Moving From a Deprivation Mindset to a Decision Mindset
What we consume over the course of a day creates the experiences and energy we get to have during that day.
If we eat clean, healthy foods full of energy, we’re going to feel full of energy, have clear thoughts, be productive and advance toward our goals. And the complete opposite is also true. If we eat garbage, we’re going to feel like garbage: sluggish, foggy thoughts, procrastinate and waste opportunities.
It can be a hard cycle to break.
Your Environment Matters
If your kitchen is filled with tempting foods (whether they are yours or your kids), it can be… a real problem for goals. No matter how much willpower you have, it’s just natural to grab the most convenient and most tempting food options, especially when you’re tired, stressed, or ravenous.
A little effort ahead of time can lead to substantially better choices in the moment. That’s why we created the food list. The food list is a tool to help us prepare, clean up our choices (not deprive you) and allow you to embrace a decision mindset.
You Choose
The more you clean up your diet with highly nutritious foods, the more your taste for junk fades. But, this wonderful switch doesn’t happen until you shift away from a deprivation mindset to a decision mindset.
Think Differently
It’s your conscious decision to eat foods that make you feel better, look better and perform better. Own it.
So, instead of: “I can’t have that.”
Say: “I don’t want that.” “I don’t need that.” “I don’t eat that anymore.” or “I’ll have this instead (insert healthy alternative).”
Instead of labeling foods “good” and “bad,” reframe your thought process by identifying how these foods affect you. For example, let’s look at them as red, yellow, and green light foods.
Red light foods
Red light foods are those that present such a difficult challenge for you that they just aren’t worth the struggle. Red light foods may not work for you because:
- They don’t help you achieve your goals
- They’re tempting to overeat
- You’re allergic or intolerant to them
- You really don’t like them
- You’ve made the decision not to eat them anymore
Yellow light foods
These are foods that you can eat a little bit of, be satisfied and stop without being tempted to go overboard.
Green light foods
These are nutritious and make your body and mind feel full of energy. You can eat them normally, slowly, and in reasonable amounts. Whole foods usually make up most of this list.
Make it a Habit
Just as I mentioned before, this kind of mindset is a habit. And as with any skill or habit, practice makes permanent. You know, we’ve heard forever: practice makes perfect, practice makes perfect. But, we all know that perfect isn’t real. Nope – no kind of practice will ever make perfection.
There’s only progress to work on making something permanent.
Practice that mindset habit daily.