But I Can’t Just Eat Whatever I Want!
I advocate for freedom and flexibility around food, because I know it’s the only way to have a normal relationship with food and enjoy eating again.
If you ever feel like food takes up way too much space in your brain…
Or you’re hungrier than you “should” be…
Or you just can’t seem to stop eating even when you’re full…
you’re a victim of diet culture.
Diet cultures tells us to restrict our precious, life-giving food, and listen to EXTERNAL rules about how and what to eat. That means you have forgotten how to nourish yourself. You may be completely disconnected from your body’s signals about how and what to eat.
Intuitive eating is the way back to effective self-care – knowing what works for YOU and finding a way to feel your best by eating in a flexible and satisfying way.
It’s NOT the “eat whatever you want whenever you want” diet. It’s the “eat in a mindful way that works for your body and your life and screw the diet noise” way of LIVING.
But, listen…I’m a super pragmatic down-to-earth Virgo, so I know that even though this all sounds well and good, that doesn’t mean finding a balance between health and flexibility around food is easy.
Figuring out what works for your body (and doing it without judgment and shame) is not easy. Living in that godforsaken “gray area” where there are no rules and no RIGHT way to do things is definitely not easy.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard, “I just want someone to tell me what to do!” There is no right or wrong way to do this, but I can help give you a little clarity.
Here are 3 things to keep in mind when you’re trying to figure out HOW to be flexible around food AND take good care of yourself:
The way you eat is always your choice. Remind your brain that you really CAN have whatever you want, and what you “want” may change from day to day. Some days, you may want to feel your best and gravitate toward physically supportive foods, and other days, you may really just want that damn bowl of ice cream. It’s up to you!
There are no good or bad foods – and you aren’t good or bad based on the way you eat. Stop judging yourself, stop judging foods, stop judging the way other people eat, and just find what works for YOU. There are no wrong answers. Even when you “screw up” and eat way too much or things that don’t make you feel well, it’s just information to help you in the future.
Just focus on this meal and this day. You don’t have to decide how to eat for the rest of your life. You don’t have to make rules around food (that’s diet culture thinking!). You just have to choose your priorities right now, and do what feels right IN THIS MOMENT. Your body will tell you what it needs when you can tune out all the static and really listen.
