5 Ways to Stop Obsessing Over Food

If you are sick and tired of being frustrated with food and eating - then this post is for you.

When I first started my health and fitness journey I became obsessive over food. It stressed me out. I was always thinking about my cheat day/meals, and was overwhelmed by all the “food rules” I had to follow.

So if you’re like I was, and you no longer want to feel obsessive over food, stop trying to follow all the “diet rules” and just want to find a way of eating that is more eased and relaxed…Keep reading cause I’ve listed my top 5 ways I help my clients do exactly this.

It’s not about ‘giving up’ and just eating whatever you want whenever you want - it’s about learning how to stop relying on “food and diet rules” and learning how to tune back into your body and getting in touch with your body signals (like hunger, fullness, and cravings).

It takes a HUGE leap of faith and trust in yourself to let go of all your food rules, but the main thing I want you to understand is it’s no longer about “this is the best diet for fat loss” or “this expert says this diet is best for so-and-so” or even “Lisa is doing this diet and lost 20lbs, maybe I should try it.”

Instead focus on asking yourself “Will this work for me LONG TERM”. That’s it. Focus on you, and what works for your body, your lifestyle, and your goals.

And if you're worried about overeating allll the goodies by giving yourself permission to ditch the diet rules, I’ll let you know that when I did this (and most of my clients too!) you actually stop craving them. Of course I still love a good bowl of ice cream, or wine and pizza, but I don't need them or crave them like I used to. And there's freedom in that.

So here are 5 ways that I’ve used, and currently use with clients, to help end the obsession over food and actually build a better - more relaxed - relationship with food.

1. Remind yourself that any food is available to you at any time.
This is such a huge mindset shift. We tend to put certain foods in “okay to eat” categories and other foods in “off limits” categories. However, when we do this, we tend to crave the ones we decide we can’t have. Then you struggle and have a battle with yourself. BUT when you finally realize that no foods are “off limits” and you can eat any food you want whenever you want, the urgency and pull of you needing to eat it all right now… goes away.

I know it can seem a little illogical at first. You may be thinking if all foods are available at all times, then you’ll just eat them until they are all gone. And maybe at first you may overindulge ya. But more often than not, over time the opposite actually seems to be true. See giving yourself access to these foods creates less urgency for them. It’s by labeling foods as “off limits'' and restricting them that makes them more desirable. When something is forbidden… it makes you want it more.

So you want some sweets? Chocolate, or ice cream? Well, you can go out and buy them anytime. Giving yourself access to them may then make you realize that you don’t actually need them tonight. So maybe tomorrow. And when tomorrow rolls around you may not want them then either, so maybe the next day. And so on.  This gives you more control so that when you’re around food, you don’t feel the need to binge because you know you can have it whenever you want (so you don’t need to go ‘all in’). More about an abundance mindset than a restrictive one.
This is exactly what happens to me basically everyday. I give myself full access to any foods I want but it doesn’t mean I'm eating them all day everyday. When I feel like ice cream I have a few spoonfuls, then put it away because i’ satisfied. When I want chocolate, I go to the cupboard and grab 2 pieces from a bar and feel satisfied.

2. Stop ignoring your hunger cues. Work on Mindful Eating.
If you want to build a healthier relationship with food and eating, you need to find a new way to eat that doesn’t rely on external food rules.
The practice of Mindful eating is based around the principles of Intuitive Eating, which aims to help you become more aware of what is going on inside your body. This helps you learn how to trust your body more and stop relying on food/eating rules to regulate your eating.

When you start to eat more mindfully/intuitively, you will be better able to tune into your hunger and fullness cues, focus on satisfaction with meals/food, and stop restricting.


3. Don’t force yourself to eat just because “it’s time.”
How often do you eat solely because of physiological hunger? How often do you postpone eating when you feel hungry or fatigued because it's “not time to eat yet”? Then you become incredibly hungry and ravage the cupboards when you get home and eat every sweet in sight, right?

It’s okay to be hungry. You don’t need to be afraid of feeling hungry. It’s a physiological sign from your body saying it needs energy. 

You don’t go from feeling hungry to completely famished in a second. Just because you’re hungry doesn’t mean you’re going to eat everything in sight. This is actually a great opportunity for you to practice becoming more aware of your hunger cues, as well as when you're satisfied from your meal and stop eating (even if you haven't finished your plate!!).

When you avoid eating because it’s not “time to eat” eat, you’re just risking overeating later on because your body is now past hungry and needs energy asap. You are also more likely to make less nutritional choices when you’re past hunger and more famished.

Practice re-acquainting yourself with your hunger signals, and in that moment make a choice to eat something (can be small - doesn't have to be a big meal!) but this is a great way to 1) become more mindful with your eating and 2) become more aware of your hunger and fullness signals.


4. Pay attention to your language around food.
Diet culture language with food tends to create a negative relationship around food and eating. Once you know what diet culture language sounds like, it’s easier to start noticing it and becoming aware of your language around food.

You want to become aware of and try to avoid using language that:

•  Moralizes food, such as ‘good vs bad’ ‘clean’ ‘sinful’ ‘skinny’ ‘cheat meal/day’ ‘naughty’ ‘junk’, etc.

• Shames or demeans people for their choices “Should you really be eating that?” “A moment on the lips, forever on the hips” “Sugar will kill you, you know” “Soda causes cancer, you know” “Cardio is a waste of your time”

• Links exercise and food, like “I earned those french fries” “I’m going to have to workout extra hard to burn off those cookies”

• Focuses on a person’s body, such as “Wow you look great! How much weight did you lose?” “You should probably exercise more” “I’m concerned for your health, maybe you shouldn’t eat that take-out so you can try and lose weight”

Can you see how problematic this type of language can be?
The hardest part for me was trying to be okay when others around me used it, so I started to challenge those who used it around me. Was it hard? Heck yes! Was it difficult? Also yes. But what was really neat was seeing how people realized it wasn’t the best thing to say or appropriate and you helped them work on shifting their language and perception as well

5. Realize that your body composition is not made or broken in a day, a week, or even a month.
Let’s let go of this sense of urgency. I honestly really can’t stand how this industry sensationalizes QUICK results and tactics to scare people into feeling like they could mess up at any second and wake up the next day 20lbs heavier.

Let’s get this clear right now… there is no “right way or right thing.” There is only what is right FOR YOU. And how do you find what is truly right for you? With a little trial and error. I promise you it doesn’t need to be scary. It’s just eating. Learning what you enjoy, what makes you feel good, what doesn’t make you feel good, etc. Every meal is an opportunity… there’s no “too far gone.”

And if one meal maybe isn’t the most nutritious, don’t stress out over it. Just move on. You ate it, you enjoyed it, now move on. The next meal is an opportunity to get some nutrients that maybe you didn’t get at the previous meal. Your current body composition is the culmination of your actions over weeks, months and years. Not one binge, not one meal. There’s always an opportunity to do just 1% better. Let’s let go of this all-or-nothing mindset around eating and realize that “good enough” gets results too. It’s what you do consistently that matters.