Minds are funny things aren’t they?
My body may be begging me for rest, relaxation or food but that doesn’t stop my mind for trying to tell me that I’m in fact not hungry. In an argument of my mind versus my body, it’s rare that my mind will actually win in the end.
Even though time and time again my body proves to be smarter than my mind, it doesn’t stop trying.
It’s full of untruthful thoughts and beliefs to try and overcome my bodies cues.
* pancake with protein frosting *
My mind can very well try and pose as an impostar, convince me it’s my body telling me I need less food when in reality, it’s the reverse. As clever as we believe the mind to be, our bodies always know what’s best for us.
I know how these games go. Being worried what my body is telling me because I’m far too concerned with how I look, when really my image is all in my head.
* I love that I can enjoy coconut ice cream now, instead of thinking it will make me get “fat” *
There’s constantly a conflict going on between my mind and body, when they are meant to be connected to each other.
The belief begins in the mind and the body follows through with actions to make us believe those thoughts are true.
My mind has come up with some pretty interesting ideas, some have been destructive to my well-being.
* I hate to remember the times where nut butter was forbidden because of the fat content. Fat doesn’t make you fat. *
Bad thought: Always make time for fitness, you can sleep when you’re dead.
“Forget about that extra hour sleep, exercise must be completed everyday”.
When I ignore the exhaustion my body is facing, I’m left feeling unmotivated, fatigued, anxious, and ill. My workouts end up being pretty crummy in return. It’s amazing what adequate amount of sleep leave you with; energy, happiness and motivation to complete workouts.
Bad thought: When hunger appears, ignore it or eat vegetables.
When I had hunger pangs, I did everything to not be hungry. Coffee, water, celery, broccoli and carrots. I was a volume eater. Basically, eating a huge amount of vegetables in order to feel “full”, thus avoiding eating.
* Yah, I used to think eating a giant bowl of zucchini was exciting… *
Not only did this usually leave me in horrible pain, I was also plagued with even more fatigue, bloating, and constant thoughts of food. It seemed logical at the time.
“Why would I eat a few almonds when I could eat 3 cups of vegetables instead.”
Eating only vegetables and fruits is NOT healthy. You miss out on so many other nutrients. A body can’t live alone on vegetables and fruits.
We need an adequate amount of healthy fats, clean carbohydrates, high quality protein, and of course, room for indulgence. It’s safe to say my mind could learn a lot from my body.
* I’ll take vegan pumpkin fudge over mountains of broccoli please! *
With each day that I allow myself to be in tune with my body, and allow my body and mind to truly connect, the negative thoughts diminish. Maybe my mind is finally catching up with my body, realizing it won’t come out victorious.
Our bodies will tell us when they are hungry or full, they want us to listen. Learn to listen and trust these cues, not resist them.
*Don’t get me wrong, I still love vegetables and eat them daily, but I dont worry if I consume other food groups and I don’t stress if I’m not eating mass amount of vegetables everyday.
What’s your favorite healthy fat?
Have you ever had trouble listening to your body?
Do you ever have a hard time knowing if you are truly hungry or not?
Hope you all have a great Thursday! The weekend if almost here!
About Lisa
favorite fat? nut butters for sure! sometimes i have a hard time listening to my body when itz full… i keep eating to clean my plate… so i need to work on the opposite thing
Yah, I sometimes do that with my plates too…oopsy! I think it can be a problem with most people that it’s either eating too much or too little. Hard to balance!
Great post Lisa! Continue listening to your body and your mind will eventually loosen up. I used to go through some of the same tactics as you, the overexcercising, denying I was hungry, loading up on veggies, fearing the fat. Not anymore and my body thanks me each and every day
Thanks Danielle!:) Yes, a lot of my problem lied in denial. I was in such denial over all the unhealthy behaviours I was doing. Thanks goodness we can both live life now!
Peanut Butter and Avocados (not together, haha).
Although I’ve never really restricted myself of food, I do still have to remind myself sometimes that I’m not actually hungry. Like, when my husband catches me staring aimlessly into the cupboard for 5 minutes. Usually I’m just bored
Avocado is definitely one of my favorite fats!
Heck yeah! I’ll take some of that coconut ice cream and nut butter
Nut butters are definitely my favorite healthy fat. I haven’t been eating like ANY veggies lately, I actually miss them! I’ve only been eating squash, which is still just as yum.
Oh yesss! I’ve been doing the same eating mainly squash, since my tummy is just not happy these days. ugh.
I love this post girly! You are doing so well with listening to your body. I used to do the same thing with veggies, gum, coffee, etc. Something to distract my mouth! But there’s a reason why I kept thinking about food – I was HUNGRY! And a reason why my workouts might have sucked – I was TIRED! Now I’m ready to relax when I am not feeling like working out. In fact i skipped weights on Monday for yoga and LOVED IT.
Thanks love! Oh man, yep I struggled with those exact things. And it would drive me nuts because I could just not stop thinking about food! While I was at school, all I wanted to do was think about food and not study. It was just horrendous. Yay for yoga!!
Peanut butter, almonds or avocado are definitly my favorite healthy fats!
Sometimes I eat purely out of boredom, which is not good and sometimes I get into a carb frenzy where all I crave are carbs and sugar! I try to listen to my body. I try to eat when I am hungry and stop when I am full, but it doesn’t always happen. Sometimes I overeat simply because the food is there and sometimes I don’t workout because after sitting ALL day at work I am somehow tired.
I think it’s best to just try your best. Push yourself to eat healthy and workout, but also enjoy lifes pleasures!
Those are probably a few of my tops as well! I can get a little carb crazy sometimes too. I’m a fan of sweets and carbs most definitely. I can’t even imagine going paleo ha ha. I’d go nuts. Yes, I totally agree with you Stellina!
Great post Lisa! I really feel I can totally relate to everything you said.. it’s hard to balance out the mind and body relationship.. something I’m still working on. Glad to see you’re pushing past that
Thanks Rachel! I think it’s always a work in progress! I’m definitely making progress, but still have a long way to go!
I’ve definitely struggled with my mind and body being at odds with one another… and every time my mind won, I became a lot more miserable because of it. It’s kind of funny that we think we know better than our bodies, when time and time again that proves to not be the case. When I overthink things and go with what I feel I ‘should’ be doing rather than what I want to do, I always run in to trouble and have a harder time figuring out my body’s signals. When I just give in to it, though, everything starts to fall into place.
Yes! So true! I always tried to get my mind to overcome my body, but my body simply couldn’t take anymore of it! I can’t imagine what life would be like living from those bad thoughts the disorder made me have. Exactly. I’m the same way when I over-think things. Sometimes it can be hard if I start to compare myself with others…and I don’t even notice I’m comparing until much later when my body is fighting back!
Hi, I’m Sarah ,& I’m a ( hardcore) voOolume eater- what you’ve said about veggies REALLY resonates with me. I can eat them till my tummy is fit to burst.. but yet ill still feel hungry. I know it is silly, the body needs satiety! I fear my own hunger to be honest, ugh.
Healthy fats are just a tad too fabulous to pick 1 favourite. Nut butter, coconut oil & avocado are ah-mazing though.
I’ve exciting plans to make your fudge tommorow, pureed butternut in place of pumpkin, as I am pumpkinless. The almond butter & coconut oil combo must be dreeeamy:).
Xxx
Oh man, I definitely struggle still with fearing my hunger. It’s something I continue to work on because my mind can tend to go a litte crazy and fear those other food groups. I think I have way too many favorite fats now. I just love ‘em! Oh man, the butternut instead of pumpkin sounds GOOD. I need to try next time!
Excellent post Lisa! I couldn’t agree more with you! I’ve definitely had times that listening to my body was difficult. The first couple years of college, I was SO regimented in my eating and habits that I didn’t care what my body was trying to tell me. I’m so glad to be past that phase, and my body sure is too! Oh, and my favorite healthy fat is definitely nut butter (peanut & sunflower seed being my favorite)!
Thanks Ashley! That was like me my first few years of college, I was an absolute nut case to be honest. Measuring every single veggie and fruit that would touch my lips and making sure it all weighed the same. Man, I don’t miss those times at all! Nut butters are awesome!
Great post! I’ve definitely struggled with distorted thoughts in the past and finally being free of those over the past few years has been a true blessing! I can truly appreciate the things that matter like my family and friends and listening to my body not what I *think* I should do, have, or not do… It wasn’t easy but it was rewarding!
I’m so glad things have turned around for you Allison!
Great post! It has taken me a long time to listen to my body! I love me some healthy fats… but and seed butter, avocados, and coconut are my favorites! I eat more sunflower seed butter than I’m willing to admit!
Ha ha. I just recently bought some sunflower seed butter. It took me a while to like, but know I love the stuff!
I am sooooooo glad that I gave up on counting fat grams since September! That was really holding me back and I’m glad I have become more comfortable with foods like nut butter and coconut! My favorite healthy fat would have to be nut butters ofcourse
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That is so great! I’m so proud you got over that! It truly is an amazing feat!
<3 this post. This is me, to a T. Thank you!!!
No problem Lauren! Glad you liked it
hey just found your blog and LOVE this post, i would eat a huge salad for lunch when wow i do the calories and its not even 100 and i ate huge amounts of veg for dinner but would have alittle brown rice with it, those were like the only things off limits… i still struggle with binges but i dont ever let my caloric intake get below.. thanks for this post though cant wait to continue readin!
Thanks Kaity! Happy you found me! I used to live the same way! It was really hard to accept and change, but as long as you continue to work on it, eventually everything will work itself out. Thanks for the comment:)