Healthy Endeavors

It’s yours truly, Wendy Battles, the Clean Eating Coach, coming to you with one of my favorite tips to support weight loss and clean eating: hit the pause button before you indulge in your favorite treat.

I know you know what I mean…you’re hankering for something sweet or full of fat even though you know it’s probably not a clean eating food, you’ve told yourself that you deserve a treat, you know you might feel bad after eating it but you go ahead and do it anyway. 

Yep, I’ve definitely been there before, especially for the part where I beat myself up over eating it. In my case, it wouldn’t so much be about losing weight, but the simple notion that I was indulging in less than healthy and clean eating foods.

The thing is, you can easily overcome those tempting moments by hitting the pause button and stave off unnecessary weight gain.  You know that moment in between thinking about what you might eat and then actually retrieving it from the pantry or refrigerator? Well that’s the moment we want to seize and think about our choices by pausing briefly to consider the options.

Case in point, this morning I had a couple of breakfast choices — a bowl of granola, naturally sweetened with almond milk or a green smoothie with raw kale, antioxidant berries and avocado.  I could already tell that eating the cereal was the path of least resistance. Put it in a bowl and start eating immediately. I also could tell that making the smoothie would take more time but would also ensure that I could get in some much needed nutrients first thing in the morning — a serving of vegetables along with a couple of fruits not to mention some healthy omega 3s.

When I thought for a moment about my health goals for the day — getting lots of water in, fresh fruits and veggies and healthy fat, that’s all I needed to remind me that a few minutes of effort would move me closer to my health goal.  For me, hitting the pause button and stopping to consider my options was a simple yet powerful action to keep me focused on my clean eating goals for the day and week.

One of the tools I find helpful to keep the pause button within reach is utilizing my friend Millie Grenough’s book, Oasis in the Overwhelm.  Millie is a life coach who got inspired to write this book after a near-fatal accident several years ago. This quick read is chock full of helpful tips to help you hit the pause button in less than 60 seconds like the 3-B-C, the 3 breath countdown. By tuning it, relaxing in the moment and slowing down, you can be more mindful about your choices and support better health.  For me, it means that clean eating doesn’t have to be hard at all — a reminder that it’s always within reach.

I also sometimes set my kitchen timer for one minute and just sit quietly before making a food choices.  When I slow down and get out of my head, I can listen to what my body most needs — healthy, energizing foods.

What’s your favorite trick to hit the pause button before overindulging and ensure what you’re about to consume is a fresh, whole, clean food? What do you have actively due to prevent weight gain?

Filed under: clean eating, Overindulging, Smoothies, Weight loss