Finding Food Freedom
A couple months ago, I wrote a blog called “Diets Don’t Work,” which you can read here.
I broke down why our bodies are not designed to diet, which is why a vast majority of those who diet end up gaining the weight back (usually more).
Did you know that the global weight loss market is predicted to reach $246 billion by 2022?
Yep, I recently read this statistic in Healthline, and it’s INSANE. The article digs pretty deep into how dieting causes an increase in hunger-inducing hormones in tandem with lowering metabolism, which, you guessed it, results in weight gain.
I’m sure you know where we’re going.
Gain weight. Diet. Gain weight. Diet. Gain weight. Diet. Yo-yo. Yo-yooooo. BILLIONS.
Now that November is upon us, I specifically want to remind you that you don’t need to stress about enjoying food over the holidays. You don’t need to “let yourself go” so that you can then get “back on the train” in January.
You can just live. And your body can change. And all of that is beautiful.
When I made an investment in myself to transition to a lifestyle of intuitive eating, one of the hardest things I had to work through was food guilt. Even though I was telling myself that I’d allow myself to eat whatever my body craved the moment that my body craved it, my mind would also go to a very dark place if I ate sugar or carbs or “too much” of anything that I’d labeled “bad.”
I put both of those terms in quotes because they are entirely subjective.
A big reason that we often feel shame when we eat is because we are so ingrained to place rules on eating (read: diets). Let’s throw out some fairly common examples.
You couldn’t leave the dinner table until your plate was clean.
You shouldn’t drink your calories.
Carbs become sugar.
Sugar is bad.
Fat is also bad.
Wait, fat is good.
Protein is also good.
But not meat protein. Red meat is very bad.
Don’t have too much salt.
Unless it’s Himalayan salt. Then, do work.
Avoid dairy.
But almond milk is hurting the environment, so definitely don’t use that as a replacement.
Cauliflower can basically be anything, so consume daily.
The shame is a really natural by-product of the rules. Because we are designed to feel guilt when we break rules (more or less). And so many of these rules are part of this bigger picture that we are not “healthy” and, therefore, we will not be “skinny enough” if we don’t follow them.
I’m exhausted just reading through that short list.
Here’s my challenge this holiday season. No food rules.
Seriously.
I’m going to steal a line from the Huffpost piece called “How to Stop Feeling Guilty About Overeating.” It reads: “Every time you catch yourself saying any sentence that has a ‘should’ in it, reformulate in a non-guilty way.”
Example: You just finished dessert with your family. You want another piece of pumpkin pie (who doesn’t?). You think, “I shouldn’t eat another piece of pie.” Reframe your thinking to, “I’m going to give myself 10 minutes to sit and enjoy the piece of pie I just ate. Then, if I still want another piece, I’ll eat it. Or I’ll save it for dessert tomorrow.”
No guilt. No shame. Just a conversation with your body.
One of the greatest gifts I have given to myself is food freedom. It’s something that I wish I could impart on all women. It’s significantly impacted how I travel, how I view exercise (it’s not punishment for food choices), and how I show up in my relationships.
I hope you remember this holiday season that you are so much more than your body.