10 Thoughts That Inspire Healthier Eating

Your thoughts can help or hinder your efforts to change your ways and eat healthier. A few helpful words can make all the difference. It often begins with rewiring the way you think and being strategic about how you talk to yourself. These are some phrases that I hear time and again from people who have been successful and inspiring!

1) “Try, Try Again.” Let’s face it. We all have days when we slip up and mindlessly overeat. People who are successful at changing their eating habits know that when you fall down, it’s important to get back up and give it another try. Being resilient, a key skill of emotional intelligence, can help you to work through eating setbacks instead of spiraling (and it is something you can learn and build see EatQ).

2) “It’s a Process.” It would be nice to achieve your goals quickly. But, change doesn’t happen overnight. A great motto: Pace, Not Race.

3) “Tomorrow is Another Day.” Scarlett O’Hara was onto something. Letting go of the past and starting fresh each day is key to change. Dwelling keeps you stuck. Begin each new day with a focus on “right now,” not yesterday or tomorrow.

4) “Progress, Not Perfection.” As long as you are going in the right direction, give yourself a round of applause. Setting up unrealistic standards can cause frustration and prompt you to give up.

5) “It’s Not about the Scale.” Even if your goal is to lose weight, people who are successful at it often put the scale aside for a while. They don’t obsess about the numbers. For them, a scale can be a tool and an objective measure, not a weapon to make you feel bad about yourself. As one of my clients so aptly put, "a scale also can’t measure your self-confidence or energy level."

6) “Less Is More.” It’s not about eating more food. It’s about savoring the foods you love. When you enjoy food more, you eat less of it. Motto: Eat food mindfully!

7) “No, Thank You.” People who revamp their diet often get good at saying no to food when they genuinely aren’t hungry. But more importantly saying “no” with tact and grace to food pushers and sabotagers is key. You may also benefit from getting better at giving a firm "no" to things you don’t want to do (which often causes resentment and stress eating!).

8) “It’s healthy or unhealthy, not good or bad.” People who change their relationship with food don’t label food as “good” or “bad.” These are judgments. Instead, they size up food by how it makes them feel (great, sluggish, bloated, etc). This prevents you from labeling yourself as “bad” for eating it.

9) “Just do it!" It emphasizes that action is key. Many of my clients stop talking about change and find actions to support their intentions. Go for a walk. Bring a fruit snack. It's more about effort than outcome.

10) “I’m One of a Kind.” It’s tempting to compare yourself to celebrities or a friend. You are unique. When you notice yourself sizing up your progress next to someone else, think again. Comparing yourself to someone else is a recipe for disappointment and unrealistic expectations. Be the most mindful version of YOU!

To learn more success strategies, read about it in EatQ www.eatq.com

Dr. Susan Albers is a psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic and the author of six books on mindful eating including Eat.Q: Unlock the Weight Loss Power of Emotional Intelligence. She has been quoted in the New York Times, Self, O Magazine, Shape, Fitness and on the Dr. Oz show. www.eatq.com

Go to http://www.facebook.com/eatdrinkmindful to learn how to sign up for the 10 Day Eat.Q. Challenge starting November 4th!