Written By: Registered Dietitian Mairead
It’s something I see with clients all the time. We want to eat less so we can lose weight – that makes sense. Maybe we eat like a bird all day, only to find ourselves eating a huge evening snack. Maybe we eat small balanced meals Monday to Friday, and then feel out of control with food on the weekends. Maybe we even follow our eating goals perfectly most of the time, but know we’ll over-indulge to the point of feeling way too full and guilty as soon as we have access to our favourite treat. Any of those sound familiar?
When we’re experiencing these, it often feels like we’re the only one with no willpower, or like we’re totally out of control.
Here’s a secret: any of those scenarios are way more common than you’d think.
Here’s another secret: the problem isn’t your willpower and determination to only eat a certain way. Our bodies are smart and they want to keep us alive. They need energy from food to do that. When we under-eat, either briefly for a day, or for longer periods of time, our body will send cues to make us more likely to eat more when we have the chance.
Similarly, this can happen if we restrict certain types of food, not just food overall. If you never let yourself eat chocolate, and then have access to it all of a sudden, it’s no wonder you feel out of control!
So how do we move past this? For most people, this might look like making our overall food intake more even, both throughout the day and the week.
We’d make sure we’re eating amounts closer to our needs, instead of aiming for a giant (but unsustainable) calorie deficit. Maybe we start including those favourite treat foods more often and break down some of the food rules we’ve set for ourselves.
Eating more and learning to trust your body can be a scary process – especially if you’re trying to do it alone! Working with a dietitian gives you the support you need to still pursue your health and fitness goals in a sustainable way, while working to build a positive relationship with food. Try booking a Nutrition Consultation to get started, or signing up for On-Going Nutrition Coaching for that one-on-one support to make big changes!
We’re not currently taking on any new nutrition clients, but you can email
[email protected] to get on the waitlist for when spots open up this fall!
