Other People’s Food

Surprise!

Why is it that when you are trying to eat healthy, all sorts of surprise food starts to show up in your life?

Maybe it’s the doughnuts in the break room… Or a partner eating chips beside you on the couch…. Or the kids wanting to bake something on the weekend… There are so many times that unplanned food can enter your life.

It is often taught in weight loss to control your environment. To clear out all the food that you don’t plan on eating but may be tempted by. I think this is a great tool, especially at the beginning of your weight loss journey.

However, it is impossible to completely control what food you get exposed to. Learning how to manage other people’s food or the surprise food that shows up in your life is an important skill.

This week’s podcast episode is on exactly this, how to deal with the food other people bring into your life.

If surprise food keeps tripping you up, then try these tips:

• Recognize that there is discomfort on both sides of choice. Saying no to the food may feel uncomfortable, but eating the food often leads to discomfort too. Get clear on what the discomfort is (because your brain won’t tell you on its own- it will only show you the discomfort of saying no to the food)
• Let other people’s opinions about your eating be their own. It can be easy to get wrapped up in what someone may think if you do or don’t eat something, and we often make food choice to avoid disappointing people. Be polite, but don’t try to keep people happy with your eating. It simply isn’t in your control
• Work on empowering beliefs. Decide what you want to think about yourself around certain foods and start practising it. When an unexpected food shows up, bring up your new belief and trust yourself.

Make sure you listen to the full episode of the podcast for more of my tools to manage yourself around other people’s food.