Principle #4: Challenge the Food Police

Scream a loud " no" to thoughts in your head that declare you're "good" for eating under 1,000 calories or "bad" because you ate a piece of chocolate cake. The "Food Police" monitor the unreasonable rules that dieting has created. Chasing the food police away is a critical step in returning to Intuitive Eating.

Tips for Challenging the Food Police:

1. Identify your distorted food, dieting and eating thoughts and myths. Throw them out and replace them with the truth.

2. Listen for destructive voices which can speak harmful thoughts. Thoughts such as this food is bad or this food is good. Or I can only eat so many calories in a day, etc.

3. Develop helpful thoughts that can get you through hard times and make your eating relationship more comfortable.

4. Watch out for negative self-talk based on following irrational beliefs and distorted thinking such as: all or nothing, exaggerated thoughts, pessimistic thinking and linear thinking (allowing for no variables).

5. Replace negative self talk with postive self talk based on rational thinking. Focus on continual change and learning.