Do you have a complicated relationship with food that prevents you from enjoying a single bite of so-called bad foods? Here is how to banish food guilt for good!
If you have ever been on a diet in your life, you have probably gotten this reaction:
The raised eyebrow, the lip curl, and the inevitable incredulous statement, “Are you going to eat THAT?!”
As a former fat girl, I thought this question was reserved for those of us with a little extra baggage. However, a fit friend recently disillusioned me of this notion. On her Facebook page, she ranted that people were judging her for eating lasagna. Seriously, who doesn’t adore pasta??
Apparently, it doesn’t matter what size you are. If you are a woman who is eating anything, someone might challenge your choices.
“Are you going to eat THAT?!” is a loaded question. This question is loaded with people’s misconceptions, expectations and stereotypes. Misconceptions such as “all grains are bad for you”, expectations such as “eating healthy is a 24-7 pursuit” and stereotypes that “fit people don’t like pizza”.
These three things have absolutely NOTHING to do with you. Even so, it often raises feelings of food guilt.
Do you feel conflicted about your eating choices? Do you eat healthy, even though all you want to do is binge? Do you eat junk food, even when you know it will sabotage your goals? Most of the time, food guilt is an inhibition you feel within yourself, but is often triggered by other people.
Since I go around calling myself a former fat girl, I run into people who expect me to eat salad all day. Sorry, salad is for rabbits!
If you feel like you have to justify what and how much you eat, there is a good chance you feel food guilt. It is tough to find a balance between eating for pleasure and eating for health. In some ways, it can be as real a struggle as work-life balance.
Unfortunately, if you subscribe to all-or-nothing type of mentality, you might even have entered into the “what-the-hell” effect. This effect tells you it is ok to keep eating a “bad” food once the first bite has passed your lips, because you already blew it.
So, you may as well go all-in. SELF shares why this mentality may be sabotaging your weight loss. I know this all too well. After all, I had weird food rituals around eating even bites of food, or needing to finish my plate. Regardless of my hunger cues.
But, there is hope.
I don’t eat healthy 100% of the time. I’m not perfect, and don’t aspire to be. But, one of the things I shed along with those 100 pounds so many years ago was the idea of food guilt. That doesn’t mean I never regret eating an extra helping of dessert.
What it means is I do not see food as bad. Food is fuel, but it is also a pleasure. I can always choose what I put in my mouth. I can also choose how I feel about the food I eat.
I would much rather enjoy a food in all its glory than worry about how many minutes of exercise it would take to burn it off.
The next time someone asks you “Are you going to eat THAT?!” here is what you should say. “Yes, and I will enjoy it”. It may not feel natural at first, but over time, you will drop any food guilt and savor that food.
If you would like help with banishing food guilt for good, I encourage you to join my free email challenge, 5 Days to Body Bliss.
This challenge is unique in that it fundamentally changes how you view your body, and can also help you with understanding how to make eating less of a chore and more of an adventure!
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7 thoughts on “Banish Food Guilt for Good”
That’s why there is such a thing as cheat day. We need to take advantage of it.
Thanks for commenting, David! While I do agree that a “cheat” day or even “cheat” meal can do wonders for your weight loss efforts, I would like to see the word “guilt” disappear from the vocabulary when it comes to food.
Great article! I never give a flip about what people say about my eating. I eat good from 70-90% of the time – it depends on the season, my budget and the rare “must have” mood. (I believe that it’s better just to eat a little of something and be done with it rather than crave and OBSESS over it for days or weeks.) My guilt over poor food choices disappears when I remember I’m eating far, FAR healthier and cleaner than just 3 years ago.
Good for you, Gina! I also appreciate your honesty as far as how often you eat “good”. Some days I feel like I struggle to eat even one “good” meal. It’s all a process, right?
You can definitely see your expertise within the work you write.
The world hopes for even more passionate writers such
as you who aren’t afraid to say how they believe. At all times
follow your heart.
Thank you, Sherrill. I am definitely passionate about health.
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