Motivational eating vs Inspired Eating

Do you ever notice that you need caffeine, sugar, chocolate, chips, or other food of choice to motivate you to do something?

I have been noticing that when I need to complete something in my business that I don’t love doing, I grab dark chocolate and a cup of caffeinated tea to give me the energy to do what I need to get done.

I call this motivational eating!

Inspired eating however is when you eat to give yourself the energy to do what you love to do. Your choosing nutrient dense, whole food and foods that you know make you feel your best. You consciously eat to fuel what is most important to you in your day.

There is a big difference between motivational and inspired eating.

When you are doing what you choose to do, like to do and love to do, you are inspired and motivated from within. You don’t need outside help, like food, to get things done.

When you are doing what you need to do, must do, or feel you should do, we reach for outside sources, such as food, to help us to get things done. We compensate when we're not inspired. We procrastinate and snack. We stagnate and need caffeine to give us a boost to complete mundane projects and tasks.

As you move through your day, notice if you are doing motivational eating or inspired eating. Maybe you do a bit of both. If you notice you are doing way more motivational eating than inspired eating that is an opportunity for exploration. It often means you are filling your day with lower priority actions that are not in alignment with what you would really love to be doing. The key is to lean in and figure out why you are really eating. And if it is to motivate you, then ask yourself what you can do to change the thigs you don’t really enjoy doing. Can you delegate, can you streamline, can you find benefits in getting what needs to get done?

Being aware on your nutritional journey is most important. I am now very conscious and laugh at myself now when I grab that square or two of dark chocolate and an afternoon chai, because I know its not a craving, its not hunger, its not a soulful pleasure, its me doing a little motivational eating! I even wrote this article instead of doing what I am still procrastinating doing!! Back to work and in case your were wondering, I figured out how I can streamline this task I don't really want to do!

If you can relate, I’d love to hear from you. And if you would like to work through your unwanted motivational eating behaviors, book a consult.

Yours in health & vitality,

Amy