Why do I always think I need to change what I'm eating?

There are moments when it feels obvious that something about your eating needs to change.  An afternoon rolls around and your energy disappears or you finish dinner feeling bloated. 

Almost without thinking, your attention shifts to what you should do differently.  It feels obvious.  If you don't like how you feel, something about the way you're eating must need to change.

What's Behind It

The problem is that the moment only tells you how you feel.  It doesn't necessarily tell you why you feel that way.  Our bodies use the same signals—like hunger, cravings, bloating, fatigue, or weight changes—to communicate many different needs.

An afternoon slump can feel like your body needs another cup of coffee or something sweet. In reality, it may have started with a breakfast that didn't keep you full, a lunch that wasn't enough to carry you through the afternoon, or a day that became so busy you never really had a chance to eat.

The same is true for feeling bloated after dinner. Dinner gets the blame because it's the last thing that happened, but the discomfort may have started with arriving at dinner overly hungry, eating quickly because the evening felt rushed, or eating differently than usual after several days of travel or restaurant meals.

When the first explanation becomes the only explanation, it's easy to solve the wrong problem. You make a change, but nothing really improves. The next time something feels off, you try something else instead.  After a while, healthy eating starts to feel like guessing instead of understanding.

One Useful Rhythm

The next time something gets your attention, pause and ask:

• What am I feeling?
• What happened before this?
• What deserves my attention?

Your answers might point to a breakfast that didn't keep you full, a lunch that wasn't enough, a stressful day that left you looking for comfort, or a weekend rhythm that quietly disappeared.

You don't have to figure it all out.  The goal isn't to react more quickly.  It's to become curious before deciding what to change.  When you understand what deserves your attention, your next food choice becomes much easier.

Warmly,

Kim Stitzel, MS, RD
Founder, The Fuel Queen
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

Helping women discover what deserves their attention and build rhythms that fit real life.

P.S. Every week inside Rhythm, we practice looking beyond the first explanation. The goal isn't to react more quickly. It's to become more confident about what deserves your attention before deciding what to change.