If you feel guilty after eating, you believe you've done something wrong with the food. The problem with guilt around food is that we can't do food ‘wrong' therefore when we feel guilt, we are using energy on something that isn't changing anything.
When you notice yourself feeling guilty after eating, try these mental reframes:
Reframes to keep on hand to help you STOP obsessing over your weight
– obsessing over my weight doesn’t give me the life I want
– focusing on my weight doesn’t change my weight
– blaming my weight isn't helpful and doesn’t serve me
Mental shifts to keep on hand to RELAX around food
– stressing over food isn’t the life I want
– feeling guilty after eating doesn’t allow me to enjoy my food
– I don’t need to after eating. I didn't do anything wrong
Behavior change starts with mindset change!! Changing how we think will change how we feel and eliminate feeling guilty after eating. This will take time and practice; however, the more you challenge destructive thoughts and replace them with productive thoughts, the less frequent the guilt will be!
Here’s what you need to remember: As long as you tell yourself there is a ‘right way’ to eat and a ‘wrong way’ to eat – you will stay stuck in body hate, food guilt, and diet culture. Finding food freedom starts with letting go of the idea that there is a ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ way to eat.. because there’s not. It’s not black and white. Let go of the ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ – it will set you free.
