With the end of my long weight loss journey in sight, I now have only a few pounds to go before reaching my goal weight. The closer I get to this hard won goal the more I have been reflecting on how minimalism has now even affected the way I think about the food I consume to keep my body functioning well.

Minimalism is of course, an extremely useful philosophy for addressing the excesses created by subscribing to a consumer lifestyle. When we have too much stuff, our lives become less enjoyable, more cluttered, less organised and more busy.

In the same way, if we consume too much food, our bodies suffer, we store our excess as body fat and our symptoms include discomfort, poor sleep, poor health, and even body image issues.

As I have pursued my weight loss journey I have assessed the quantity and quality of the food I eat and have realised that for years I have been over consuming. I did not stop and consider how much was right for me, I just assumed that whatever was in front of me was the right amount. I didn’t accept that I would need to make radical changes to clear the excess from my life.

In hindsight, this should have been obvious as I’ve already made radical changes in my lifestyle; less things, smaller house and experiences over physical items. This required a change of mindset and it isn’t always easy. Over time, I’ve learned to see excess in the physical world and to make the right choices to sustain my minimalist lifestyle. I take care with the purchases I make and the items I have around me.

In recent weeks I’ve realised that I can apply this same way of thinking to what I consume to keep my body healthy. An absence of excess with relation to eating will keep me healthy and my body uncluttered by the things I started this journey to escape. Like my minimalist journey, it will be a never ending one but one I now have the clarity of mind to pursue with enthusiasm rather than a sense of being deprived. With things, we cling to the no longer value adding due to sentimentality or a need to protect against ‘just in case.’ Sometimes our reluctance comes from a fear of missing out.

With food, it’s easy to have a fear of missing out when friends, family and colleagues are indulging in fantastic, wonderful foods. Going forwards I now know that I don’t need to eliminate these completely. I can enjoy the things that add value and joy to my life. I just need to be mindful to avoid excess. My journey as a food minimalist has begun.

Published by the lean minimalist

Donna Sherriff is a New Zealand based improvement and operations management specialist. Seeing a need for simple, no fuss, improvement advice she started The Lean Minimalist blog in 2017. Donna writes articles offering advice and tips for rapid and sustainable business improvement based on over 15 years in Senior Management roles. Passionate about sharing the lessons of over 20 years on the high performance track Donna offers coaching services to professionals. She also writes about her own personal improvement journey, minimalism, and her life long struggle against the tyranny of cookies and sugar which she overcame in 2020. These days, Donna is pursuing a journey to earn her black belt in Taekwondo after a long hiatus of 16 years away from training. On the side she is an amateur but passionate musician and poet. View all posts by the lean minimalist