Does It Sound Good? Eat It.
Look, I know what the mean girl in your head says when she reads this. I get it. She’s really scared (and shame based) that rejecting the diet mentality making peace with food will mean ONLY EATING KLONDIKES ON THE COUCH FOR EVER AND EVER AND NEVER MOVING OR CARING OR TURNING OFF NETFLIX (there’s always weird morality tied to food beliefs)- ever!
FOOD FREEDOM IS REAL. So first let me validate how unconditional permission to eat food seems like such a red flag. Second, let me tell you that’s exactly why it is key. It defies dieting logic. Dieting logic is flawed, over 95% don’t work and research points to that 5% really engaging in disordered eating behaviors and obsessions to fight their weight set point (if you haven’t googled weight set point theory yet, go ahead and do that- might blow your mind). So to heal, we need UNCONDITIONAL PERMISSION TO EAT FOOD.
Making peace with food is a principle in intuitive eating. Anchor in this: what you’ve tried the last XX years hasn’t worked. What if this paradoxical approach is a breakthrough? Give yourself unconditional permission to eat. If you find that restricting certain foods and diet rules leads to cravings and bingeing… you’re not broken. Your brain is literally protecting you from famine.
Restriction leads to intense feelings of deprivation that build into uncontrollable cravings and, often, bingeing. Diet culture would say you’re a failure if you “give into” to your forbidden foods, and that shame will only propel eating intensity, it usually results in Last Supper mentality (welp, better eat all the things b/c tomorrow i’ll get “back on track”), and overwhelming guilt.
Let go of the diet BS - the good food/bad food BS - The rules around all foods: carbs, sugar, fat. Physical and mental restriction set us up, and permission changes the game!
Want more?
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♥️ My Therapy thoughts are for educational purposes only and are not a replacement for a therapeutic relationship or individualized mental health or medical care.
Therapy and tacos for all,
T. Roe
