Have you ever told yourself that you are not allowed to eat a certain food? That you can?t eat at a certain time? That you can?t eat more than 'X' grams of a particular food?

These are all classified as food rules. Yes, I know they sound controlling ...and that is because they are.

I personally know how controlling food rules can be because I spent years letting them control my life and my eating habits. My self-imposed food rules consumed so much of my mental space and I was constantly thinking about what I can have, what I can?t have, when I can eat, how much I can eat, and what else had I eaten that day ? even listing all that is exhausting!

What Are Some Common Food Rules?

Food rules can differ from person to person. However, here are some common ones:

• Refusing to eat lunch if it isn't 'lunch time' (at whatever time that is for you e.g. 1 pm).
• Not eating a particular food because it's been labelled as 'bad'.
• Not eating after a certain time.
• Limiting particular foods or food groups. E.g., only having 3 slices of pizza, half a banana, 1 sausage etc

The Harmful Effects That Food Rules Can Have On Your Life

Food rules can be incredibly harmful to your relationship with food. When you create a food rule for yourself, you are often depriving yourself of something. This deprivation can lead to you becoming obsessed with that particular food (i.e., you can?t stop thinking about it), which often leads to overeating and binge eating.

For example, if you create a food rule around chocolate (e.g. you can only have chocolate at Easter and on very special occasions), then it's likely that you'll become obsessed with that food because of the restriction. This might ultimately lead to massive chocolate binges when you do give yourself 'permission' to eat it or when you 'slip up' during a stressful or emotional period of your life.

When you restrict certain foods from your life, you'll only want them more. This is because the human mind does not cope well with processing negatives. This, again, can cause you to become incredibly obsessed with certain foods, which can affect you mentally and might even stop you from being fully present with family and friends when that particular food is around.

There is something super special about being able to go out for dinner with friends and family and be 100% present ... to not be consumed by the menu and what you are 'allowed' to order. That is why it's so important to break free from your self-imposed food rules ? especially the ones that have a big impact on your life.

The 4 Step Method To Overcoming Food Rules

Despite my previous struggles, I have been able to break free from food rules. I have also helped dozens of my clients break free from their own food rules. Over time, I've developed a system to help people break free from their own food rules ? whatever those might be. I've condensed this system into 4 key steps.

I share this 4 step method to breaking free from food rules in this podcast episode.

You can click here to listen to this episode now!