Welcome to How to Love Your Body, on this week’s episode we are talking about foods that get a bad rap like sugar, because many people believe in this work but with conditions.. Shouldn’t we limit our sugar intake/gluten intake/ processed food intake etc…?

You can get your free worksheet to go along with this episode at thebodylovesociety.com/93

When we say, listen to your body and allow foods unconditionally you might think, but i’ll be eating sugar all day long and that can’t possibly be good for me.

This is why this work can be so challenging when doing it on your own, there is a mindset shift that makes this all work but coming from the perspective of diet culture, it seems nearly impossible for having NO limitations on any foods to make any sense health wise.

Here is why “limitations” don’t work even if it seems like that is what would make sense.

Say you are worried about sugar, so you give yourself a limitation of one sweet thing a day. It’s Tuesday night and you haven’t had your allotted sweet for the day, you’re full from dinner but don’t really feel like anything else but you don’t want to waste the opportunity to have a treat, so you grab some ice cream from the freezer. It tastes good but you didn't really want it so afterwards you feel kind of bad about it. Then on Thursday that week there’s a birthday at work and they bring in your FAVORITE cake so you have a piece and it’s amazing, great! Then that night after dinner you just don’t feel finished, you feel peckish and you’re grazing into the night… when a bite of chocolate would have been perfect but your limitation got in the way.

Notice how limitations affect you in both directions - when you have a scarcity mindset with food (which limitations will ALWAYS give you), when you have an opportunity to eat something that isn’t always available you’ll likely always take it, even if you don't really want it… leaving us thinking about food more, eating when we aren't hungry, choosing foods that we don't love and living in a box when we could be free!

Here is the alternative -- no limitations AHH! That sounds scary, we know but here’s what actually happens when you allow all foods unconditionally, yes even sugar.

Sugar becomes just another ingredient in a food, it’s not as magical as when we limit it. So yes, one day you might have a couple sweet treats and another day you’ll have none, you are free to listen to your body and take cues from IT instead of just following the arbitrary rules you created for yourself. 

When you allow it ALL, PLUS listen to your body it creates a natural ebb and flow that you can maintain forever and leaves you with an abundant food mindset.

Jenna used to not be able to have a stale box of crackers in her pantry without scarfing the whole thing down because she limited herself from carbs, she now jokes that she could live in a grocery store and it wouldn’t affect the way she eats.

This is a beautiful transformation -- from feeling like she has to control herself around ANY available food to feeling at peace surrounded by any foods at all. Peace with herself, her body and her ability to eat in a way that feels good.

Allowing all food doesn't mean saying screw it to health, wellness, or feeling good in your body. It means being free to use your ability as a grown woman to decide what to eat without external rules and with a clear mind and the only way to this is through allowing food and stopping the rules for good.

Do you find you give yourself vague rules and restrictions with food in the name of being sensible?

Even slight restrictions will keep you stuck in feeling uneasy around food and like it is always work.

Grab your worksheet to work through the steps towards letting go of all limitations even in the face of fear at thebodylovesociety.com/93!

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