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Couple things today.

First, I want to let you know that my 4-Week Food Obsession Boot Camp is now open for registration, through Saturday May 31st at midnight EST only. The online coaching program begins THIS Sunday June 1st!  Grab all the details here.

Next, I want to talk about food obsession as it affects our ability to get results.

Obsession is a form of awareness, isn't it? And awareness when it comes to what you put in your mouth is generally a good thing, right?

But awareness is also a spectrum. 

On one end, you have zero awareness. These are people who don't know anything about healthy eating, don't care to know and simply don't focus on it at all. They will tell you, "I never think about food." Which, might be good, except that since they have no education around healthy eating, they tend to grab whatever without thinking of the health or body composition consequences. 

On the far other end, you have obsessive awareness, to the point that thinking about food in any/all capacities is at the forefront of your mind most minutes of the day: 

What time is my next meal? How long has it been since I last ate? How many grams of protein have I eaten so far today? How many carbs do I have left in my "carb bank" for the rest of the day? Is this too many carbs? I wonder if I am in a caloric deficit or a caloric surplus today? How much water have I drank today? I don't know if I'll have enough protein to feel full at dinner? Where I am with my servings of veggies? Am I eating too much fruit? I really should stay away from dairy. Gluten, too, maybe, considering my neighbor just found out she's gluten-intolerant. Maybe I am too? And on and on and on ... 

And my personal favs, a game I played for years ---> Asks self on way home from work: What sweets and treats do I have at home? Which leads to two scenarios: Gosh, I hope I have the willpower to resist them tonight after dinner! I didn't last night! OR, I don't have any sweets at home, and gee, I deserve something something for the long, hard day I had--I'll make a quick stop at the store!

I used to be super obsessed with everything having to do with food. I got a taste of nutrition education when I began training for my first fitness competition and I was immediately hooked.

Of course I was. It feels really, really good to be in control of your body, and being obsessive with food can feel like control. 

Only, control is the opposite of trust. 

And when we start not trusting our process, our own bodies or even our inner voices when it comes to how we feel, look and think, we can get into trouble.

Learning about nutrition and then the excitement of implementing what we learn is fun. I get that, and I did that for many years, but the problem ended up being that after 5 years of reading everything under the sun and racking up more nutrition "rules" than I could even remember (never mind implement!), I was so confused that the only way I could feel in control was to monitor every single little thing regarding food, effectively letting it take over my life:

Obsessive awareness.

So what's the big deal with that? Isn't obsession around something healthy a good thing?

Well, it's certainly better than being obsessed with reality shows, in my opinion :) BUT. It can get you into trouble.

I got into trouble when my ability to focus on anything else became less and less. At the time, I was so focused on every little nutrition rule, gram and calorie, that it was all I could do to get through the day--I would just do whatever was in front of me at work, what was next on my plate. I was short with my friends and family, I was constantly on edge whenever there were family dinners or we'd dine out--I WOULD BRING MY TUPPERWARES. I had zero patience with anything going wrong with my eating schedule and it was all about me. 

Most of all, food obsession kept me from living.

I was surviving. But my self-worth was wholly pinned on if I was tight enough on my "diet" and if my body was in "show shape." I had no introspection outside of that, no business to speak of, no mental/emotional awareness and certainly no physical time or mental energy to blog.

It was only when I started to find some perspective in early 2010 that I was able to create more space in my mind for things other than nutrition. Perspective came as a result of many factors--one of which was simply realizing I was miserable and getting to the point of actually not giving a shit if I gained weight, ha! I just didn't want to be stressed out all the time anymore.

To my surprise, I didn't gain. And I was able to slowly implement tools and techniques that helped me gain that perspective.

I started to see the eating process as a journey I could enjoy, being patient and figuring out over time (trust), instead of a game I had to play perfectly (control). 

And I want to share the exact steps, tool and techniques I used over the last several years to find balance. To find that middle spot on the awareness spectrum. To leave the obsession behind and adopt a more moderate approach to eating, where I get to enjoy life, spend time and mental energy on the things that really matter to me, and be able to maintain my weight effortlessly.

So, if any of this rings true for you, you might consider the 4-Week Food Obsession Boot Camp I am hosting starting THIS Sunday. The course is delivered completely online via webinars and coaching emails (and yes, you get the recordings of the webinars if you cannot be on live).

=======> ALL THE DETAILS FOR FOOD OBSESSION BOOT CAMP HERE

Let me know if you have any questions, and remember, spots are limited and registration closes Saturday May 31st at midnight!

Ox, Jill