The Weight Loss Diet

There may be things you’d like to change: lose weight, new experiences you’d like to have, goals you’d like to achieve, but PLEASE DO NOT GO ON ANOTHER DIET!

Diets are created from a mentality of restriction, deprivation, tracking, obsession, scarcity, fear tactics, and so many other yuck-based factors. Spoiler alert, they DO NOT WORK!!

Diets typically leave you feeling like crap when you can’t stick to one or flawed when you gain the weight back (and then some) afterward. So why do so many women still think dieting (a.k.a restricting & punishing) is the way to the body and life of their dreams? The only way to truly find your ideal weight is to connect with your body. To understand how to nourish her properly and to do your absolute best to take action on these things daily.

“We eat the way we live; how we eat is also how we spend money, time, love and energetic resources.” - Geneen Roth

Weight gain and issues with food are merely symptoms of an underlying issue. Often these symptoms relate back to the choices we make in our lives. Many of us know what we need to be doing and also know a lot about nutrition, but the issue is we’re just not implementing what we know to do consistently.

If the information were all we needed, we wouldn’t struggle the way we do. Creating a life that supports your health and well-being is imperative to achieving sustainable vitality and a healthy weight.

If your list of desired improvements includes losing weight, or any variety of creating a better relationship with your body, we’ve got you covered with our best secrets for body love and to balance your weight - it's the foundation of SoulFood. There’s no need to try to accomplish all of these things at once, simply choose one tool to implement at a time and stick with it until you feel comfortable in the groove.

Our top secrets to balance your weight - the SoulFood way:

Feed your soul
Friends, family, moving your body, spirituality and a satisfying career nourish us. We call these things “primary food”.  Primary Food is the things that nurture our existence on a very deep, fundamental level. Lack of primary food creates an over-reliance on secondary, edible food.

Slow the F down while you eat
This is so important! Slow your pace. Breathe. Take time with your food. Eating slowly helps your body digest. It takes time for food to hit your stomach and your body to catch up. Your body needs time to realize you’re full in order to digest and process the food you’ve eaten. Pro tip: It takes about 20 minutes for your brain to register that your stomach is full.

Rest and relax daily 
When you are sleep-deprived or stressed, your body will crave energy, causing cravings for junk food, sugary snacks, and caffeine as an energy boost. A much more sustainable practice for long-lasting energy and efficient metabolism is to get consistent sleep and take time throughout your day to pause and rest. Not only will you feel better, but you’ll also rely less on stimulating foods/drinks to keep you going.

Chew your food
Digestion begins in the mouth. When you thoroughly chew your food, your body will better assimilate nutrients, you’ll slow down your eating, and will more likely feel full and satisfied with less food.

Return food to its rightful role in your life
Food is not your lover, your best friend, or your caretaker. Food is fuel for your body to run and thrive optimally. By healing your relationship with food and letting go of emotional or compulsive eating habits, you create space for so much more freedom in your life. If you struggle with your relationship with food, find support. Deep and lasting transformation is possible. If one person can break free from emotional and compulsive eating, anyone can.

Avoid letting one indulgence lead to others
Aim at consistency each day as much as possible. It counts.

Eat a plant-based diet
Plant foods are typically lower in fat and calories and higher in filling fiber than meat, dairy, and processed foods while providing loads of essential nutrients. Aim to make ¾ of your plate fresh, organic veggies.

Move, move, move
Find a workout that makes you happy. Do any type of physical activity every day. Seriously, any type. Movement is movement. The key to sticking with it is finding movement you enjoy.

Schedule time for FUN and PLEASURE
Boredom and stress can lead to overeating. Make sure to take time to laugh, play and participate in activities that bring you joy and pleasure.

Remember, it takes time to make a change. Many of these suggestions are ongoing practices and aren’t shifted immediately overnight. Take your time, go slow and have the courage to reach out for support when you need it.

You’ve got this!