Episode 37: Why You Don't Need to Control Food.
Have you ever heard yourself saying this, or something like it?
"I’m just out-of-control with food."
This is something I hear from my clients all the time. Whether they describe themselves as emotional eaters, binge eaters, or overeaters, they feel out-of-control with food.
And that feels terrible. No one wants to feel out-of-control about anything.
So they do what is so often seen as the "solution" to feeling out-of-control with food. They diet in some way, shape, or form. They create some rules around their eating. Like not keeping certain foods in the house. Not eating after a certain time. Weighing and measuring their food.
In other words, they try to control food.
And that seems like a great solution, doesn't it? If you feel out-of-control with food, then do the opposite and assert control. Makes sense to me.
The only problem is, trying to control food just doesn't work.
At least not in the long-term.
Sure, in the beginning, controlling food and creating rules around our eating patterns feels great. "Look at me! I don't need cream in my coffee!" Or, "I feel so good eating this salad for lunch! Ok, I'm still hungry, but I brought carrot sticks for a snack so I'll be fine!"
But after awhile, it all starts to slip. Cracks form in our routine, and we start breaking rules. Why? Because we're human, and these rules weren't realistic or sustainable.
Rules were made to be broken, right?
But when our rules fall apart, we blame ourselves. And we feel even more out-of-control with food, and we set even more rules.
Which only backfire again at some point.
No, controlling food isn't the solution. Freedom is.
What do I mean by freedom? I mean things like choosing foods based on what you enjoy–and what feels good in your body–instead of what macronutrients or calorie count a food has. Eating when your body tells you it's hungry instead of at a set time. Walking by your favorite food because you're really not in the mood for it.
Those are just some examples of what it can be like to have freedom with food. It's calm. And peaceful.
And it's also possible.
This is what we're talking about on this week's podcast episode. We get into details about:
What controlling your food looks like
Why that doesn't work
What we really want when we say control
What a more positive goal is for food
How to start working toward that new goal
If you've ever felt out-of-control with food, you're going to want to take a listen!
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