Not Just Another New Year’s Resolution
You may or may not know that for the last two years in a row, I’ve chosen something to give up for a whole year. In 2019, I made the decision to give up alcohol. You can read about that decision HERE. And..BTW…I still don’t drink and I don’t miss it at all! In 2020, I decided to give up weighing myself in an effort to be less obsessive about my weight and focus more on how I feel. I’ll share more about that below. As the year 2020 started drawing to a close, I’ve thought a lot about what I want to give up in 2021. You see, I consider these choices more than just another new year’s resolution. I am focussed on choosing a substance or a behavior that I can realistically commit to for an entire year. It wouldn’t be realistic, for example, for me to say I am not going to eat bread for a whole year. I mean, that’s just crazy talk! So, for 2021, I decided that instead of giving something up, I am going to take something ON. See the difference? I’ll explain.
Taking Something on vs. Giving Something Up
I thought a lot about what to give up in 2021. There are a few things I’ve already successfully given up over the years such as meat and dairy. I don’t drink alcohol anymore. It would probably be wise to give up something like coffee or sugar or gluten. But, I honestly didn’t feel like I’d last a week let alone a whole year. I already drink my coffee black now, which is something I thought I would never do. Last year I wrote about this in a blog post you can read HERE. I also considered giving up buying clothes retail. But, this would sort of be a cheat because I already get all my clothes at thrift stores and most of my kids’ clothes are also secondhand. So, it wasn’t really going to take a lot of effort.
The more I thought about what I wanted to give up, the more I dreaded the idea. It felt like deprivation and no one wants to feel deprived. Then, I decided to flip the idea and instead, decided to take something on. I realize this sounds very much like a New Year’s Resolution, which I have always thought was nonsense. But I think if this practice as more than just another New Year’s Resolution but something that I can commit to as a sustainable lifestyle change. So, what am I taking on? I’ve decided to take on intuitive eating.
What is Intuitive Eating?
I first heard about intuitive eating when listening to the Stuff You Should Know podcast. It was an episode about How the Anti-diet Movement Works. The idea behind intuitive eating is pretty simple and includes these 10 Principles, according to intuitiveeating.org
- Reject The Diet Mentality
- Honor Your Hunger
- Make Peace With Food
- Challenge the Food Police
- Discover The Satisfaction Factor
- Feel Your Fullness
- Cope With Your Emotions with Kindness
- Respect Your Body
- Movement – Feel The Difference
- Honor Your Health – Gentle Nutrition
Since I have only just learned about this philosophy, I have a lot of reading and research to do. The thing that attracts me to this way of eating is the lack of shame and confusion. There are soooo many conflicting messages about food. Carbs are good but carbs are bad. Meat is bad but okay if you eat certain kinds of meat. Eat perfectly or at perfect times. It’s exhausting! No one should feel stressed about food. That is completely counterproductive. Even Dr. Leigh Erin Conneally of the Center for New Medicine advises not to obsess about food in her book, The Cancer Revolution.
So How Did 2020 Go?
Let’s circle back to what I gave up in 2020 – weighing myself. I can’t say that I truly never weighed myself. I did a few times. And if I was at the doctor’s office I couldn’t avoid it. When lockdown started in March, I found myself snacking out of boredom. I still ate a lot of the same foods I always did. Just MORE of everything. Of course, my clothes started to fit tighter. When things started to get close to not fitting at all, I would make adjustments. I mostly used intermittent fasting to help keep things under control. It took the better part of the year to get to a place where I didn’t wonder what the number on the scale was. I feel like I am finally at a place where I am less obsessed about how my body looks and more interested in how it moves, feels and operates. I am happy to report that I stuck to my normal workout routine all year as well, exercising 6 days a week. That’s now this is more than just another New Year’s Resolution. It’s about lifestyle changes that take care of my mental health as well as my physical health, I think the intuitive eating is a natural extension of focussing less about the number on the scale.
What’s Next?
I’ll share more about this idea of intuitive eating as I learn more throughout the year. I’ll share my successes and challenges along the way too.
What are you giving up or taking on in 2021? Leave a comment and let me know.