If you have ever kept a food log, then you understand the accountability it can represent for you. The food log is like the constant reminder that you are being watched. It is sitting there staring at you, daring you to eat that extra piece of chocolate. It is mocking you as you write down that creamy pasta and third glass of wine. It is also a huge crutch that I used to rely on for myself and my clients.
Letting go of the food log can be very difficult. It can be emotional, scary, and a whole other whirlwind of things but it is important to let it go just as it was important for me to drop my little yellow blanket at a young age. (Or maybe a little older age.)
So what does this food log represent?
1. Comfort
2. Security
3. Accountability
4. Control
5. Safety
When we rid ourselves of the food log we have to step up and rely on our own wisdom to be comfortable, secure, accountable, controlled, and safe; therefore, this brings about fears. This is a good thing! Just as I have discussed the importance of buying the foods you fear and looking at them in the face, it is just as important to throw that little notebook out of the window. Your body is so much smarter than sheets of paper held together by glue. Your body knows when it is hungry, it knows when it’s full. Your body knows why it seeks comfort from food and it knows why it skips out on a workout. It knows why you sat on the couch with a tub of ice cream and it knows why you stayed home in bed all day. If you already know all of this, why do we need to continue writing it all down?
Trust. Trust yourself. When you simply begin to trust, suddenly your body tells you very loudly why it wants something. Now you can hear why it wants ice cream before it is half way through the tub! Messages are no longer muffled—they are very, very clear. Allow this to happen. A food log is simply a device to keep you from getting uncomfortable with the fact that you already have all the wisdom you need.
Trainers ask their clients to write their food because they don’t trust that they can eat what their body wants when left alone. They require a constant written example of how long you did your cardio and how much you ate. You write your food down because you don’t trust yourself when not being held accountable to anything. Well guess what? I trust all of my clients to do what their bodies want, or at least learn from every incident they don’t. Can you instill that same trust in yourself?
