Foodie FOMO

​Foodie FOMO

I have moved around the US for most of my life. I think the longest I ever lived in a particular state was 7 years when I was in high school and college in Kentucky. I used to hate moving when I was growing up but the older that I got, the more I appreciated it. I got to see all the different areas of the beautiful United States and experience meeting different people in each area.

As I got older, the more new places I moved to, the more new eateries that I would explore. I loved watching food channels where they go explore those dive places that have amazing food (I won’t mention which show). So, when I moved to a new area, I had to find all those places. Plus, then of course finding my own little yummy food spots on top of that.
 
I became a bit of a foodie. Not in the sense that I was uptight about what I ate – and no, I don’t go to the places where they give you a bite of food for an entrée. I loved finding those little hole in the wall places that served amazing food. I grew up for 10 years in the South, so I also love all the fried food, BBQ and butter that you can imagine.
 
So much so, that I found that when I was moving again – I started researching food places before I had even found a place to live! I was suffering from Foodie FOMO – Fear of Missing Out. I wanted to find all the new places that we were going to eat and what I was going to order. I was obsessed with finding the most amazing BBQ place and the best waffle and fried chicken place, etc.
 
This is when I really started looking at my unhealthy relationship with food. I mean, everything revolves around food now – every holiday, get together, birthday party. I used to plan months in advance what I was going to eat on my birthday instead of focusing on what I wanted to do. What experiences are we missing out on when we are so focused on food and what we are going to eat?
 
I was suffering from FOMO because I would justify it to myself that I didn’t know when I would get a chance to eat at that place again – so I had to order everything that I wanted PLUS dessert (that is not even a question).
 
Then, I went vegan (don’t knock it until you try it) and I happen to live in a city that has A TON of amazing vegan food places. (PS. Just because someone is vegan does not mean they eat healthy vegetables all the time. They make such amazing vegan food that I could put a BBQ sandwich in front of you and you would not be able to tell that it wasn’t pork.) I HAD to try all the food they were claiming I wouldn’t be able to tell a difference. WOW – it tasted sooo good.
 
Except, I had got side-tracked on my healthy eating and slipped into self-sabotage. Yes – I am human, but just like I tell my clients – it’s ok if you get stuck, just get right back on once you recognize it. I recognized that I have a huge trigger of FOMO when it comes to food and this can also tie into an unhealthy relationship with food.
 
That’s why I always tell myself and my clients, that losing weight (especially significant weight) isn’t just about eating healthy and working out in the short term. You must look at it as a long-term investment into yourself and your health. However, the biggest investment that you should make when wanting to get healthy is to continually do the mindset work around your relationship with food. There is no quick fix that is going to give you the health and body that you want that is going to last.
 
You have to make the choice that you are going to not be controlled by food any longer – and then you have to make that choice over and over and over again. For me, I recognize the slip so I’m going to make the choice to do something about it. Are you?
 
Remember…
Life is What You Choose
 
XO Renea