Your Inner Food Critics—And How To Get Them to Pipe Down!
Ever feel like there’s a tiny (but ridiculously loud) voice in your head constantly critiquing everything you do, but especially when it comes to your food choices?
"I can’t believe you ate that entire bowl of pasta. What’s wrong with you?"
"Ugh, you have no self-control. Why did you go back for seconds?"
"You shouldn’t be hungry again already. You just ate—why can’t you get it together?"
"Great, you ruined the whole day with that dessert. Might as well just keep going."
That voice is your Inner Food Critic.
One of my clients recently told me she’d finally silenced her Inner Food Critic who used to tell her “You can lose the weight, but you’ll still be flabby.” And “You shouldn’t be eating that!”
But before I could congratulate her, she told me that now she’s worried she can keep eating in a way to keep the weight she’s lost off.
Guess what? That’s just the same Inner Critic in a different disguise.
Although this inner voice is called the Inner Food Critic, it’s not always outright mean. In fact, it’s not about criticism at all—it’s about fear.
If it’s making you second-guess yourself, doubt your choices or lose sleep over food (or life in general), it’s still your Inner Critic doing the talking.
Which Inner Critic Is Messing with You?
Meet Your Inner Critics: The Voices Running the Show
🧐 Comparison Queen Carla – Carla is obsessed with what everyone else is eating, wearing, doing and how they look (always slimmer than you BTW!) She’s the reason you’ve tried every diet in the magazines and why you spiral when your best friend loses weight on some new cleanse.
😞 Defeated Debbie – Debbie is exhausted before she even starts. “Eating healthy is too hard. Cooking takes too much time. I’ll never get this right.” She drains your motivation before you even get going.
⚫ All-or-Nothing Amy – If Amy can’t do it perfectly, she won’t do it at all. One “off” meal? Might as well eat everything in sight. Missed a workout? Guess today’s a write-off. She’s the reason you feel like you have to start over every Monday.
🌪 Doomsday Dana – Dana assumes disaster is right around the corner. “If you eat that cookie, you’ll lose all control. If you stop dieting, you’ll gain 10 kilos overnight.” She thrives on fear and worst-case scenarios.
🤯 Worrying Wendy – Wendy overthinks everything. “Was that enough protein? Too many carbs? Should I have chosen the salad instead? Will this ruin my progress?” She turns every food choice into a stressful mental debate.
📋 Should-ing Sharon – Sharon has a running list of rules for you. “You should eat less. You should work out more. You should be able to resist that dessert.” She piles on expectations, making eating feel like a never-ending checklist.
🙄 Negative Nelly – Nelly never has a nice thing to say—about herself or anyone else. “I look terrible. I’m so stupid. That was such a bad food choice.” If there’s something negative to find, she’ll find it.
🔄 Blaming Betty – Everything is Betty’s fault—even things she had nothing to do with. When things go wrong, she turns to food to cope or restricts herself as punishment.
💨 Busy-Bee Beth – Beth never. Stops. Doing. She thrives on being busy, but at the expense of, well…everything. Including eating mindfully.
🤔 Second-Guessing Susie – Susie can’t make a decision to save her life. Cake or no cake? Salad or sandwich? She second-guesses everything, making food choices feel like high-stakes negotiations.
💥 Overreacting Olivia – Olivia takes everything personally. A casual comment from a friend? A deep-cutting insult (even if it wasn’t meant that way). If something doesn’t go her way, she assumes she’s failed—and food often becomes her comfort zone.
☁ Hopeless Henrietta – Henrietta is convinced change is impossible. “You’ve tried before and failed, so why even bother?” She keeps you stuck by making sure you never believe in yourself long enough to see progress.
🔙 Regretful Robin – Robin loves to remind you of every “bad” food choice you’ve ever made. “Remember when you ate that whole pizza? Or when you quit that diet after a week? You always do this.” She keeps you too busy feeling guilty to actually move forward.
Any of these sound like they’ve been living rent-free in your head?
Taking Back the Mic from Your Inner Critic
The good news? These voices aren’t who you truly are. They're just outdated scripts running on autopilot—messages you've picked up over time from culture, friends, family or social media.
The trick is to recognise that these voices are there, but don't take them personally.
Think of the inner critic as well-meaning, but a bit (okay, very) overzealous. It’s trying to help, but it’s often more of a hindrance. It’s protective instincts are often overblown. It thinks it’s saving you from failure, but in reality, it’s keeping you stuck in a comfort zone that’s limiting your potential.
But you’ve got the power to rein it in.
Next time that inner critic speaks up, thank it for the message, check if it's actually helpful and if not, there’s a few things you can do.
Turn down the volume.
If it’s quite critical you can let it know so. “That was a bit harsh,” was a common phrase I’d tell my Inner Critic.
Choose a better thought. You are the creator of your thoughts, so you can change them. How about “I’m doing the best I can.”
What you think matters just as much as what you eat. And the only person who can change your mind is you.
So let’s make that inner voice a bit more compassionate, shall we?💕