Your Weight Loss Foundation
Do you want a balanced, calm relationship with food?
Your goal is food choices that look like a rolling river, not a roller coaster.
- Rolling river - gentle ups and downs that are normal
- NOT Roller coaster - fun at the moment, but you feel sick if you stay on too long
The Holy Mess Triangle is the research-backed framework we use for weight loss.
Here's an overview:
- SAFE - The foundation of a healthy relationship with food is choosing meals and snacks that are SAFE.
- Structured - Eating every 3-4 hours throughout the day, and spreading points/calories throughout the day fairly evenly.
- Adequate - Eating enough that you don't turn on your body's primitive hunger drive. (For most women, this is at least 1,500 calories and often more.)
- Food groups - Include all types of foods in your plans, including carbs, fats, protein, and yes some treats.
- Enjoyment - Do you actually LIKE the food you are eating?
- BACK on Track - Know the steps to get back on track quickly when you fall off the wagon.
- YES Zone - Create a food environment for yourself where you can say "yes" as often as possible and reduce "no." Hide the junk food and put healthy food in plain sight.
- Thoughts & Feelings - Managing your thought life and your feelings without turning to emotional eating to cope.
- Peace - With your body and the scale.
If you want to go deeper, read more about a healthy food relationship here.
Fall off the Wagon? Getting Back on Track
You overate.
Maybe you went on vacation, had a splurge weekend, or life got hectic. You set aside your Holy Mess membership or healthy habits for a while.
Now what?
Food slip-ups happen to all of us. It's a normal part of making a big life change. The mistake doesn't matter nearly as much as what you do about it.
Your Reset Button - BACK on Track
We use the BACK on Track method to reset quickly.
B – Back Track
If your slip-up was a day or two, try to go back and track (or at least make a note of) what you ate. If you've been away from healthy habits for awhile, move on to the next step.
A – Ask, “What Did I Learn?”
During these times, step back from emotion and think like a scientist. Mistakes are teachers. Ask yourself, “What will I do differently next time?”
C – Compassion & Forgiveness
Self-flagellation (beating yourself up, putting yourself down, calling yourself names) works 0% of the time. If it worked, we would all be thin by now.
Instead, give yourself the same grace and compassion you would give to a good friend.
As a Christian, I recognize that my overeating is, at times, sinful behavior. I repent, which is asking God for His forgiveness and mercy. I accept His grace because of Jesus’s saving work on the cross.
If you’ve been through a time of overeating or binging, your mind and body have been through a struggle. You are tender and fragile. You need more love, care, grace, nurturing, and kindness.
K – Keep Your Food Plan the Same
Don’t compensate for a binge by fasting, skipping meals, or restricting. Just follow your regular food plan.
Unfortunately, none of these behaviors work. They set you up to binge or overeat again, which continues the cycle that many of us stay stuck in for years.
Plan a Recovery Meal
An additional helpful concept is a recovery meal.
A recovery meal is a nutritious meal that you enjoy, which feels good to eat as part of getting back to healthy eating. The food must be easy to prepare, and you can keep the ingredients on hand.
Your recovery meal is a gift you give yourself, not a punishment.
Example recovery meals:
- Vegetable omelet
- Frozen chicken breast, steamed vegetables, instant brown rice
- Frozen stir fry mix with shrimp
- Any meals from the Holy Mess 3-Day Diet, like the Holy Mess Turkey Chili
Getting Back to Membership
If you've been out of the Holy Mess Membership loop for a while, take these steps:
- Take a glance through the Welcome Kit lessons as a refresher.
- Come to the Facebook group and post, "I'm getting back on track." We will understand and be there to greet you with open arms.
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