Weight Loss for Food-Lovers with Molly Zemek
Episode 17: Is Food Your Reward?
Summary
In this episode, Molly talks about the dangers of food as a reward and how this belief is ingrained in us from an early age. Because this idea is so pervasive in our society, we often internalize these feelings and don’t realize that they’re there until they negatively affect our attempt to lose weight.
A few weeks into a weight loss plan, the ‘newness’ of the journey wears off and our mind often tells us that we ‘deserve’ a reward. When we justify this feeling and indulge in something outside of our healthy eating protocol, we get trapped in a cycle of overeating that’s reinforced by the subconscious belief that happiness comes from food.
The only way to overcome this problem is to change your mindset and embrace the discomfort that comes from a life-altering awareness. We have to believe in the opportunity of choice and live to our future potential. Food is fuel, not a reward, and there are more satisfying ways to meet our needs.
Topics Covered
- The dangers of food as a reward
- How indulging urges becomes a snowball effect
- Unraveling the false mindset behind overeating
- Why you should embrace discomfort to reach your goals
- Past-focused vs. Future-focused beliefs
Key Quotes
“We start to internalize this belief that good food, and treating ourselves with good food, is a way to reward ourselves.”
“Our brain convinces us that we’re doing something nice for ourselves. That we’re treating ourselves. That we deserve to feel better when things are hard. But let’s just be very clear. Food was never meant to be a reward. Food at its core is meant to be fuel for our bodies.”
“Often times, indulging in one type of food leads to indulging in more.”
“Instead of thinking of weight loss as deprivation, instead of looking at your food plan as what’s being taken away from you, it can be so much more empowering to think of it as a choice that you’re making for yourself.”
“In order to create a healthier relationship with food, to create a more empowered mindset around food, we have to think about it differently. We have to recognize that there are other ways that we can take care of our needs without eating.”
Links Mentioned
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