It’s perfectly normal for you to plan for healthy eating, and then just not feel like it.

You may come home from work stressed and the last thing you want to eat is grilled chicken with roasted veggies.

Or, you may have a billion things to do this weekend and the last thing you want to do is prep healthy meals.

Let’s face it, healthy eating can take some work. 

There’s planning and preparation that must be involved to ensure your success.

And there are times when I really don’t feel like doing it. 

So, how do we follow through with our healthy eating plans – even when we don’t feel like it?

That’s what we’ll be discussing here.

Desperate for Comfort

Most often when we “just don’t wanna”, we are actually just desperate to feel comfortable.

Anytime we attempt to change our eating habits, we will feel uncomfortable as hell.

Since changing the way we eat is, literally, outside of our brain’s comfort zone. 

And our brain’s want us to escape those uncomfortable feelings as quickly as possible.

Your brain only loves what is familiar to it.

Meaning, your old eating habits will feel comfortable and “right”.

And your new, healthier eating habits will feel totally “wrong”.

This is just the way of it.

Your brain has been hard-wired to resist anything different.

Since what you’ve eaten, up until this point in your life, has kept you alive.

Where the Discomfort Starts

So, now you know that your brain hates change.

And will make you feel uncomfortable when you try to change your eating habits.

But where does this discomfort actually come from?

The feeling of discomfort comes from a thought that your brain creates.

And your brain is an expert at sabotaging you from doing anything different (remember this!). 

So, it will seek to create thoughts that give you the feeling of discomfort.

For example, before you eat healthy, you might think:

 

• “I had a long day at work. I deserve a treat”.

• “I don’t have time this week to plan meals. I’ll start again next week”. 

• “Healthy food just won’t cut it right now. I’m stressed.”

 

While these thoughts may seem true to you at the time, this is simply your brain at work.

Your brain is an expert at creating stories that prevent you from taking action differently.

And these stories may have some truth to them!

But, these stories will always exist as long as you let them.

And they will not get you the results you want with your eating habits.

These thoughts and stories are why you “just don’t feel like it”.

It has nothing to do with your intentions, ambitions or goals to eat healthier.

It’s because your brain has been hard-wired to create a story that convinces you that changing your eating habits is a horrible idea.

This is so important for you to know. 

When you realize why this is happening, you can have a clearer picture of when to your stories, and when to ignore them.

Healthy Discomfort

It’s no secret that discomfort gets a bad rap in our society.

We are constantly glorifying self-care and practices that make us more comfortable.

To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with this.

I love self-care indulgences as much as the next person.

Where this becomes a problem, is when we reject any feelings of discomfort.

We make discomfort inherently negative.

When actually, discomfort is completely necessary to grow and become the best versions of ourselves.

Here’s the kicker: when it comes to your eating habits discomfort will always be present at first.

You just get to choose whether that discomfort is “unhealthy discomfort” or “healthy discomfort”.

Unhealthy discomfort is when you don’t feel like eating healthy in a way that keeps you stuck.

This type of discomfort with food usually results in your breaking your promises to eat healthier.

So, you indulge in self-pity, beat yourself up, and continue to self-sabotage your eating habits.

Many women have been stuck in this unhealthy discomfort for years.

Healthy discomfort is when you don’t feel like eating healthy, but still move forward towards their food goals.

This type of discomfort happens when you attempt to eat healthier, even when you feel uncomfortable.

Yes, this still feels “wrong” and uncomfortable.

But this is the type of discomfort that allows you to grow.

If you take away anything from this article, know that discomfort will always exist.

And you get to choose which discomfort you allow into your life.

What to Do Next

Next time you “don’t feel like eating healthy”, I want you to ask yourself why that is. 

Be onto your brain and examine the reasoning your brain is giving you. 

The reason you don’t feel like eating a certain way is simply a thought.

And you can choose to believe your current thoughts, or intentionally create new thoughts.

Because your thoughts will either support your future eating habits or sabotage them.

And it’s important that you’re only allowing yourself to think thoughts that serve you.

The truth is, whether you feel like eating a certain way is irrelevant.

If you don’t feel like eating healthy – no worries!

This is simply healthy discomfort at it’s finest. 

You can just not feel like eating healthy and do it anyways.

Because you’re keeping promises to the healthiest, happiest version of yourself.