Constraining your food in weight loss might raise some alarm bells for you. It might sound like that diet that you have been on in the past where you felt limited and restricted… like you were missing out. But constraining your food can be freeing. It depends on how you choose to think about it. Let me try and convince you because I know that constraining your food in weight loss works.
Constraint does not have to mean dieting or taking away all the food you love. It means reducing your choices to prevent overwhelm and confusion that confronts you when you stand in the kitchen or sit in a restaurant and are bombarded with too many choices. There are many other benefits too.
Benefits Of Constraining Food
It prevents overwhelm and Stress created from indecision
No one likes to be in indecision. I call it decision fatigue. Being in indecision is tiring and it is a waste of time. Think of times when you go into a large department store in search of a new dress and there are racks and racks of clothes. It can feel overwhelming, and you may dabble in some confusion about where to start. Being in overwhelm can be stressful and you may decide it is too much to find that needle in a haystack.
Compare this to when you walk into that same store but add a couple of constraints. You want a dress which is green or blue and just above the knee. This creates a whole lot less stress by narrowing your choices and helps you find the dresses quickly, leading to far less drama and you avoid giving up.
It is the same with food. When presented with too many choices we can go into stressful confusion. Your brain likes to avoid pain and seek pleasure. You can see where I am going with this right? When confronted with a load of choices and under stress, your brain will go to the food that it thinks will make you feel better. It will seek pleasure to avoid the pain of stress. That pleasure generally involves food that contains flour and sugar.
Your brain loves direction, so if you constrain your choices ahead of time your brain is more likely to obey; end the drama. Consider a vegetarian or vegan. They are just making constraints based on the goal they want to achieve. It is the same in weight loss.
It saves you time
When you have a smaller selection of meals to choose from you do not waste time remembering where the recipe was or constantly referring to the menu while preparing each step. I always find that when a new recipe says that it will take you 20 minutes, I can easily add 10 minutes of reading and rereading time onto that!
When you know the recipe and ingredients inside out you whip up that tasty nutritional breakfast, lunch, or dinner in no time.
It stops Food Wastage
If you are eating a constrained menu of meals each week you will find that you will be able to use up the ingredients in your fridge and not wait to find vegetables or jars of sauces growing small green mouldy bits on the top of them!
Let me be clear this does not mean I don’t think you should try different meals and experiment with different vegetables. It just means reducing the number of meals in your repertoire by taking the ones that don’t serve your weight loss goal out. From time to time, I love perusing the world wide web or recipe books to find new meals. Because my family and I are choosing to eat more vegetarian meals in a week and are avoiding flour, it constrains my search and also saves time.
It saves you money
Buying a large selection of ingredients often leads to wastage. Not having all those half-opened jars of mouldy sauces or expired bags of ingredients in your cupboard feels great. Constraining means not only the saving of money on all the extra ingredients you DON’T buy but a way prettier looking cupboard! Although my slightly OCD husband may not agree it looks all that pretty.
It helps you lose weight
When you reduce the number of meals you eat and this becomes a new habit, you will find it is easier to stick to the plan or meals/ constraints you have chosen. This makes it easier to lose weight AND keep it off.
When you find the meals that feel good in your body, that you enjoy eating, and are good choices to help your weight loss goal, write them down. Repeat them, reduce the mind drama created from having too many choices.
Have a go
So instead of choosing to think you are missing out when constraining your food choices, use your smart brain and have a go at it. I loved starting with constraining with my breakfast and now only have one choice that I look forward to and gives me energy to lunchtime. I limit my lunch choices to 3 meals, salad, omelette, or leftover dinner (if there is no sugar and flour).
Many of my clients’ love constraining their food. It free’s up space in their brain where they are not having to negotiate with food or experiencing the stress created by having too many choices. Imagine what you could do with that stress-free mind! I use the time to create more joy in my life and activities where I can feel accomplished. What would you do with the time?
If you are ready to get to the root of your weight loss failures and learn how to enjoy the weight loss process, then contact me and let’s have a FREE no obligation chat to see if Coaching is the right fit for you. Find more about me on my facebook page.
Have a beautiful Day
