We spend a lot of time thinking about how we don’t want to feel.

We don’t want to feel tired all the time.

We don’t want to feel self-conscious in our clothes.

We don’t want to feel out of shape.

We don’t want to feel like we have no control over our food cravings.

But focusing only on what you don’t want on this journey is like driving a car with a blindfold on.

If you can’t see where you’re going, how can you possibly expect to get there?

In order to get anywhere you need to have a really clear idea of where you’re going. You need to have a sense of what it will look like when you get there and – more importantly – how it will feel when you get there.

You need to have a vision.

If you want to truly be successful in changing your patterns and habits around food you must first establish your vision of what you want your relationship with food to look and feel like.

This needs to be really specific and it can’t just be about what you don’t want. It needs to be a clear and detailed blueprint of what you do want.

So try this.

Flip your thinking about your body, your health and your relationship with food on its head and start really getting curious about how you do want to feel.

And “skinny” is not an answer!

Open your mind to the possibilities. Imagine that it can be however you want it to be. Allow yourself to dream big. Go beyond the story you’ve created for yourself about what you believe you’re capable of.

Answer these questions:

How do you want to feel when you look at your body in the mirror?

How do you want to feel when you work out?

How do you want to feel in the evening when the kids are in bed and it’s time to choose between chips and herbal tea?

How do you want to feel when someone brings donuts to work?

How do you want to feel when you try on clothes?

How do you want to feel when you’re cooking?

How do you want to feel when you’re ordering food in a restaurant?

Don’t just leave these at one-word answers. Spend time on this. Let go of all the things you don’t want to feel anymore (e.g. fat, weak, old, flabby, out of control) and give yourself permission to imagine how you really want to feel about your body and about how you use food in your life (e.g. strong, confident, sexy, fit, proud, calm).

Next, move beyond the words.

Close your eyes and focus on those feelings you desire until you actually start to feel them. Imagine yourself in those exact situations, feeling exactly the way you want to feel. Let the feelings you desire fill you up. Enjoy it!

Now I’m going to let you in on a great little secret.

Your body doesn’t know the difference between reality and imagination.

It’s true. It will respond to a powerful thought exactly as it would to a physical situation. That’s why you can close your eyes and imagine something terrifying happening and your body will actually start to pump out adrenaline, your heart rate may increase and your breathing may become shallower.

If your brain feels it strongly enough, your body will assume it’s real.

You can use this to your advantage when it comes to changing the way you feel about food.

If you know exactly how it would look and feel to not even feel tempted when someone shows up at work with donuts, or to feel strong and fit when you’re working out, or to feel calm and completely at peace in front of the dessert table at the holiday party then your body will believe those thoughts to be true and respond as if that is what was happening.

The more you practice creating your vision and feeling it as reality, the more you will create the reality you imagine.

xo