Consider shifting your focus from weight loss to health. There are many different types of healthy eating patterns developed by doctors to support a variety of health goals including brain health, gut health, longevity, blood sugar regulation/diabetes, strength, etc. Try researching and reading up on a few different approaches, and find what resonates with you. The idea isn’t to find the One True Diet and stick to it rigidly. Rather, take components from different credible sources to craft your own approach. Be flexible. How you eat and how much might shift from day to day. Consider each book or plan a starting point from which you can tweak depending on what works for you.
As you go through this process, pay attention to how certain foods, amounts, and timing make you feel. For example, for me, eating too close to bedtime destroys my sleep. Just because a certain food is included or excluded on a particular plan doesn’t mean it works or doesn’t work for you. This process supports a more intuitive approach to eating, cultivating a healthy trust in and relationship with the wisdom of your body. As you begin to listen to and trust your body in guiding you in your eating choices, consider other areas of your life this embodied wisdom could expand to.
Be gentle with yourself. Consider that being kind to your body is not about extreme rigid restriction, nor is it about overfeeding it especially with unhealthy food.
