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and stay“ on track.” But what if the problem isn’ t you? What if it’ s the way you’ ve been taught to think about food?
For decades, we’ ve been conditioned to believe that healthy eating starts with deprivation. Cut the carbs. Skip dessert. Count calories. Eliminate all the less-thanhealthy foods. White-knuckle your way through cravings and call it discipline. It sounds reasonable. Until you try to live that way in the real world.
At first, restriction can feel empowering. You’ re following the rules. You’ re determined that this time will be different. But before long, you’ re hungry … and hangry. You’ re thinking about food all day. You’ re feeling deprived. And the foods you’ ve sworn off become all you can think about. Eventually, something has to give.
So you eat the cookie. Or the pizza. Or the ice cream. And suddenly it feels like you’ ve failed. So, you promise yourself you’ ll start over Monday … or next month … or in the New Year.
Many women spend years stuck in this exhausting cycle, swinging between rigid restriction and giving up altogether. On one side of the pendulum, you’ re“ being good.” You feel in control, but you’ re hungry, deprived, and miserable. On the other side, you’ ve stopped taking care of yourself, and you feel bloated, sluggish, ashamed, and equally miserable.
The problem isn’ t you. It’ s that we’ ve been taught to fight ourselves and our cravings, instead of nourishing ourselves with what we actually need.
Think about how often we describe eating in moral terms.
“ I’ m being good.”“ I’ ve been bad.”“ I cheated.”“ I blew it.”
These aren’ t words of compassion, selfcare, or self-love. They’ re words of judgment and criticism. The moment food becomes a test of character, every meal becomes an opportunity to either succeed or fail. It’ s no wonder so many women feel emotionally exhausted before they’ ve even finished breakfast.
Restriction creates deprivation, deprivation fuels cravings, cravings lead to overeating,
HEALTH & WELLNESS
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