“I don’t want to feel deprived.”
“I don’t want to be restricted.”
I hear this from clients all the time. They’re convinced that to lose weight they need to be restricted, which equals deprivation and deprivation equals misery. So, to avoid feeling unhappy, they keep overeating.
But here’s the kicker: overeating isn’t making them happy either.
So now they’re caught in a frustrating tug-of-war: fearing restriction on one side and facing the discomfort of overeating on the other.
The Big Lie About Overeating
We believe overeating makes us feel good. It’s the ultimate lie. The chips, the cake, the “one more slice of pizza” moment—they promise comfort, satisfaction, joy. But let’s be real: how often does overeating leave you feeling good?
It doesn’t, right?
Because when the momentary thrill fades, what’s left? The discomfort of being too full, the guilt about eating more than your body needed and the frustration of feeling stuck in the same old pattern.
Yet, when we think about stepping away from overeating, we tell ourselves we’ll be deprived and miserable. Like somehow stopping this behavior that makes us unhappy will lead to…more unhappiness?
More Food Doesn’t Solve the Problem
Too many of us are caught up believing the lie that overeating makes us feel good. And when we think about giving up overeating, we tell ourselves that we have to be unhappy and unfulfilled and give up feeling good.
But really, you aren't giving up feeling good. Overeating doesn't really feel good to you. In fact, you know that if you start off feeling unhappy and you add extra food and weight to your body, you will feel worse.
Increasing the problem to relieve your feelings about the problem doesn't make much sense, right?
But we don't see this. We're too busy overeating instead.
Overeating pulls you away from yourself. It's the opposite of awareness. It’s numbing out.
Overeating may provide you a temporary escape, but it steals your connection to what your body actually needs.
What would life be like if you could stop when you’ve had just enough?
What if you could savour every bite?
What if you stopped eating when your body signals it’s satisfied?
What if you set down your fork feeling energised, rather than stuffed?
There’s no food guilt, no inner debate over how you should have eaten less and no sluggishness from going beyond what your body needed.
This is not about feeling restricted, it’s about feeling empowered and trusting yourself. Trusting your body to tell you what it needs and when it’s had enough.
You’d have more energy to do the things you enjoy, more clarity in listening to your body’s cues and know you’re aligned with what your body truly needs. You’d spend less time worrying about food and more time enjoying life.
You will have freed yourself from the lies that are currently keeping you stuck.
It’s about stepping into a version of yourself that’s connected, aware and knows what she needs.
Sound good? I can help you find that for yourself.
