We all know that there is no quick ‘n’ easy solution to weight loss or eating problems. For both myself and my clients, I see time and again how deep, lasting change is no overnight process.

But once in a while you get an exit visa.

What do I mean by this?

Let me explain. There are two choices if you want to leave food hell:

1. Buy a magic pill. This is temporary leave dressed up to look like permanent release. Examples: fad diets, gym memberships you never use and insane detoxes.

Marks out of ten for magic pills? You don’t need me to give you an answer here.

2. Get an exit visa. This is something far more valuable: a concept that makes many of the pieces of your puzzle fall into place. It makes you sit up and say “Of course. Now I get it”. It injects you with the curiosity and energy that is vital to pushing through your resistance.

You still have to do the work – but it’s like being given a spade when up til now you have been trying to dig your escape tunnel from food hell with a teaspoon.

Marks out of ten? About fifteen.

One of the most useful and instantly liberating exit visas I created for myself on my road to permanent weight release and recovery from compulsive eating is the concept of the sabotage self.

Everyone has a sabotage self living in their head. It’s the energy within you that buys the crappy widget which falls apart after a week, instead of the more expensive one that lasts a year. It tells you to queue jump and forgets your friends’ birthdays.

When I was living in food hell, my sabotage self did a lot worse. She used to not only organise my binges, but create the stress that triggered the compulsive eating in the first place. She put me on those insane detoxes, then morphed into my sugar dealer…and let’s not get started on my teaching career.

The important thing that made all the difference for me was realising that Sabotage Harriet was not my enemy.

She was actually trying to help me. She was just really, really misguided.

The bingeing had a function. The detoxes were messed up attempts at helping me. Ditto my sugar addiction. Ditto my draining and overwhelming job.

What has kept my weight off, reduced my consumption of processed sugar by 90% (ditto my bingeing) was to have peace talks with my sabotage self. To understand her – then overrule her.

To dismantle something, you have to know how it works.

Self-sabotage is not a problem to be overcome, sidelined or ejected from your life. It is a trail of breadcrumbs (pun intended) leading you to freedom and living the powerful life you were meant to.

This insight is your exit visa from food hell. Or rather one of them.

Harriet Morris

Inquisitive. Playful. Non-conformist.

Harriet Morris is an eating psychology and body confidence coach who helps people release their unwanted weight and dismantle the hold that eating has over their life, to not only rediscover a more relaxed attitude to food, but to empower themselves: how you do food is how you do life. Visit theshiftinside.com/blog to watch her many video tips. Harriet also offers a limited number of talks to school groups and other organisations.