Today's topic is something that is so important to me: the difference between restriction & abundance in the way that you eat.
Restriction (noun): the limitation or control of someone or something, or the state of being limited or restricted.
I see people everywhere who have real health goals coming from a good place. And something I notice is often times those goals revolve around doing LESS of something. I want to talk about what happens when we restrict both in our BODIES & in our SOULS - AND I want to change that script with you, today!
Here's Episode 77 of the Podcast, Be Well With Steph:
What happens to our bodies during restrictive dieting?
1. Fatigue. Food is fuel. Calories are literally the unit of measurement for the energy that our food provides us. As you can imagine, reducing the amount of calories you consume, you might actually be reducing the amount of energy we give to our bodies.
"FOOD IS FUEL"
2. Nutrient deficiencies. Reducing the amount you consume COULD translate to reducing your nutrient intake. Are you getting enough vitamin & mineral intake, antioxidants, fiber? 3. Fertility. Ladies, if this is something you care about, please talk with your doctor before doing any sort of reducing when it comes to your diet! We need those nutrients for ALL of our body systems to function properly.
4. Reduced Muscle Mass / Metabolism. When you reduce the size of your body overall, you reduce muscle mass which contributes to your metabolism. Dietary restriction without a careful look at your protein intake & strength training may actually hurt your metabolism in the long run!
5. Sustainability. Experts believe that approx. 80-95% of restrictive dieters with intention to lose weight, will gain the weight back. If your long term goal is to be healthy, comfortable, and sustainable weight management, you might want to rethink restrictive dieting.
What happens to our souls when we restrictive diet?
1. Lack of control. This is the biggest topic that comes up when working with clients. It's the feeling of a loss of control over those foods we are trying to restrict. It's being overcome by cravings that they cannot manage, or, it's actually teaching your body to ignore hunger cues :( . It's causing a disconnect between your body and mind that can be difficult to reverse.
2. Damaging relationship to food. We see this show up in people who are overly sensitive around food. That may include overindulging on your "cheat" days. It could include "all-or-nothing" beliefs which look like: "I ate good today so today was a good day" and "I ate bad today, so today is ruined and I have to start over tomorrow"
Or it could look like equating yourself to being good or bad, based on the food choices that you make.
You are not BAD because you ate a cookie.
3. Fail or succeed mentality. You might feel like you failed if you are trying to stick to a strict regimen and then LIFE happens, something comes up, you get HUNGRY, there's a birthday party, all the things that happen in life... You might feel like a failure, and that is just not a door we want to keep open when it comes to your Wellness Journey!
4. Lacking. Less food, less nutrients, smaller portion sizes. And it can start to make us believe that we DESERVE LESS. And girl, that is NOT true, and that is NOT the goal.
We deserve feelings of worthiness for just being human. We are worthy of a wonderful, full, rich life, including an ABUNDANCE of food and nutrients.
Approach nutrition from a place of nourishment. From abundance over restriction. This is what fuels our body, puts us in control, gives us energy, treats ourselves with love. Allows for mistakes. It feels so much better, more joyful, and more loving.
Pssst. Did you know you can listen to this episode (and get even more details that I share!)
I hope this episode helped you to shift your perspective out of restriction, into abundance.
Engage in self-love language & practices that lift you up & support your wellness journey - Join the 7 Days of Self Love Challenge!
You'll get my self-love playlist full of jams & anthems to set you up for your day <3
If anything about this episode stood out to you and you want to dive deeper into that, I always love to hear your feedback.
Find me anywhere you like to hangout!
Facebook: @Be Well With Steph
Instagram: @bewellwithsteph_
Email: steph@bewellwithsteph.com
You are worthy of living and capable of creating a healthy lifestyle you love. 🤍