Why food is on your mind 24/7

There’s nothing more miserable than an unrequited obsession.

And in your case, it’s food.

I get it, because I was stuck there too.

For many, many years I’d wake up and my immediate thought would be what I was having for breakfast. I’d get to work, one eye on the clock, already be thinking about lunch. Maybe a coffee mid morning, desperately ignoring the tray of croissants staring enticingly at me from the counter. Finally – lunch time; my favorite part of the work day. An agonising decision over what to have – what was ‘right’. Too many calories in this? Too much fat in that? Even somewhere like Pret, where I bought lunch from several times a month, it could easily be a 20 minute decision.

Inevitably I’d wind up with some sort of salad, perhaps not what I really fancied (always, always the posh cheese & pickle baguette) but at over 600 calories that was way more than I allowed myself at lunch time. The afternoon would tick by, this would be when I’d cave – a snickers or a muffin to get me through; eating guiltily – resolving to do better tomorrow.

Home time and then dinner – a sense of sadness always washing over me when it was finished because it was the last time I gave myself permission to eat that day. I judged the day by what I’d eaten. Top marks for the salad (only had ½ the dressing), lose them for the chocolate – must do better.  I’d go to bed dreaming about breakfast, and so the cycle would begin again.

Does this sound familiar?

I thought it would – one of the first things my clients always say to me is that thoughts of food, and their bodies, take over their thoughts the majority of their waking hours.   

It makes me so sad to hear this; because I know how miserable it is. It’s like it takes over everything – you can’t focus on work, you’ve only one ear on the conversation when you go for a meal out – you’re reading the menu obsessively after all; trying to figure out what the ‘right’ thing is to have.

Why does this happen though…Why are we obsessed with food?

Well – the good news is that you don’t have to be. I promise you- you don’t have to live like this. Freedom from food, and from body obsession, is possible – let me show you how.

Why is food on your mind 24/7?

Because you are avoiding it.

When you’re dieting in any way, you are restricting yourself from food and denying it at all costs. You might be thinking ‘but I’m not on a diet’ – perhaps not – but diet brain is sneaky. Let me ask you this:

-          Are you following rules – either set out for you in a plan or your own?

-          Do you feel like you’ve ‘messed up’ or ‘failed’ because of what you’ve eaten?

-          Do you count calories, points, macros, steps or anything similar?

-          Is someone or something telling you what, when, or how much to eat?

-          Do you have an ‘abundance’ of ‘guilt free’ foods that are permitted?

If you’ve answered ‘yes’ to any of the above – then you’re dieting, whether you realise it or not.

What happens when you diet? You restrict. What happens when you restrict? You think about, crave and obsess over that which you are depriving yourself.

Hence – food on your brain 24/7.

You’re scared of gaining weight

Perhaps you are OK with your body as it is right now, but you have that body because you’re strictly controlling your food, end/or exercise, right? Or maybe you desperately want to lose weight – which is what you are trying to do right now – so the idea of stopping dieting and putting weight on terrifies you.

This was me –

I’m not proud to say the thought of getting fat terrified me, but if I’m totally honest it really did.

It came to a head for me one night when I had a nasty bike accident.

I was face down in the middle of a busy road, blood pouring out of my head, and my first thought (ok, second – after ‘have I messed up my face’) was ‘I’m going to get fat’. I knew I wouldn’t be seeing the inside of a gym again for a long, long time and I was petrified.

As a result of your fear of weight gain, you also fear food – food = calories which (in your mind) = fat, unless you burn it off.

Ergo – food on your mind 24/7, because you don’t want to gain weight.

You’re scared of losing control around food

Yup, this was me too.

Terrified that if I didn’t plan out and micro-manage exactly what I was going to eat, and when, I’d only ever eat pizza, cakes, cookies and crisps… (which would lead to me getting fat… see the point above).

I didn’t trust myself around these types of food.

A buffet situation was both my worst nightmare, and a guilty pleasure. Worst nightmare because the food was all too readily available- I had no will power, no control. Guilty pleasure because – all that yummy food, and at a buffet you are supposed to eat it. I’d give myself a pass and vow to do better tomorrow.

I worked in corporate hospitality in a fancy London office and our pastry chef was exceptional. 3-4 days a week, by mid-afternoon, inevitably our office would be filled with the left over cakes and pastries from some meeting or other for the staff to eat. Most people would have one or two little pieces and then get on with their days. Me? I’d hold out as long as physically possible – resisting, resisting, resisting – then snap! I’d be finishing the platter, no one else getting a look in. I didn’t even really taste the food, all that mattered was that I was getting it.

I’d go home, disgusted and ashamed of myself, vowing not to eat tomorrow to make up for it.

Once again – food on the brain 24/7, because you don’t trust yourself around it.

You think you’ll be happier if you lose weight

Hence that’s your priority.

And how do you lose weight?

Put simply – eat less & move more.

And it is that simple – on paper, at least.

And in your brain.

You want to be smaller – you think it’ll make you happier. You’ll like yourself in photos more. Perhaps you’ll meet someone who actually likes you. You think you’ll fit in better with your friends – not to mention the thought of wearing a bikini on holiday this morning.

To you, weight loss = healthier, happier, better.

So what are you doing?

Dieting.

See the first point above.

Food is on your mind 24/7.

Finally – you’re actually just bloody hungry

Unsurprisingly, given that you’re restricting the way you are.

At its fundamental core, food is energy, and your body needs energy to survive.

If you aren’t taking on enough energy, your body will fight back, sending you signals in any way it can to try to get you to take on more energy that it desperately needs.

A growling stomach?

A snappy mood?

Difficulty concentrating?

A raging headache?

Irritable?

Yup – these are all signs of hunger – and your body trying to get you to eat something.

Because after all, from your body’s perspective – a can of diet coke and two rice cakes do not equal lunch, even if you are feeling pretty damn proud of yourself for being ‘so good’.

It’s your body’s job to keep you alive, and in order to do that, it needs adequate food. When ghrelin, the hunger hormone, is released (to try to get you to eat), and you’re doing all you can to avoid it – well you’re on a route to obsession.

You’re hungry, your body wants you to eat, therefore food is on your brain.

 So what now?

Now you understand why food is on your brain – no doubt you want to know how to stop it, right?

And I totally understand – it isn’t as easy as ‘just eat’.

After all, you’ve been dieting or restricting most of your life – it isn’t as simple as just turning those thoughts off.  

So what is the solution?

That’s where I come in!

I created my free, online community to help you do just that. It’s called ‘Break the Diet Cycle with Bex’ and within it I share loads of live trainings, tips and resources to help you break free of dieting, once and for all.

I can’t wait to see you there!

I love to talk about food and mindset in my online Facebook Community, and I’d love to hear from you! Why is food on your mind 24/7 – did this article resonate with you? Join now to have your say. I can’t wait to meet you!