10 Signs You Still Have A Diet Mindset

1. You Still Believe There Are Good & Bad Foods- Food is fuel. While there are some foods that are more nutritious than others, if you still believe that there are “good” and “bad” foods, you are still subscribed to a diet mentality. Viewing foods as bad, as if you are committing a crime for eating them, will only leave you feeling guilty and shameful after eating those foods and will likely cause you to overeat them any time you attempt to have just a little.

2. You Are Still Counting Calories or Macros- In real life, you shouldn’t be counting anything when you’re eating. You should feel free to eat whatever you put on your plate without calculating the calories or grabs of carbohydrates. This becomes a nasty little habit that is unnecessarily taking up your brain power. Focus on your internal signals (Are you hungry? What are you in the mood to eat? How much do you need to eat to feel satisfied? Comfortably full?) when deciding when, what and how much to eat…not some arbitrary food rules in your head.

3. You Never Order Dessert Even When You Want It- It’s one thing if you’re not a dessert person, but if you love dessert and you’re out celebrating – for any reason – you should be able to order a dessert if that is what you want. Holding yourself back will lead to feeling deprived and unsatisfied and can in turn lead to overeating or bingeing.

4. You Avoid Social Situations- Super Bowl Sunday, Baby Showers, Birthday Parties. One of the best parts of life is getting together with your family and friends. Avoiding such events because you’re afraid of the temptation of food present is not the way to live a full life. Doing so typically only leads you to stay home and feel sorry for yourself AND turn to food as a way to self soothe on the couch.

5. You Punish Yourself After Eating Something “Bad”- Putting yourself on a restrictive intake or forcing yourself to exercise as a way to make up for eating something bad or overeating is not healthy. You do not want to reward or punish yourself with food. Take the mental penalty away from your eating experience.

6. You Avoid Certain Foods- Unless you have a food allergy or don’t like the taste of a specific food, you should be able to enjoy it. Things like bread and cakes shouldn’t be shunned or avoided. In fact, studies have shown that having an inclusive and balanced diet can lead to better health, both physically and mentally. Research also shows that trying to avoid certain foods only makes you crave them more and typically binge on them when you do give in (last meal mindset).

7. You Stop Eating Carbs After 2pm- Eat whatever is going to satisfy you when you are hungry. If you’re hungry at 10pm and want a sandwich… eat a sandwich at 10pm. Your body is telling you that it needs sustenance! Carbs are not the enemy here, but depriving yourself can be. Avoiding carbs after a certain time may cause you to overeat them earlier in the day (as a consequence of future deprivation) and/or binge on them in the evening if you ever give in to the temptation (you are breaking a rule so you might as well go all in!)

8. You Stop Eating… Even When You’re Not Full- While it is true that serving sizes have grown over the last 50 years, our bodies are pretty good at knowing what they need to feel satiated and this can vary greatly from one feeding time to another! You may need to eat 1/4 of a sandwich to feel satisfied at one meal but a whole sandwich to feel satisfied at that same meal on a different day. If you are paying attention to your internal cues and are eating mindfully, your body will tell you when you are comfortably full and have had just enough.

9. You Detox or Cleanse All The Time- The kidneys and liver’s job are to detox the body. It’s absolutely unnecessary to detox or go on a cleanse. Rather eat a balanced diet and trust that your organs are doing their job.

10. You Experience Guilt When Eating Delicious Foods- This may be the hardest part to obtaining a healthy relationship with food, but it is really worth it. Practice removing the guilt and shame that you have associated with food. To live a balanced and healthful life, both mentally and physically, you have to be able to eat anything you want whenever you want unconditionally in order to free yourself from a diet mindset and live a healthy life.

A diet mentality is so common in today’s day and age, and most of the time we don’t even realize it! Everywhere we turn we see an ad for another weight loss tea or detox juice. We’re told that carbs are bad and full-fat foods make us fat. But you have to trust your body and consciously practice a positive relationship with food. Use food to fuel your body and learn to accept all food. Once you’re able to recognize when you’re subscribing to the diet mentality, then you can work on actively stopping that behavior and focus on a peaceful and joyful relationship with food and with life.