Do you find yourself constantly thinking about food all the time? Does the thought of breakfast get you out of bed in the morning? Do you start thinking about dinner right after you finish lunch?
If this sounds like you, you’re not alone. In fact, this is something that is rather common. Luckily, it is also something that can be overcome, and quite easily at that. Especially when you are on a diet, or are restricting certain food groups, it’s hard not to think about food all the time.
Food tends to occupy your thoughts more than anything, even your work, school or relationships. If you feel like thinking about food all the time has begun to impact your everyday life in a way that is affecting your mood and relationships, it’s time to find an end to it. It’s time to figure out why you’re thinking about food all the time, and how to stop thinking about food all the time.
Why you’re thinking about food all the time
You may just think about the reason you can’t stop thinking about food is because you are weak or lack control. This is not the reason at all. In fact it is quite opposite from that.
In fact, the reason why you’re thinking about food all the time is because you are practicing lots of restraint when it comes to food. Are you on a diet? Calorie cutting? Removing certain food groups from your diet? Trying to practice portion control? If this sounds like you, this is likely why you are experiencing this. The more you restrict, the more your body rebels. That’s right, our primal instincts do not want us to restrict food. Because food restriction means less calories, less calories means weight loss, and weight loss means death (eventually of course).
So, when our bodies sense restriction, our brains are going to be rewired in a way that causes us to make up for that restriction. Suddenly, we are thinking about food all the time. And this makes sense right? Back in the wild, if we were losing weight due to lack of food, it would be beneficial for us to think about food all the time. Because then we would be more inclined to go out and search for food. In today’s time, that doesn’t apply, but we still have those primal urges to compensate for lack of food.
So, to sum it up, the reason you are thinking about food all the time is likely due to some sort of restriction, whether you are aware of it or not.
How to stop thinking about food all the time
Ok, so now we need to chat about how to stop thinking about food all the time. The answer is quite simple, since we know the cause.
STOP RESTRICTING!
Simple as that. When you stop restricting, those primal urges making you think about food all the time will dissipate, and you will find that you are able to go about your day without thinking about food 24/7. I do recognize that this may not be easy for some, even most people. We’ve been taught to restrict since birth. Overeating is bad, junk food is bad, eating late at night is bad.
But, if you want food to stop being the center of your universe, it’s time to start moving away from these ideas and start thinking of food in a more neutral way. These are thoughts such as these: there are no good or bad foods, it’s ok to honor your cravings, food should be enjoyed or savored.
If you need some extra help with this, I highly recommend my online course, Binge Free and Flourishing. This course will step you through, in detail, how to start creating a healthy relationship with food and stop binge eating. With a healthy relationship with food, you will notice that you aren’t thinking about food all the time. Because food isn’t a big deal. You enjoy it when meal time comes, eat enough to be satisfied, and move on with your day.
So what’s next?
Start with baby steps. Slowly start introducing foods you have been restricting, start increasing your portion sizes, start eating until you are comfortably full, choose what sounds good at a restaurant, not what is healthiest. A journey to a healthy relationship with food is a long one, filled with lots of bumps, but in the end, it’s worth it! Learn more about my experience with binge eating and disordered eating here.
