I Shouldn't Be Eating These Fries
/Do any of these thoughts sound familiar?
These fries are so yummy but I should have ordered a side salad instead.
I need to eat good tomorrow to make up for all these cookies.
Once I’m done with this bag of chips, I’m not going to buy them again.
I can have pizza for dinner but need to get back on track this next week.
It’s okay if I have a slice of cake; it’s a special occasion after all.
These are all examples of mental restriction.
Although you may believe you aren’t restricting your eating, if you have thoughts like these, you are.
Even if you are allowing yourself to physically eat a food (e.g., I'm going to have a donut), if you’re denying yourself on a physiological level (e.g., I shouldn’t be eating this donut), you are restricting.
While a part of you is saying, “Yes, I'm going to eat this” another part of you is saying, “No, I shouldn’t” or “I won’t again.”
Mental restriction creates a threat of future deprivation that often leads to eating past comfortable fullness, sometimes in a way that feels out of control or binge-like.
This is not due to a lack of willpower or self-control. It’s a natural human response to potential food scarcity.
Unfortunately, this very normal and understandable response can make you feel bad, guilty and ashamed—and trigger a desire to diet as a way to gain control of your eating.
Dieting, with all its food rules, will only exacerbate your restrictive mindset (a.k.a. the diet mentality), ultimately creating a more fraught, roller-coaster relationship with food.
If you long for food peace, it’s essential to let go of all forms of restriction.
Intuitive Eating can help you identify and challenge your restrictive thoughts, which can be sublte and sneaky, so you can truly give yourself unconditional permission to eat in way that both tastes and feels satisfying. You deserve nothing but.
Of course, it’s important to note that some foods may need to be avoided due to certain medical conditions, such as a peanut allergy or celiac disease.
