This Is Why You Can't Stop Thinking About Food

I've had individuals come to me for years desiring to not have their days filled with thoughts about food anymore. If you wake up thinking about food, think about food all day long, and go to sleep thinking about food, please know you're not alone. You're thinking about food constantly for a reason. This is your body's way of communicating with you. Thinking about food isn't wrong. It's guiding you toward something your body is needing physically or emotionally.

Let's explore 3 top reasons you can't stop thinking about food:

1. You're Not Eating Enough

I want you to think about the last time you felt truly physically satisfied with food. Were you still thinking about food after eating? How about an hour later? Probably not. When we give our body the nutrition it needs to thrive, we stop thinking about food. If you have been chronically dieting, restricting your intake, or simply not eating enough, you're constantly thinking about food because this is a natural bodily response to get you to eat more. When your body is not being fed enough food, hunger and cravings drastically increase due to hormonal changes that control hunger and fullness. This is an amazing response from the body! Your body is going to try to protect you at all costs. If you're mentally trying to control your food intake, your body is going to take over and nudge you to go eat more so it gets what it needs.

2. You're Restricting Certain Food Groups

Don't think about a pink elephant in the room with you. Seriously, stop thinking about a pink elephant. Are you still thinking about a pink elephant? This is the same thing that happens when we cut out certain food groups, not based on bodily feedback that they don't resonate with your body, but because you think you shouldn't be eating them. If your body is not telling you any information that a food doesn't work for you, then you will constantly think about certain foods because your body maybe needs something from that food. There are so many articles about how to conquer your cravings. What if your food cravings are there because there is something you need from that food you're constantly thinking about? Additionally, when we restrict certain food groups, the body can go into scarcity mode leading to a binge at some point. That binge will provide the body with the macro and micro nutrients it is desiring but, if you go right back to restricting this cycle will repeat again and again.

3. You're Not Addressing Your Emotions

Sometimes, thinking about food all day long can be a protective distraction. Sometimes, thinking about food all day long will feel safer in your body than addressing intense emotions needing expression. If you stopped thinking about food, that would mean all of the sadness, disappointment, anger, grief, even overwhelming joy would then arise. So thinking about food all day long is supporting you emotionally. This is where you get to be gentle with yourself. If you're not noticing physical hunger present, you can identify that thinking about food is protecting you and you get to decide if you want that kind of protection. It is not wrong or bad to think about food. The power is within you to decide how you want to respond to thinking about food when physical hunger is not present.

The next time you notice yourself thinking about food all day long, get curious. No judgment is needed here. Thinking about food is your body's way of guiding you toward what it might be needing. Experience your body as your best friend who is on your team. When a teammate wants to give you feedback, you listen. When your body is giving you feedback, you can slow down and deeply listen to what it might be trying to tell you. If you're wanting more support to navigate these days with more ease, email me at support@stephaniemara.com anytime.