What happens when we restrict foods…

What happens when we restrict foods… 🍕

We all have cravings for certain foods or drinks at certain times. It may be for chocolate, biscuits, cheese, fries, Pizza – etc, whatever it is it’s usually perceived as a “bad” food. If you’re trying to lose fat/weight and on a diet then you may cut out or avoid foods like this, so if a craving hits you may avoid it at all costs. Why? because it’s “bad”. This can come from fear that it will

make you gain weight or “ruin” your performance.

This mindset that you have to eat “perfectly” all the time or that certain food are off limits can lead to serious issues, including; disordered behaviors around food, constant thoughts about food, uncontrollable cravings, restriction, bingeing, missing out on fun experiences, negatively impacting your social life, feelings of shame, guilt and anxiety, fear of food, under eating.

What tends to happen when we demonise foods and restrict them is that we can’t stop thinking about them, and that obsession leads to uncontrollable cravings. This often man’s that when you eventually do have that food you over-consume them because you feel like you can ‘never’ have them e.g. I can’t have pizza again so I better eat as much as possible right now! This then leads to feelings of guilt and shame, and impacts weight loss progress. A better approach is to accept that all foods can fit into our diets. It just means we need to have some in moderation. This is easier said than done i know, but it starts from reframing how we think about food. So if you have certain foods or drinks you feel you can’t have when trying to lose weight, instead remind yourself that you can always have any food if you really want it. It’s always available to

you and always will be. When you want it, have it as part of a balanced meal. So if you want pizza – have a few slices, have some

salad or veg with it, enjoy it and factor it into your calories.

Enjoy!

🤗

Xx