008: Are You Using Food & Exercise As A Weapon? (4 Tell-Tale Signs That You Are)

I’ve been on diets and weight loss programs since the age of 7.

I got really good at outsmarting whatever plan or program I was on.

I got really good at “fake it till you make it” and motivational pump-me-ups.

I got really good at tricking the scale, tricking my stomach, and tricking my mind.

I got really good at living my life hungry, tired, miserable and restricted.

Yup I mastered them alright, but there was a major cost.

When it came to social interactions, instead of getting excited about connecting with people I love, I was getting STRESSED about what to eat or how my body appeared when I was with them.

Instead of engaging and focusing in on the conversations or connections at hand, I was focusing on what I ‘should’ or ‘shouldn’t’ eat….and if I should get dessert or not!

So yea, I had motivation, discipline, and willpower in-check.

And I was indeed able to sculpt that rockin’ body, toned tushy, and ‘healthy lifestyle’ that I always dreamed of having.

But...

Food was the boss of me.

I was a slave to my brutal workout routine to ensure that I didn’t gain anything back.

Because no matter how motivated or disciplined I got myself to be on a day to day basis, food and exercise still ruled my every move.

If you have (what I call) a Fat Head sitting on top of your body, you will always be carrying around the weight of the weight.

Most women think they have a weight ‘problem’ or a food ‘problem’ or a laziness ‘problem’, but I don’t believe that any of those things are the problem.

Women are indeed walking around with a weight ‘problem’, but it’s the weight of the weight that is weighing them down.

THAT is the weight that is truly weighing you down and KEEPING you on this rollercoaster of a ride with your body.

So how can you tell if you’re using food and exercise as a tool to get yourself healthy? Or if you’re using it as a weapon: a weapon of punishment, control, restriction, or shame. 

There’s 4 different signs and symptoms that I talk about with my clients, and we are going to talk about all of them.

Symptom #1 : You use food as a Weapon of Mass Control.

When your ‘diet brain’ is the one calling the shots, it’s only natural that it might start to feel like food controls YOU more than you control IT.

And this is when food has the tendency to become a means for you to control yourself, compare yourself, or judge yourself.

Symptom #2 : You use your body as a Weapon of Mass Control.

Again when your default brain is the one in charge, you might feel like your body controls YOU more than you control IT – as in, you feel like a prisoner in your own body or a prisoner to your weight or size.

And this is when you might have the tendency to use your body to control yourself, compare yourself, or judge yourself….or control, compare, and judge your body. 

Symptom #3 : You walk around feeling weighed down by whatever plan or program you are (or aren’t) following.

If your gameplan is sucking the fun out of your life and bogging you down, chances are you are never going to stick with it, and it’s going to end up being another short term band-aid and you’ll end up putting it in the category of “great here’s another thing I tried that didn’t work for me”. 

Symptom #4 : You’re waiting for the weight to go live your life the way you really want to.

Thinking things like “when I lose the weight then I’ll wear that, commit to that, feel that way, be [successful/happy/loved/fill-in-the-blank]”, that’s a sign that your Fat Head is doing the talking.

I’m not saying not to want more for your future (by all means, aim high!). But if future-thinking is causing you to miss out on your life right now, there’s a good chance you’re waiting for the weight to live your best life.

Your life is happening right now. If you spend all your time living, worrying, or projecting into the future, you’re going to miss out on your life. Don’t wait for the weight to start living your life as your most beautiful, powerful, and confident self. Because I promise you: you don’t have to. 

You’re allowed to want more for yourself. I say go make those changes, set those goals, and take your life to the next level.

But don’t turn into your own internal super-bitch just to get there.

And know when you are using food, your body, or the experience itself as a weapon against yourself rather than a tool of freedom. 

Hopefully today’s episode gave you the insight YOU needed to figure out what that looks like for you, and whatever you do, don’t give up on your freedom. 

I used to think that I HAD to live in that diet prison -- filled with all that control and shame and stress. But there is a better way, I promise you that-- so don’t give up on carving out your own freedom. Don’t believe the lie that this is how you have to live! Because you were meant for SO. much. more. 

In this episode of Stressless Eating we talk about four tell-tale signs to help you discover if you too are using food & exercise as a weapon AND if so, how you can change that!