“Dis-moi ce que tu manges, je te dirai ce que tu es.”
–Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, (1826)
Translation: Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are.
The idea that to be fit and healthy you need to eat good food has been around a while. But an even older concept is the idea that we are what we think.
“We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world.”
–Buddha (c. 563 BCE to 483 BCE)
What if both are true?
What if the thoughts you think are just as important to your getting the body you want as the food you eat?
For most people that feels like a stretch, but science is backing this up.
Stress is being found to be the root cause of a number of illnesses.
And while you think stress is something that happens to you because of the people, situations or events going on in your life, stress is really a result of what you think.
“Stress isn’t something that happens to someone. It’s something someone feels about what’s happening. Your capacity to deal with any outer situation is based on your inner perspective. . . How we see ourselves determines everything.”
Your negative thoughts—about yourself, your abilities, what you deserve, about everything—generates catabolic energy that releases the stress hormone cortisol, adrenaline, and other chemicals that literally cannibalize your body.
This chain reaction is breaking down your immune system, straining your heart, and impacting your muscles. Over time, this catabolic energy can cause everything from painful trigger points in your shoulders, to inflammation, to heart attacks.
And it significantly impacts your metabolism and other weight-related systems making it easier to gain and harder to release weight.
For many people there’s a vicious cycle with thoughts and food. You have a stressful day or feel badly about yourself and you reach for the chocolate chip cookies to find some comfort. But then you feel guilty about eating the cookies, which adds to your stress and self-criticism, and the negative pattern repeats.
There are a number of things you can do to break that unpleasant and unhealthy spiral.
You have to figure out how you can comfort yourself—or fulfill your emotional needs—in more healthy ways. You might ask for support from friends or loved ones, take a nap or bath, or drink a cup of tea.
You have to decide Who it is that you truly want to be and the actions you want to take to move you towards becoming that person. This may mean really looking at why you want to be slim, how that will make you feel, and making a commitment to follow through with action.
And you have to break out of the victim mode and become empowered to handle any situation in your life. The first step is being willing to examine the negative thoughts you have about yourself and challenge them as untrue.
Really, it boils down to deciding to think about yourself—and your life—differently, and then aligning your actions with your new thoughts to move towards creating the body you want.
What new thought can you think—about your food, yourself, your experiences? How does choosing to feel good and focusing on what you want support your wellness goals?
Together we can do it!
Brilliantly written and well compiled with the quotes – Western world has its own philosophies. We want more than we can eat and we want more than we can carry – our bodies are our temples which we do not know of whether to pray or burn them.
Nice blogs.
Thanks very much! Appreciate the comments and kind words.
🙂 Have a blessed day 🙂
You, too!
“You have to figure out how you can comfort yourself—or fulfill your emotional needs—in more healthy ways. You might ask for support from friends or loved ones, take a nap or bath, or drink a cup of tea.”
And THIS is what I need to work on. Thanks for the reminder.
Great self-awareness! Glad this was helpful. Good luck with your race this weekend!
Thanks! Love your posts 🙂
Thanks so much! Really enjoy your blog, too!
Your quotes and comments and advice are an encouragement to me. I have printed this blog entry and intend to share it with my TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) group next week. It certainly fits the theme of what we’re all about. Thank you! Together we CAN do it!!
Awesome, Jan! So glad it resonates with you, and hope it will resonate with the women in your group. Cheering you on!
Thank you for the rooting section. We can use all the encouragement you can muster! And I’ll be back for more of your coaching. You can count on it!
Awesome! Thanks so much!
Great post…I think I’m starting to get the hang of this concept of choosing what to think…it’s getting a bit easier the more I practice and it is helping…I can feel the tension leave my body when I have successfully moved from catabolic to anabolic thinking. Good stuff!
Woot woot! Love it! Thanks for sharing!
Well. . .I’ll never again have the body I had at 30, but I can have the best body possible at 68!! I’m working on it. Your blog is inspirational!!
Love it, Joyce! Thanks so much. Appreciate you!
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