After all of these years of deconstructing my own food rules, I had an internal battle last night where I didn’t want to eat because I thought it was “too late”.
Here’s how it went:
I had eaten dinner at 5:30 and ended up going to a restorative yoga class at 6.
I got home at 8 and was HUNGRY. Not “I need a snack” hungry, but full blown “I want another meal” hungry!
I wrestled with myself to just go upstairs and read (since my thought was “it’s 8:15 pm and I shouldn’t be hungry after already eating dinner!”)
But I couldn’t ignore my hunger, so I ate some sweet potatoes.
And then I had a few chocolates.
And then more sweet potatoes.
Then I stopped and realized I was trying to eat around my craving.
What I really wanted was the protein I had for dinner: chicken sausage on the grill!
So I realized the futility of trying to NOT eat what I really wanted, sat down and had some chicken sausage.
I told myself: “I am allowed to eat when I’m hungry and I’m giving myself fuel when my body is asking for it”.
Years ago this would have played out very differently…(probably a binge, followed by a restriction and lots of guilt!)
So today I wanted to dive into dispelling some of the biggest food rule myths that run through our brains!
Myth #1: “If I eat late at night, I’ll gain weight”
If you are hungry, you are allowed to eat. Your body needs fuel and if you feel physical hunger, satisfy it!
Remember that your body circulates your blood, thinks 60,000+ thoughts in a day, regulates your hormones, and breathes without effort; don’t you think your body can digest a meal after 8 pm?!
We’ve been conditioned to think we can’t eat after 7… (where did we get this random time since people go to bed at all different times?!)
Did you know that dinner in France is typically eaten at 8 pm?! And their culture is known for their way they handle their food: with pleasure, with gusto and with appreciation (and not nearly the food anxiety of many other cultures!)
You are absolutely allowed to eat later at night. Your body can handle it 🙂 (*I’m reminding myself of this, as well!)
Myth #2: “I can’t have carbs after 5 pm or I won’t burn them off”
Just like #1, believing this is mistrusting our bodies. Whether it’s vegetables, fruits, chicken, a cookie, a piece of bread or beef jerky, our bodies knows how to digest what we eat.
Eating 3 bowls of cereal every night before bed may not work for you…BUT that doesn’t mean you can’t have a bowl of cereal for dinner and be okay 🙂
It’s all about balance and trust. Your body knows what she’s doing. Can you trust her a bit more?
Myth #3: “The only way to lose weight is by dieting”
This is a hard one NOT to believe if the only time we’ve ever lost weight is through dieting. If our experience with weight loss is through restriction, it’s hard to see that there is another way.
But our bodies crave balance. Our bodies want to be at a comfortable weight. We don’t have to fight, struggle and battle our way to that place.
Plus, this journey isn’t about weight loss anyway (at least in my world!). (If you’re struggling to let go of weight loss as your goal, read this.)
This path is about health and finding YOUR “normal” around food. We are reframing the entire journey: how we relate to food, how we view our bodies, and most important, what we think about our weight.
Dieting is never the answer. Looking more deeply at food, emotions, and life is always the answer 🙂
Myth #4: “Sugar is bad for me and I shouldn’t have it”
Dispelling this belief is completely going against the grain in our culture! Everywhere we look, someone is telling us that sugar is bad, sugar causes this disease, & sugar is the evil in our society.
Remember 20 years ago when people said the same thing about animal fats? Then eggs? And butter? And oil?
Each decade spurs a new study, a new research project and a new trend in how we relate to food.
That’s not to say sugar shouldn’t be used in moderation. (See that post here). It is to say that having such a black and white statement of “I shouldn’t have sugar” makes you all the more susceptible TO rebelling and eating sugar!
Myth #5: “I have to eat perfectly during the week”
This may not be a myth but more of a food rule! That’s okay, we’re dispelling it anyway 🙂
Thinking you need to eat perfectly is that very sneaky, subtle diet mindset at work! You don’t need to eat a certain way on Monday, on Wednesday or on Sunday!
Plus, there really isn’t a “perfect” way of eating! Perfection is a myth. Remember that the more pressure you put on yourself to NOT eat something, the more likely it is you’ll end up overeating it later! (I’ve only learned that lesson 5 million times in my own journey 😉 )
**If you struggle with this one, see this post here.
Your Turn:
Do you have any food beliefs you want to dispel? Post them below and we’ll create a new belief together 🙂
