It’s true!
Ever notice how alluvasudden, after putting a ban on carbs, you’ve got intense cravings for pasta, you’re surrounded by pastries, and your girlfriends wants to grab dessert this week? It’s like your mouth starts to water the second after you’ve decided you “can’t” have something.
I use a rubber band visual to describe this phenomenon: the farther your stretch the rubber band, the harder it will snap back. It’s a matter of time until you snap. You rebound. You binge.
The same is true for eating habits. The harder you restrict, the harder you’ll binge. The more limited the meal plan, the less time you’ll be able to commit to it. When you put hard restraints on exposure, food gets put on a pedestal. You’ll say things like:
>> I can’t keep this in the house!
>> It’s all I can think about.
>> I can’t control myself!
Tracking macronutrients puts all foods on an equal playing field, which essentially removes its power. You CAN have pasta and you can eat from the bread basket and you can grab dessert. Just like you CAN have a gigantic salad or a smoothie bowl. So instead you’re saying things like:
>> I can have this whenever I want.
>> I don’t feel like that right now.
>> I can stop at one.
If you’re in the binge-restrict-binge-shame cycle, the answer isn’t to diet harder. So, next time you get to Sunday night and you think, “I will start over tomorrow”, or Monday morning and think, “I am going to be really strict today!” – I hope you think of me, this post, and bells go off.
restricting foods
- December 10, 2019
