When you’ve struggled with something a LOT, it’s pretty normal to go through periods where you feel absolutely and completely hopeless about it.

For a lot of people in today’s world, their weight is one of these areas.

You believe you’ll NEVER get the weight off.

You believe it’s “too hard.”

You believe other people can have it, but not you, so why even try?

You may even binge on terrible foods to try and distract yourself from these deep, dark levels of hopelessness and despair.

So if you’re feeling like this, and you don’t wanna be, but don’t feel like you have the will to change it, here’s what you do.

First: Get support from positive people.

When the voice in your head is THAT loud, it usually takes the voice of someone outside of you – who also loves and supports you – to drown it out.

Who can you reach out to for support when you’re feeling like this?

I know it feels vulnerable to reach out, but do it anyway. You’ll be glad you did.

Second: Nourish yourself in non-food ways.

One reason you have such a hard time sticking with clean food, or managing how much you eat vs. overeating, is because your self-care cup is empty, and you’re using food to try and fill it.

The thing is, abusing food is not – and can never be – a substitute for self-care.

Find non-food ways to show yourself love.

Maybe that means walking your dog, a cup of hot tea and a good book, a massage, a manicure, a pedicure, a bubble bath, or some intense exercise. (Do NOT exercise to address your weight problem, because you can’t out train a bad diet. Do it to process stress and other emotions.)

If you’re spiritual, read your Bible, or listen to a sermon, or use whatever materials work for whatever you do for spirituality.

Third: Eat clean Code Red foods.

Eating crap food may distract you in the moment, but eating crap food causes negative emotion, and makes it worse.

When you feel hopeless about your weight, and turn to crap food, you will feel even MORE hopeless.

Put another way: Eat like crap and you feel like crap.

Clean food, on the other hand, facilitates a strong, healthy mind that doesn’t easily spiral into negative, heavy emotions. Food is your body’s fuel, and your brain – which manages your emotions – is in your body. It needs clean fuel as much as the rest of you.

I know the hopelessness seems insurmountable. And if you try to handle it all yourself, while continuing to do what you’ve always done, it will probably stay that way.

So DON’T try to deal with yourself. Get support from encouraging people you trust.

And nourish yourself in non-food ways, daily. It REALLY helps.

Finally, eat clean. Crap fuel leads to feeling like crap. If you’re tired of feeling awful, either physically or emotionally, eat clean so you can feel BETTER.

You CAN do this!

Have you created your free Code Red Lifestyle™ network account yet? If not, here’s how to get your account!

1) On your computer, create your account at www.CodeRedLifestyle.com/App.

2) If you want the network on a mobile device, go to the App Store or Google Play Store and search for Code Red Lifestyle.