Kat here, and today I want to talk to you about one of the, if not the, most important relationships of your life.

It’s a relationship that I’ve struggled with myself growing up.

It’s a relationship that most of our clients are challenged with.

It's a relationship that's crucial to your well-being, yet so frequently overlooked.

And what I’m talking about is your relationship with food.

It’s what determines our daily experiences like:

How much energy we have for the day…

How we feel when we look in the mirror…

How well we manage stress and anxiety…

The list goes on. Point is, your relationship with food is crucial.

But there’s one big pitfall I see in relationships with food…

And it’s also the thing that’s most likely holding you back from losing weight:

Eating despite a lack of hunger.

Hunger is your body’s natural signal indicating it's time to eat.

Issues arise when we stray from this signal and eat despite not being hungry.

And to complicate matters, we might not always recognise true hunger.

Our bodies can send us false signals about it. Our stomach paints one picture, and our mind paints another.

So I’m about to shed light what some of these misleading triggers can be, and how to fix them:

1) Eating Out Of Boredom

The Problem: It's too easy to visit the fridge door out of boredom. Rather than hunger, eating is about filling a void of time and interest.

The Solution: Do more to engage in activities that keep you engaged without involving food. This could be a hobby, exercise, exploring a subject you’re passionate about, or even something as simply as organising your space and cleaning. Try any of these next time you catch yourself eating out of boredom.

2) Stress-Eating

The Problem: Stress eating is a common coping mechanism for dealing with emotional distress. When stressed, we can be especially prone to turning to comfort meals that are high in sugar, fat, and calories - foods that we all know aren’t exactly in alignment with our target diet.

The Solution: Identify your stress triggers and find ways to better cope with them - walking, running, gym, yoga, meditation can all alleviate stress. And that’s just scratching the surface, I’m sure you can think of more ways.

3) Reward Snacking

The Problem: Using food as a reward creates a psychological association that certain (usually unhealthy) foods are 'prizes' - therefore creating an underlying belief that other, ‘healthy’ foods are a punishment. Over time, this behaviour reinforces eating habits tied to emotional satisfaction rather than nutritional needs.

The Solution: Develop a reward system that does not involve food. For instance, after achieving a small goal, you could treat yourself to a new book, a spa day, or a new experience like a class or workshop. This not only helps break the cycle of reward snacking but also enriches your lifestyle with varied experiences instead of just eating pleasures.

These are the 3 misleading triggers I see most often…

You don’t need to completely get rid of your snacking needs, there is still very much a place for snacking in a healthy diet.

It’s just important to bear in mind the frequency of your intakes, and the type of snack too. Check out our snacks inside the 5 days of Meal Prep Menu if you’re looking for healthy ideas!

And another thing I wanted to point out:

Notice how the common thread amongst all of these is that a good relationship with food is built by a healthy lifestyle?

i.e. if you’re less stressed, you’re not going to stress-eat…if you’re not bored, you won’t eat out of boredom…

The lifestyle is what determines your relationship with food and your success with weight-loss…

But it’s also what will benefit the most once you improve it.

Because it’s not just about weight-loss, is it? It’s about things like:

“I can walk up stairs without losing my breath. Can run across a field to get out of the rain without getting all sweaty.” - Rob

“Feeling fitter, healthier and all round pretty amazing.” - Harriet

“Have more energy to play with my little one!” - Mark

Like all of our previous clients have pointed out.

We’re not here for losing weight only to pick it back up again.

We’re here for lasting change towards a better life.

And with that, I hope you enjoyed reading this issue of the newsletter and start integrating some of these tips into your own life.

If you feel like you have enough information and are ready for action - then consider our 12-week 1-on-1 weight-loss coaching programme called Thrive.

And if you can guarantee your commitment to the programme, we can guarantee you’ll hit your weight-loss goals. Or we’ll work for free until you do.

It’s a bold claim - and because of this we have to vet who we allow in.

So if you think you are ready to commit to hit your goals, then you can apply using the link below:

Apply To Thrive Here

Catch you later, Kat