The best diet and why we break it
PRINT PAGE
The best diet and why we break it
Have you noticed how we start out on diets with such high hopes?
We are sailing high, feeling like the world is with us. We commit to the best diet plan, the food diary and the exercise plan to support it. Day One goes fine but as the days roll on things start to get tricky – we start thinking about all the things we could be eating.
We might feel stressed at work or at home and the tension starts to build. We get to think about a particular food, whatever IT is for us – it could be crisps, chips or cake. It’s eating at us, until we find ourselves in the supermarket buying it, sitting in the car and eating it and it’s heaven – we all know the heaven of eating it – it feels soooooo good . . . until we stop . . . and then we crash and burn.
In comes the crushing . . .
- "Oh no I’ve done it again"
- "How could I have done that ... again?"
- "I’ve messed up … again!"
- "Here I am AGAIN, having failed."
This is such a familiar pattern with so many people, calling yourself names, telling yourself that you are stupid and a failure, and that you should know better . . . where you engage in self-attacking and self-abuse which doesn't let up and thus the pattern moves into self-loathing and a deep frustration that you are in this situation again . . . it’s a pretty bad cycle to eat ourselves into.
"If we ignore what is wrong and keep focussing on a small part of it whilst ignoring the whole picture there is to see, whatever we make right will never be fully right, it will only be better until it fails again."
Serge Benhayon Esoteric Teachings & Revelations, p 188
Instead of sinking into self-loathing, we can take another approach.
When we break a diet, we can STOP!
- Stop beating ourselves up for failing
- Stop hating ourselves for failing
- Stop looking for someone or something to blame
- Stop thinking we have failed, AT ALL!
In that Stop, could we then just simply say, "Oops!" . . . just an "Oops!"
"I had a little slip up there, oops!" And move on with our day . . . giving it no power whatsoever – it was just an oops! Taking time to STOP offers us an opportunity to connect to the possibility of another way.
Is there another way?
Exploring the possibility of a different way of living
Nothing to beat ourselves up over, no cause to hate ourselves, no cause to rage at ourselves or get depressed, no cause to throw everything out of the window and let it all go and binge eat for the next ten days. What if there was just no reason for that at all because it was . . . only an, "oops!" A small blip, not a biggie – and move on with our day.
The fact is that everyone messes up sometime, so how about we cut ourselves some slack and be super gentle if we have an oops? How many of us berate ourselves for being stupid when we feel we have messed up in some way, for not meeting a standard, whether it’s a self-imposed ideal or an echo from childhood? Observing these thoughts allows us to see them for the tricksters they are. Instead reflect on what led up to the event, and bring understanding.
When critical thoughts or behaviours arise, let’s choose to treat ourselves with absolute care and respect, in the same manner we would someone who is precious to us. How we are thinking is reflected in how we're moving. In fact, our movements took us to the food in the first place. This might be a mind-bending idea for you but believe it or not, if you can change the way you move you can change the way you are thinking. We need to change our movements in a particular way.
Our movements lead to our thoughts
Observe how we are moving, sitting, speaking – are we taking care . . . or are our movements abrupt or harsh. We can choose the quality of our movements, sensing whether our movements can be tender and delicate.
As you change the quality of your movements you may begin to observe that your thoughts also begin to reflect that different quality. This level of care takes dedication and practice, but it will make a difference.
We can commit to the best diet plan, the best food diary and the exercise plan to support it, but by focussing on making a choice to move in a gentle and tender way, we begin to care for ourselves in a whole new way.
By making the choice to enable a STOP when we have had an 'oops' and look at how we are moving and really putting the focus on changing that, we are choosing another way to be with ourselves – a simple step to live another way.
What exactly is movement?
Presenting what true movement is and our relationship with it.
Filed under
