The Soapbox Series: Food Restrictions are Bad and can be Detrimental to Your Goals
With the holiday season nearing, this is an especially important conversation to have with yourself (and maybe those around you). Food restrictions are a problem year-round, but parties and holiday feasts create even more food-related stress that can be avoided. Let’s talk about it!
*TW: This post discusses disordered eating behaviors and related topics.
Food is Just Food
Let’s start off with a fact that some people have a hard time accepting: there are no good or bad foods. Food is food, it has no ethics or morals. It can’t be deemed good or bad simply based on ingredients or nutrient content. Besides ethical, religious, and medically necessary diets, this isn’t up for debate.
Realistically, this conversation isn’t as easy as what I’ve written here. For years, we’ve been surrounded by low-carb/fat-free/no-sugar diets that have seriously warped our perception of food. Every so often, the same diet gets rebranded (keto, Atkins, Paleo, etc) into a shiny new form of restrictive eating.
The effects of food type-limiting diets can be felt generationally, as some of these diets have existed since the early to mid-1900s (and some even earlier. Our parents and grandparents were exposed to the same messages— some foods are bad and you shouldn’t eat them— and it’s trickled down from there. Feastful events like Thanksgiving and Christmas only make things worse, as we’re surrounded by delicious foods and the critical eyes of family and friends.
Because of these food biases we’ve been fed for years, restrictions are one of the first responses people have when they feel “unhealthy,” “out of control,” or want to lose weight. Desserts are not to be enjoyed— too much sugar. No more pasta, no more bread. Cheese is too fattening. The cuts go on until the only things not off limits are some types of protein and vegetables. These are two important parts of any nutritious diet, yes, but not the only things that matter. Nutrition aside, you’ve set yourself up for a very boring, likely unfulfilling diet that’s going to make functions like parties and dinners out to restaurants difficult.
You’ve also created an environment that could lead you to disordered eating behaviors or, as we’ll discuss in the next section, binge eating.
The Restrict-Binge Cycle
Food is a big focus in many lives and cultures, especially around the holidays. From delicious sweets to carb-based sides, there is no shortage of eats for the next few months. Because a lot of dishes are considered “indulgent,” many people feel the need to police their eating and restrict the types of foods they allow themselves to consume. This is a recipe for binge eating.
When I’m working with clients, it’s not uncommon for those with weight loss or health-related goals to tell me they cut things like sweets, carbs, and fats to help them reach their goals. However, these same individuals then come back to talk to me about their recent experiences overeating the foods they have denied themselves.
Restrictions make food more desirable and add unnecessary, often negative, emotion to eating. Denying yourself foods in the first place is harmful, but when we begin to obsess over these foods until we break down and binge, we’re only making things worse. We put certain things on a “do not touch” pedestal when what we actually need is to treat them like any other food.
Many registered dietitians discuss the restriction-to-bingeing pipeline. RDN and LDN Nicole Goodrich's post summarizes the Restrict-Binge Cycle really well: “Restriction in any form – under-eating or restrictive food rules – can lead to a natural drive to eat. Sometimes this drive to eat can result in a chaotic eating experience like a binge. And the restrict-binge cycle begins.”
The Stages of this Cycle
Christine Byrne, RD, LDN, and anti-diet dietitian, breaks the Restrict-Binge Cycle into four stages: shame, restriction, intense cravings, and bingeing.
Shame is a common trigger for disordered eating behavior and can come from many sources. It might be the way we always feel about ourselves, or especially around this time of year, the comments we hear from friends, family, or even strangers. According to Byrne, this first stage of shame leads us to stage two: restriction.
As Byrne puts it, “[y]ou think that your shame will disappear once you change your body and/or gain total control over your eating habits.” So, you go on a diet, remove certain foods from your diet, or simply eat less. No matter what method you pick, these are all forms of restriction. And, while you might have success at first, soon comes stage three: intense cravings.
Your cravings might be the dish you’ve decided you can’t have, or it might just be for food in general. You think about food all the time, obsessing over what you can and cannot eat. You track your mealtimes, hungry even when you just ate. Finally comes stage four: bingeing.
According to Byrne, “Eventually, your intense cravings get the best of you… So, [you] start eating an “off-limits” food and you just cannot stop yourself. You notice that you feel full, but it doesn’t matter… Before you know it, you’ve finished the box/bag/container of what you were eating, so you move on to something else. You’re barely even tasting the food at this point, but it doesn’t matter! You want it, and you can’t stop eating it.”
She does specify that this stage might not be experienced to this extreme. However, those in this stage all experience a certain psychological component, “feeling distressed, out of control, guilty, secretive, or all of the above.” After bingeing comes shame once again, possibly from losing control. Then the cycle beings again.
Restriction as a Weight Loss Tactic
As discussed above, shame is a common trigger for restriction. This includes feeling shame about your weight and using restriction as a weight loss tactic.
Nicole Goodrich touches on this topic in her post as well, explaining the negative effects of restrictive diets as a weight loss solution. To summarize, restrictive diets are not a weight loss solution “because the desire to eat will always be stronger than your desire to restrict your food intake.” In addition, your body will adjust to a decreased caloric intake and slow your metabolism. This can slow or stop any weight loss, and might even cause weight gain.
Rachael Hartley, RD, LDN, also speaks of the physical effects of restriction in her article and how the Restrict-Binge Cycle is actually a form of protection. Starvation has been one of the greatest threats to our survival since the beginning of time. Our bodies are built to survive periods of time without enough food and have a system to fight restriction.
Hartley describes this system as such: [o]ne of the ways your body protects you is by ramping up hunger hormones in response to restriction. Ghrelin, the main hunger hormone …stays elevated when you’re undernourished, even after a normal sized meal. In fact, a year after weight loss, ghrelin levels are still elevated while leptin, the fullness hormone, is suppressed. Your body is trying to signal, via hormones, for you to eat more food.”
According to Hartley, your brain is even more primed for this response if you have a history of dieting or an eating disorder. “Your body doesn’t know that you’re not eating enough because you’re trying to lose weight - it just recognizes the calorie deficit and reacts.”
What we can summarize from the sources above is that food restriction isn’t as simple as cutting foods or calories to lose weight. There are biological and psychological components to protect your body, but also keep you in this cycle of restriction and bingeing.
Practices to Prevent Restriction and Bingeing
Now, thanks to the work of research, informed Registered Dietitians, fat acceptance communities, and others, the ways we view and talk about food are shifting. Individuals and organizations alike are working to change harmful perceptions and reeducate people.
It’s going to take time and effort to unlearn the biases we’ve been taught about food and nutrition, but we’re headed in the direction of a better, more accepting public understanding of food and nutrition.
There are many resources with tips to prevent the Restrict-Binge cycle and help you get out of it. Here are a few of them!
Nicole Goodrich’s advice on preventing the cycle includes focusing on health rather than weight loss. Rather than prioritizing a number on a scale, choose to move in ways that feel good and eat nutritious meals. She also recommends avoiding skipping meals. One of her tips that I particularly like is her recommendation to be grateful for the food you have and the things you can eat.
Focus Integrative Centers has prompts to help reframe restrictive thoughts. For example, when you think “I can’t be still hungry, I just ate!” Focus Integrative Centers suggest reframing your thoughts to something like “[m]y body is telling me it needs more nutrients today. My body’s needs fluctuate day to day, it is my job to honor its needs regardless of if I just ate or not.”
Self has an article on food-related phrases to ban from your vocabulary, like “calories don’t count today.” I think these phrases are also good prep for the talk you might encounter from family and friends over the holidays. Even when we decide to start making changes and being more forgiving with ourselves and meals, that doesn’t mean other people will. You’ll still face judgment, but after reviewing this article, you might feel more prepared to handle it.
Consulting a Registered Dietitian is also an excellent idea if you want to reevaluate your eating habits. However, not all RDs are created equal, so look for one that aligns with your feelings and ideals (for example, one who supports body neutrality and doesn’t recommend diets).
The Takeaway
Enjoy your holiday meals! Be kind to yourself, honor your hunger, and don’t shy away from delicious dishes just because they have carbs or sugar.
Remember there are no good or bad foods, and the only “off-limits” foods you should have are ones you’re allergic to or don’t like (not including diets for ethical, religious, or medical reasons).
Try to eat mindfully, take your time and enjoy the things you’re eating, but it’s also okay if you overeat. Don’t skip meals to make up for it, and don’t try to “save your calories” for later. Restriction is not the answer and can lead you down a slippery slope to disordered eating.
If you’re concerned about your weight, you won’t magically gain 10 pounds from a heavy dinner (and a little fluctuation around this time of year is totally normal). I like to recommend making an effort to step away from the scale and focus more on the way you feel and the things you want to accomplish, which I think can be better indicators of health.
Lastly, take a deep breath! The holidays are stressful enough even without food concerns, so get your rest in when you can and try to stay calm.
If you want to discuss this article or have any questions, feel free to contact me! If you’re interested in signing up for personal training or want to talk about making exercise work during the holidays schedule your free consultation!