So I talk a lot about giving yourself permission, allowing yourself to eat more freely, and letting go of food rules.
I mean, it’s hard to get out of the “I swear I’m gonna start over tomorrow!” cycle when you have 100 foods on the list of “things I shouldn’t eat”.
But how do you balance all the rules and “shoulds” you have in your head with the freedom you truly desire?
That is exactly what I’m talking about in today’s blog.
From the time we’re little, we are inundated with what’s healthy vs unhealthy, good vs bad. We grow up learning what we “should” eat and what we “should” stay away from. Is it any wonder that we’re so confused when we are working towards being normal around food?!
When I was getting my master’s in nutrition, it was the one of the most challenging times I had with food. I was learning exactly what to eat and how food affects our bodies. I restricted and cut out basically everything (processed foods, most animal protein, sugar, white flour, dairy, etc).
And I ended up restricting, losing my period, and becoming more obsessed with eating clean than ever before.
So, what is the happy medium? Where is the balance between our rules/restrictions and freedom? Is it really possible to let go of food rules completely?
I’m tellin’ all in today’s blog. Watch it below and then let me know your thoughts 🙂
This is exactly what I have been trying to figure out!!!! I drive myself crazy with rules then throw them all out the window. I feel like I need some healing from past failures and get a good relationship with food. It is hard to eat healthy without rules or restrictions so this is exactly where I’m stuck and I would love to find my freedom! I do the same with workouts I enjoy them but I also add in a lot of rules and push myself pretty hard. I find myself waking up and can’t wait to get it finished most days or feel guilty all day if I don’t get it done. Freedom yes that’s where I need to go!!!
I know, this journey can be tricky, sometimes! I would say if I could sum it up in one sentence, it would be “what works best for YOU”? (And now figuring THAT out is the real key 🙂 )
Hi Jenn u mentioned that if someone gives u a food or something that u leave it in the back or ur trunk to give to someone else bc u know that’s not good for u if it’s in the house bc ull be thinking about it all day. But isn’t that also a form of control? Because that’s like not allowing urself to have whatever the food is. Like I know I can’t make certain foods even though I love them bc I won’t be able to not eat the whole thing but how will I learn to eat and enjoy those foods once in a while without eating the whole tray of it if I don’t allow myself to make it or bring it in the house?
Great question! So the key is getting to know yourself and what your trouble spots are. For example, there are many times I CAN have brownies in the house or treats and not think anything of it. They’ll be there and I’ll have 1 and move on. There are other times when I’m feeling more emotional or anxious or just off emotionally…and that’s when I don’t keep them in the house. For me, brownies aren’t a thing when I’m feeling fine. I can have them on the counter and not eat them. But when I’m feeling something emotionally (when food used to be my crutch for dealing with emotions), I am much more drawn towards them. So the control isn’t so much strict rules as more a general knowing my triggers.
Here’s the thing though…even normal eaters may not keep something in the house because they will keep eating it! My mom is completely normal around food, but loves chocolate. So she doesn’t like to keep a lot of sweets in the house because she knows she’ll just pick at it all day. It’s not a restriction, it’s just setting her day up for success. You start where you are…if it feels too big to bake cookies and have them in your house, don’t! Maybe you want a cookie or dessert, go out and purchase it and eat it and that’s where you start 🙂