“As long as there is that voice of ‘not allowed,’ as long as there are foods you feel you shouldn’t eat, you create struggle and conflict. As long as there is a struggle, there is bingeing. And as long as there is bingeing, there is fear about eating what you want.” ~Geneen Roth
Many of us believe that we are truly eating what we want. That we really want the salad at lunch. That we really want that dessert at dinner—“And I’m certainly going to eat it!” We don’t realize that sometimes, behind these decisions is a voice that isn’t actually our own voice. It might be our mother’s voice, or our spouse’s voice, or our seventh grade health class teacher’s voice, or even our doctor’s voice.
And so at these times, we’re not really [private_membership circle]eating what we truly want. We’re eating according to that Voice. Or to rebel against it. We believe it is the correct voice. And so we eat what we’re told we should eat, and we avoid “bad” foods. Or we rebel and eat those “bad” foods. Either way, we struggle.
One way to end the struggle is to allow ourselves to choose what we truly want to eat. To do this, we must listen for our own voice, which speaks from our body’s needs and our spirit’s preferences. When we tune in to the wisdom of our own voice, we will feed ourselves well. We will make the “right” choices. When we listen to ourselves instead of what diet-book deprivation dictates, there is nothing to rebel against. And when we no longer have to rebel, we begin to leave the struggle behind.
Tip: The next time you are choosing what to eat, stop and ask yourself why you are choosing what you are choosing. Are you choosing it because it is the “right” choice? Are you choosing it because you are rebelling against a rule? Or are you choosing it because it’s what you truly desire? Consider what it would be like if there were no rules to follow or rebel against.
Affirming Statement: “As I listen for and respond to my own voice, I move beyond struggle.”
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Nutrition therapists Amy Tuttle, RD, LCSW and Karin Kratina, RD, PhD provide no-diet articles and resources including “Stay Attuned: The E-zine for Nourishing Connections” at their Nourishing Connections website. www.nourishingconnections.com
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