You Are Free To Eat the Donut

Eat whatever you want whenever you want, right? Well, not quite. But it sure felt like that in the beginning.

When I decided to make peace with food, I was both terrified and so very relieved. To state it bluntly, I was to choose the foods I’ve restricted or vilified over the years and allow myself to eat them when I wanted to. Whoa! That definitely seemed too good to be true. But the premise held out.

The idea is that when we restrict a food or an entire food group, that becomes the forbidden food and its desirability increases. Remove that restriction and the thrill is gone. The food is less desirable. It’s called habituation. It’s why leftovers are good the first time or two but even our most favorite dishes lose their appeal after a few rounds.

I was dubious.

But I wasn’t going to walk away from someone giving me unconditional permission to eat the sweets! So, I did. I had cake. I ate whoopie pies. Chocolate chip cookies were enjoyed. Chips were no longer forbidden, so I ate them too! It was GREAT!

Honestly, it took longer than I thought it would, but eventually I did not want them as much. I realized that I did not feel good on a steady diet of baked goods. I found that I wasn’t able to move as well as I used to. My thinking was more muddled.

So, I can attest to the power of unconditional permission to eat the foods we enjoy. There’s a lot more, 10 principles to be exact, to becoming an intuitive eater, but making peace with food has been life enhancing for me!