Empower Your Control Over Food: Two Tips

Questions, comments? Shoot me a text.

Ever find yourself at the mercy of your sweet tooth during the holiday season? I've been there too, and it's a battle many of us face as the festive goodies stack up on our kitchen counters. In this episode of the Simplicity of Wellness podcast, I share my personal story of establishing food boundaries, especially when faced with the irresistible allure of fancy chocolates. As we navigate through this sugar-laden time of year, I promise to reveal two transformative tips that have empowered me to make mindful choices—ones that strengthen my body and boost my confidence, even when initial motivation begins to wane.

Turning 58 has prompted me to reflect deeply on my health journey and the importance of balance as we age. Join me as I recount my experience of saying a firm 'no' to those tempting chocolates and the unexpected liberation that followed. Learn how setting personal 'finish lines' with food can help you maintain control and foster a healthier lifestyle, not just during the holidays but year-round. Tune in to discover how you, too, can feel stronger and more balanced by committing to choices that uplift your well-being.

Free Membership Click Here For Access: Weight Loss For Women
Schedule Your Free Consult: Lose Weight For The Last Time
Weight Loss Coaching Program: Hangry to Healthy™
Website: The Simplicity of Wellness
Follow Me on Instagram
Follow Me on Youtube

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Simplicity of Wellness podcast.
I'm your host, board-certifiedholistic nutritionist and
professional life coach, amyWhite.
The purpose of this podcast isto share information that you
can use to become leaner,stronger and healthier by losing
weight, shedding inches,maintaining muscle and managing

(00:21):
your mind, all while living yournormal busy life in this modern
, sugar-filled world.

Speaker 2 (00:31):
Hello Simplifiers.
Today I want to give you twotips that have helped me feel
very in control with food.
We are deep into the holidayseason and I don't know about
you, but more and more goodieskeep finding their way into my
kitchen.
We have a lot of thoughtfulfriends.
These friends also happen to bevery good bakers, which makes
holding back on the goodiesdifficult, because I know how

(00:53):
delicious they are.
One thing I'm very proud of,because I've worked on this for
years, is my self-awarenessabout how I feel in my body.
This is one of the big reasonsI'm able to hold back and not
eat every goodie that finds itsway onto our kitchen counter.
I know that, no matter howtasty these goodies are, they
aren't foods that will make mefeel my best.

(01:15):
Feeling my best is my big goal.
I want to be better with age.
I currently feel really good.
I like what I see in the mirror.
I feel strong.
I also feel confident in mybody's ability to move well.
I'm happy about this.
But I also know that healthybalance can be a fragile thing,
especially as we get older.

(01:36):
The older we get, the less ittakes to throw our body out of
balance.
Balance, the older I get, themore.
I believe I do have to beserious about making sure I'm
doing things that make me bettermore often than the things that
I know can easily make me worse.
My birthday is in January, soit's always a great time for me
to reflect on the previous yearand what I envision for the year

(01:59):
ahead.
This year, as I've beenthinking about my approaching
birthday and turning 58, Irealized that my raging sweet
tooth is no joke.
It has the power to really pushme off my food game and crowd
out the healthy foods I reallydo want to be eating.
This became obvious right afterThanksgiving.
We'd been gifted a lot of fancychocolates.

(02:21):
I felt like a five-year-oldwith a face covered in chocolate
.
It was just one quick biteafter the next, my appetite was
shot.
I had no interest in puttingtogether a meal, I just wanted
to eat chocolates.
Fortunately, my food and bodyawareness isn't blind to my
sweet tooth.
I was able to see what I wasdoing and create a hard stop

(02:42):
with the fancy chocolates.
My choice to say I don't eatfancy chocolates was a
commitment I made to myself.
It was an easy choice in themoment, but a choice that then
became more difficult once myinitial motivation was gone.
I wanted those chocolates.
Holding true to your choiceafter the initial motivation has
disappeared is when real changestarts happening.

(03:04):
I felt better every day thathas gone by without breaking my
I don't eat fancy chocolatespromise to myself.
Being healthy and maintainingbody balance isn't about luck.
It's about choices Choices thathappen all day long.
I feel more confident andempowered in my ability to
choose food.

(03:24):
That makes me better, not worse.
Everything about me feelsbetter, having established my
finish line for fancy chocolates.
I established this finish lineon the Monday after Thanksgiving
, december 2nd.
I've gone two weeks withoutfancy chocolates.
Yes, the first few days,probably even the first week,
was difficult.
I had to keep reminding myselfwhy I wasn't eating the

(03:46):
chocolates.
Number one they mess up myappetite.
Number two I don't feel goodwhen I don't eat real food.
Number three I can't stop onceI start.
And number four I don't likefeeling controlled by food.
Now, at the end of week two,not having chocolates is
starting to feel normal.
It's just what I do, or, inthis case, don't do.

(04:08):
We were at Costco last week and,if you don't know, costco gives
out tasters At this time ofyear.
They often give out lintchocolate truffles.
I love the lint truffles.
As Jeff and I were walkingthrough Costco, he said ooh,
here comes the chocolate lady.
He asked me if I wanted achocolate.
My usual response is yes, Iwant a chocolate.
In the past when I've tried notto eat the chocolates I would

(04:31):
say no, but in my head I wouldsay, of course I want a
chocolate, but I'm not going toeat one this time.
When he asked me if I wanted achocolate, I said no, that was
it.
I really didn't want thechocolate.
There wasn't any inner voicesaying of course you want the
chocolate.
This was a big deal.

(04:51):
I noticed that it wasn't hardfor me to just walk by the
chocolate lady.
While at this point not eatingchocolate may feel sort of
normal, it's by no means a sethabit.
I know if I eat a Lindt truffleor some other fancy chocolate
I'll be right back to strugglingto not eat the chocolates.
It's easier for me right now tojust stick with my ban on fancy

(05:13):
chocolates.
Eventually, not eating fancychocolates will be a natural
part of my healthy identity.
I will see myself as a personwho doesn't waste my appetite on
fancy chocolates.
I know this to be true becauseI did it with alcohol back in
2020.
Not drinking alcohol orordering wine in a restaurant
feels normal to me now.

(05:34):
It's nothing that I even thinkabout.
It's just what I do or, again,in this case, don't do so.
My first tip when it comes tofeeling confident about your
food choices is make the hardchoice if you need to.
If you have a trigger food, afood that's an eating instigator
, meaning it causes you to eatwithout much thought or concern

(05:55):
about whether or not you'rehungry decide to take a break
from that food.
Make the choice.
Decide on a specific amount oftime three days a week, two
weeks a month and then, at theend of that designated time away
from that food, re-evaluateyour choice.
Will you stick with it or doyou want to figure out how to

(06:17):
include that food, but withboundaries, so you don't feel
out of control?
The second tip is fun.
Well, I think it's fun whenyou're presented with food
options.
Ask yourself what would my super, healthy, awesome future self
choose?
Don't think that you won't knowthe answer, because you will.
You may not like the answer,but you'll know the answer.

(06:39):
Make choices right now, today,as your future self.
I know this tip sounds silly,but trust me, it totally works.
Try it.
You can be mad about yourfuture self's choice and still
make the choice.
Do it and see how you feelafter behaving like your future
self for a few days.
The next episode won't be until2025, so enjoy the rest of the

(07:02):
year.
I have great news I'm expandingmy weight loss coaching to
include Weight Loss for Women.
My free membership community,weight Loss for Women, is where
you'll find your people Womenwho know what it's like to be on
a weight loss and healthjourney.
Women who are committed tosucceeding.
Women who want to help you win.
As part of my free Weight Lossfor Women community, you'll find

(07:25):
support, accountability andaccess to my Hangry to Healthy
weight loss process, the provenprocess that has helped so many
other women lose weight as theyshift from feeling food frantic
to enjoying food freedom.
Click the Weight Loss for Womenlink below the show notes and
join now.