Is Every Thought About Food Really Food Noise?

Does every thought or feeling you have about food need to be considered food noise?

I don't think it does.

One of the themes I keep coming back to in these conversations is that you need to decide what food noise means to you. What thoughts and feelings are actually disruptive? Which ones cause anxiousness, guilt, or shame? And which thoughts about food are simply part of being a person who eats, enjoys food, sees food constantly, and lives in a culture where food messaging is everywhere?

The term food noise has done something valuable. It's given people language to describe thoughts and feelings around food that they may have experienced for years without having a name for them.

But there's another side to that.

Once we give something a label, it's very easy to start treating everything underneath that label as inherently bad.

We've seen similar all-or-nothing conversations happen throughout the history of weight loss and fitness. Eventually, two opposing sides develop, while most people's actual experiences probably exist somewhere in between.

That's where I want you to find your answer.

In this episode, I talk about why thinking about food doesn't automatically mean you lack willpower or need more structure. We're surrounded by food messaging. It's in advertising, entertainment, travel, social media, and the phones we carry around all day. Of course we're going to think about food sometimes.

And some thoughts and feelings around food can be enjoyable and useful.

If you're taking a GLP-1 and you've finally experienced relief from years of overwhelming thoughts around food, enjoy that relief for as long as you need it. You don't have to rush yourself into the next stage.

But when you're ready, remember that you get to create your own rules for what food noise means in your life.

Not every thought about food has to become something you're afraid of.

If you want to share your experience or perspective, email me at Daryl@YourLevelFitness.com.

If you want to continue the conversation around food noise, join the Your Level Fitness live streams:

yourlevelfitness.com/stream