Have you ever had that food that you just can’t seem to control yourself around? 

You do well all day and your nighttime sugar fix is your weakness? 

You can’t keep M & Ms in the house cause you’ll eat the whole bag? 

You know a jar of peanut butter never lasts long because you’re supposed to be an adult, but you’re eating the jar with a fork for dinner on a Tuesday? 

Want to know one of my favorite hacks to help my clients “gain control” around these foods?

Foods in fact, they typically deem “off limits”, “bad” or feel like they can’t keep in the house… 

Actually eat them. 

Now I know that sounds crazy, and trust me that doesn’t have to mean that you’re ready just yet to grab a handful of m&m’s from the bag in the pantry, but here’s what I want you to try doing:

1. STOP labeling your foods as good or bad. Foods are just food. Some are better for our bodies and some are better for our souls, but they are literally just nutrients we consume. 
2. Allow yourself to have these foods in a manner that you can feel more in control around them. 

We can do this in a few ways: 

For some it’s consuming them at a time when you feel more in control of your choices. Maybe this means adding some chocolate chips in your morning oatmeal because you rarely overeat early in the day. Or, adding your chips to the end of your very filling lunch salad packed with protein and fiber for lunch so you feel more satisfied. 

For others, it’s going and purchasing a single serving of your favorite food one day at a time, or going out for that food (like ice cream) instead of keeping it in the house, until you build up more confidence around that food.

Reality is, the more we actually normalize the foods we claim to “struggle” with the more in control we’ll feel around them, BUT one of the biggest things I’ve learned is we need to do it in the approach that’s right for you. 

Because reality is, if you told me to just intuitively eat from a bag of peanut butter cups in my cabinet, they’d be gone in a day. So for me, the best approach may be to get a single serving of peanut butter cups every day for two weeks. Most likely, by the end of the two weeks I may not even want it. 

When it comes to weight loss…

Mindset matters. Habits matter. The stories we tell ourselves matter. 

Let’s focus on normalizing all foods. Removing the judgment and giving ourselves grace. I’m working on it too, wanna join me?!