how to start saying no to food in just 3 easy steps

If you’ve ever wanted to say no to food, then you’re reading the right article. That’s  because you’re about to discover my easy 3-Step Method for ‘Saying No to Food’ wherever you are. 

And the good news is that this method works even if you are at work, at home, with your family or your partner, at a BBQ etc.

This method is about learning to think differently so you can change your eating behavior.  According to Judith S. Beck, PhD. of the Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research, people can learn to change their behavior and, importantly, maintain the change.

Battling spouses, for example, can learn how to communicate more effectively. Shy people can learn how to be more assertive.  But unless they also change their thinking they generally revert to their old behavioral habits sooner or later. 

The same kind of relapse is true in dieting. Unless you change your thinking, you won't be able to sustain new eating habits.

Read on… 

Step 1: Being Aware of  Situations In The Future That May Come Up

Many people who’re losing weight don’t even realize that they need  to do this step before they can plan out how they are going to handle the situation. And that’s  why a lot of people who try to stop saying no to food end up failing – they’re simply  missing this crucial step. 

So, the first thing you need to do is become aware of the situations that you could possibly find yourself in that require you to say no to food.

So this could be when your partner suggests a takeaway, you are visiting your family and you know you will be offered food, or at work when it’s someone's birthday and they are offering you a piece of cake. 

You’ll find that this part of the process goes much more smoothly if you apply these  tips and tricks: 

It helps to Write a list of these future situations where you could be offered food for example:

At work

At home

Socializing with friends

Entertaining

Going to a friend's house for dinner

At a BBQ

Once you’ve completed this first step of writing down any future situations you may find yourself in, then you can move on to the next step… 

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Step 2:  Build Up Your Own List of Strategies to ‘Saying No To Food’ 

The next thing you need to do is build up a bank of answers to those awkward questions.

 

When I first started doing this, I made a lot of mistakes. And now that I’ve helped others do it, I see a lot of people have a tendency to make the same  mistakes.

 

 

So let me share with you the top 3 mistakes and how to avoid them: 

• Thinking that my friend will be offended and not wanting to upset her - the truth is she may be disappointed for a minute - but it will pass
• Eating something to please someone else - this is a habit which needs breaking and by talking to your friend or partner or family before the situation arises about what you are planning to eat usually works well
• Feeling uncomfortable when ordering only a salad on the menu when everyone else is indulging and noticing - the fact is if you want to lose weight you can’t eat the way you used to - your indulgence is being out and enjoying yourself.

Step 3: Your Response - So What Do You Say?

At this step you’re likely to notice that you are feeling weak about responding to these situations. 

So, what you need to do is have a list of one liners of what you will say when someone offers you food. 

I still remember the first time I was doing this step and trying to say no to food I’m not going to lie to you it’s not easy, especially when people are persistent. But when you start practicing this method it gets easier.

What I found is that people stopped insisting I ate their food and got to expect what I was going to say anyway, especially if I got in the habit of talking to them beforehand. 

It's a good idea to let people know before the event what you are going to do. So if I had been invited to a friend’s house for dinner, I would explain by having a chat beforehand that I would not be eating dessert (for example).  That was a hard one, but it’s like a muscle the more you use it the easier it gets. 

Use this as your motto:  - It’s not my partners /families /friends job to Stop Pushing Food on me - they’re food pushers - that’s what they do - It’s my job to STOP GIVING IN and I have to be the one to change.

I was so surprised of their reaction too, which was never as bad as how I imagined it to be!  Now, it’s just not an issue anymore. 

I really don't think no one is going to break a friendship up because of you saying no to food! And if they do, you have to ask yourself do you really want friends like that?

So I bet you are thinking, well what is it that I should say? 

The very first thing you want to happen is, you want to feel proud of yourself at the end of the evening and if you give in, you will feel awful - it’s worth saying no, so just stand firm on this.  

So responses like these work:

"No thank you" (with a smile)

"Wow! the cake looks delicious, but I’m going to have to pass today, thanks"

It looks amazing! I’ll have a small piece but I’ll save it for later as a treat, thanks"

"I won’t have any right now thanks but maybe later".

"I will pass on the cake today as I’m trying to lose weight but Happy Birthday!"

 

 

Remember Your Feelings Are Your Number One Priority - No One Else’s.

 

 

And there you have it – a simple 3-Step Method for saying ‘no to food’. Now that you know how to say no to food there’s just one thing left for you to do: take action. 

So get to it, and soon you too will become a stronger person who is in control of eating in social situations. 

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