As you begin this journey, you may be asking yourself, “How should I eat?” One thing you will find in Peace with Food is that we don’t dictate to you how you should eat. Remember, Peace with Food is a step-by-step customized lifestyle, tailored specifically for you and that is going to involve you experimenting. That being said, you can relax because we won’t keep you hanging. We’ll share with you how we eat and help you find the perfect fit for you.
Initially your head may be spinning. Should I follow someone’s food plan? Should I go low-carb? Should I count calories and if so how many should I eat daily? Someone, please just tell me exactly what to eat!
Although we won’t tell you what to eat, we will give you some guidance and point you in the right direction. Are you ready?
The first step to Peace with Food (or peace in any area for that matter) is this: Know yourself to improve yourself. Answer the following questions to help you examine yourself in regards to food:
- What eating approaches give me the most peace? (i.e. high protein – low carb, counting calories, eating only when I am hungry, etc.)
- What eating approaches steal my peace?
- Do I prefer an approach that is “tight”, “loose”, or somewhere in between?
- Do I prefer coming up with my own eating approach via trial and error or would I like to “shop around” for other proven approaches that might work for me with some adjustments.
- Do I or any of my family members have restrictions in food due to health conditions?
- What does my landscape of eating look like? (i.e. regular family meals, eating out regularly for business, working around food, other temptations that are prevalent in my life, etc.)
- What eating approach could I do for rest of my life?
- If I could create any eating approach I wanted to it would look like:
- What are my comfort foods?
- What are my Love-It foods?
- What are my Leave-It foods?
- What eating occasions give me peace?
- What eating occasions bring me sadness, discomfort, or guilt?
Once you answer these questions you can then begin experimenting with the data you have received. If there is any eating approach that does not give peace, put it aside. Find the approach that gives you the most peace and then begin “trying it on for size.” After you have tried it a time or two it’s time to evaluate. Did it give you peace? If not, what part of it didn’t give you peace? Can you tweak it or do you need to pitch it and try something new?
This will help you begin eating in a way that gives peace with food. Whatever you do, don’t get discouraged. Remember how we said that we failed, and failed, and failed? As long as you are experimenting, you are making progress, so hang in there. You will move forward to greater peace if you do not quit!
Posse Discussion:
Pick and answer a question from the above list and share your response with your posse.
Peace with Food 
Do I prefer an approach that is “tight”, “loose”, or somewhere in between? I prefer something in-between. I need boundaries to know how much I can eat so I follow the Weight Watchers points system, but I don’t want to be told what I have to eat and how much of it I have to eat. 🙂 Robynn
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I picked: “What eating occasions bring me sadness, discomfort, or guilt?” My answer would be moments that the kids (or something) stresses me out and I shut my mind off out of frustration, grabbing whatever food is available at the moment. I have realized I use my stress as an excuse to “act” like I am unaware of my poor eating choices, although deep down I am fully aware of what I am doing. I quickly grab food and stuff it in my mouth, as if I am tricking my mind to think I am not “realizing”I am eating (b/c I’m so preoccupied with my stress level) when in fact, I am fully aware I’m turning to food due to my emotions. Posse, am I making any sense?! Does anyone else do this?? ~Lara
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