Angela, I like the idea of practicing what you're going to say. It's like an affirmation.
* I am a healthy woman and I make healthy food choices that support my wellness.
* I am a calorie-burning machine, and my engine burns clean fuels.
* I find solace and joy when I move my body with exercise.
I was recently talking about this with a friend, but regarding self-esteem in the face of divorce. My eating choices have been a reactive response to how I was feeling about myself. If I tell myself who I am, if I can believe that I am not someone who makes eating choices based on the mood of the moment, but rather, because I am a woman who healthfully experiences hunger and chooses food wisely to support health and strength, then my "reactions" in moments when I'm presented things like ice cream no longer become a moment of denying myself. They're redefined as a mere choice, and I don't want it, and I am not later feeling anything about my choice. I've moved on.
And suddenly, I'm emotionally free from the food!
My mother packs so much meaning into food and feeding people. If I don't eat at her house, she feels rejected. And she makes me feel responsible for not feeling loved, even when I am standing in front of her, feeling the love I have for her and I'm expressing it in so many other ways. Healthy ways.
I need to think about this one for a bit...turning food and eating back into what they are. And redefining myself as a whole, balanced, self-supportive woman, making choices with integrity, kindness and love, for myself.
Georgia