1: Step away from tracking the numbers (calories/macros)
It is hard to be truly in tune with your hunger and fullness cues if you are relying on numbers to tell you how much to eat. The truth is, your hunger levels and nutrient needs vary day to day. While tracking your food may be helpful for some, following a calorie goal or protein goal may not be in your best interest if you are looking to improve your relationship with food, as it can sometimes cause you to ignore your hunger cues (or even eat when you do not want to!) in order to meet your calorie/macro goals. One major step when working on your relationship with food, is learning to understand your hunger and fullness cues, and learning to also HONOR them. And tracking calories may make it more difficulty to do so.
2: Honor your cravings (not everything needs to be "healthified")
Do you ever find yourself wanting to eat a food that you consider unhealthy... so you try to make a "healthy" and "high volume" version which just leaves you unsatisfied and wanting more? So, you snack on something else, but it doesn't do the trick. Finally you give in and eat the snack you were craving. You get down on yourself for giving in... then say f*ck it! And eat the whole box of cookies. You end up feeling physically uncomfortable and upset with yourself for "failing" on your diet.
This is why it is important to allow yourself to eat the food that you are truly craving! This is truly the only way to truly fulfill your craving. And trust me, the more you allow these foods, the less "special" they become and the less you will crave them and overeat them when you do allow them.
3: Allow yourself to eat until full
A major step in improving your relationship with food is allowing yourself to truly feel full during your meals. A meal should leave you feeling satiated. When working on your relationship with food, it can be difficult to truly be in tune with your hunger and fullness cues, if you have ignored them for so long. To improve on this, take pauses while you are eating to check in with yourself.
4: Challenge your food rules
Do you have food rules? Such as not allowing certain foods to be eaten unless it is a certain occasion? Or not allowing certain foods ever? Or not allowing yourself to eat past 8pm? While working on your relationship with food it is important to question your food rules - why did you implement them in the first place? Are they holding you back from enjoying your life, or causing you to miss out on events or traditions that you used to enjoy? If this is the case, it is time to question if following these "rules" are truly serving you and helping you live your best life.
5: Reframe negative self talk
Do you ever hear yourself thinking or saying aloud "I look gross, I can't eat that," or "I am not good enough"? Thoughts like this can harm your relationship with food. Instead, try to practice self compassion and focus on positive self talk. Next time you have a negative thought, try to reframe it. Try telling yourself "I am worthy, I deserve to eat regardless of my body size," or "I am enough."
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