outcome. This outcome will be a by-product of you making more loving choices for yourself.
#2 Using your thoughts as fuel
We all carry deep-rooted beliefs about ourselves that hold us back from truly stepping into our light and potential – AND from nurturing ourselves from the inside out. Uncovering your negative self-beliefs and remembering the truth about you is essential in order to let go of using food for anything else but to nurture and love yourself.
#3 Using food to nurture yourself
Instead of using food to fix your emotions, release stress, or fill that inner void, make a conscious decision to use food to nurture yourself from the inside out. Using external things like food, drugs, alcohol or a new pair of shoes are only quick fixes, and although they do work and bring momentary release, they come at a very high price.
#4 Feel your feelings
Emotional eating is amongst the top causes of obesity, and in order to break-free from it, you have to learn new, healthy and non-food tools to navigate your feelings. Instead of eating them away or trying to numb them, take a courageous step and lean into the feeling. Connect with your body and notice where the feeling lives and breath into it. Simply allow yourself to experience it without trying to change it or get away from it – and yes, it may be uncomfortable, but it is okay.
#5 Understanding your cravings
Cravings are not your enemy, they are actually your wise friend giving you lots of inside tips about your needs. When you feel the cookie monster calling, ask yourself the following questions: How am I feeling? What do I really need right now? What is the most loving thing I can do for myself? And follow through.
#6 Taking inspired actions
The key to overcoming your food addiction is to take inspired actions. Actions that are guided by your heart’s desire and not by “shoulds” and “musts.” Instead of focusing on how you “should” be eating or what you “shouldn’t” have, channel your attention and energy on how you want to treat yourself with food, what you want to say “yes” to, and how you want to use food to nurture yourself. Finally, and most importantly, take required actions steps that will move you closer to freedom from food.
About the Author:
Anna Sperlich, M.Sc. is an Addiction Psychologist and Food Freedom Coach helping women craft a binge free lifestyle so they can smartly nurture their families, business and themselves, without losing their sanity, income and freedom. She lives with her hubby and their two small children in Berlin Germany and if you can’t find her on the playground or on her yoga mat, you can learn more about her here and join her private Facebook group Imprints on the Heart for extra support and free resources.
Ready to release your unconscious mindset blocks that keep you stuck in your food addiction? Join Anna for her transformative “Manifesting Food Freedom” Workshop on Tuesday, April 28th where she will teach you the 6 steps to Food Freedom, guide you through powerful meditations to release your internal barriers and show you how to use the Law of Attraction to manifest Food Freedom in your live.
Join her live on Tuesday, April 28th at 12.30pm PT. Register here:
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