Here are the big 5 I have boiled it down to
01. Not Eating Enough / You're Hungry
Did you know that thinking about food is actually a hunger cue? If you aren't eating enough (in other words, are never allowing yourself to reach fullness) then your mind will continue to focus on food. You are still hungry and your body is asking for more!
If this is you, let's try: Seeing where you can add missing macronutrients to your meals to make them a bit more nourishing and satisfying! What I do before I make a meal or a snack, I ask myself:
- What do I want?
- From there, I will ask – is there anything I could add to this to make sure it's more filling?
- And lastly I will ask – is this enough food for what I need right now?
Let's go through some examples:
I want frozen waffles for breakfast.
Amazing – is there anything I could add to these to make them a bit more filing?
- I could add PB and banana
- I could add a protein smothie to the side
- I could add butter and jam and serve with some eggs on the side
And then based on how hungry I am feeling, I can decide the number of waffles I want, eat it, enjoy it, and move on!
Or let's say I really want an arugula salad.
Delicious – is there anything I could add to this salad to make it a bit more filing?
- I could add chicken and a side of bread
- I could add tuna salad and some crackers
- I could add chickpeas and chilled pasta
And again, based on how hungry I am feeling, I can choose how much salad and extras I want, eat it, enjoy it, and move on.
Reason #1 you can't stop thinking about food: you're just hungry and what you're currently eating isn't enough volume OR isn't giving you the staying power your body is asking for.
02. Mental Restriction
Mental restriction is any self-judgment, shame, fear, or anxiety you experience while eating, before eating, or after eating. Unlike physical restriction, with mental restriction, you may be physically eating all foods, but if you are engaging in mental restriction such as
- Not allowing yourself to eat the quantity you truly need because it’s more than your brain tells you is okay
- Not allowing yourself to eat the food you actually want because your brain is telling you that choice is bad
- Or not allowing yourself to experience and enjoy the food because your brain is judging and shaming with every bite
You will continue to think about food. This might explain why even though you are eating enough, you're still having obsessive food thoughts.
Our brain is conditioned to connect things we believe we cannot have to exclusivity and scarcity – meaning that we INSTANTLY believe these things have more value (even if they don’t) and we will hyperfocus on them.
Like… have you ever dated someone that wasn't interested in you and you immediately wanted them that much more? Even if before you really felt indifferent? Yeah. Same thing.
If this is you, let's try: Noticing where you are mentally restricting (again any self-judgment, shame, fear, or anxiety you experience while eating, before eating, or after eating.) and challenge the thinking. If you have been engaging in mental restriction for a long period of time, this mindset will come up automatically. You don't have control over that. But what you do have control over is whether or not you choose to engage with that mental restriction. Can you choose not to engage?
Reason #2 you can't stop thinking about food: you're mentally restricting, making food feel much more exciting, enticing, and valuable than it actually is.
03. Lack of pleasure in your day
Food is amazing, delicious, and definitely a huge source of pleasure. However, if it is the only source of pleasure you are getting in your day, then of course you will be constantly thinking about food.
If this is you, let's try: adding simple pleasure into your day like,
Noticing the smell of fresh coffee brewing
Taking a moment to step outside to feel the sunshine on your skin
A big snuggle with a loved one or pet
Sleeping in fresh sheets
It doesn't have to be anything huge.
*A quick note I want to make here is that if you feel like food is the only thing that brings you pleasure, it might be time to really think about that..
I used to think this too.
What if instead of: Nothing brings me the same pleasure food does
We try: how can I redefine pleasure to be something that brings me joy? AND how can I add some of those simple joys to my day?
Reason #3 you can't stop thinking about food: food is your only source of pleasure right now.
04. Poor Body Image
If you are dissatisfied with the way you look, then you will immediately be hyperfocused on food. Diet culture feeds us this false belief that if we just control our food and have enough discipline and willpower, then we can change our bodies to what we desire. The problem with this is that it creates a very destructive and unhealthy relationship with food.
If this is you, let's try: Focusing on how you want to feel in your body and aligning your behaviors to that. Weight isn't a behavior. Meaning that if you continue to focus solely on weight, then you will continue to obsess over food. But what if you changed the story? What if instead of making your body the problem, you started to ask yourself: How do I want to feel in my body, and what behaviors can I add in to help me feel that way? Likewise, what behaviors am I currently engaging in that aren't helping me feel that way?
Reason #4 you can't stop thinking about food: you're unhappy with your body, and therefore hyperfocusing on food.
05. Making Every Food Decision Mean SO Much
If you make everything you put in your mouth a make it or break it moment, then food is always going to be something you obsess over. But here's something I want you to think about… if you eat on average 6 times a day, that is roughly 35 different times you're eating a week, and around 140 different eats in a month… does each food decision really need to mean so much? What if you zoomed out and started to look at your eating as a whole?
Because idk about you but when I made every food decision mean so much, whenever I felt like i “blew it” I would instantly spiral into f-it mode eating everything in sight and then its like… is that way of thinking really serving me?
If this is you, let's try: Regularly reminding yourself ‘I don't have to make this mean so much'
The last little point I want to throw in there is when is thinking about food normal? Is it ever normal?
- yes!
- but, what are you thinking about?
- there are times when you need to be practical, you're excited, you're planning, etc
- it becomes problematic when most of your thoughts are about food
