Balancing your account is a step in learning to become a better intuitive eater, but it’s not the only factor. After years of dieting/restricting/overeating/binging, I know you have tons of thoughts going on in your head when it comes to food. Those thoughts can get in the way of you succeeding.
So, what’s Food Noise?
Food Noise is your negative inner food dialogue, commenting on and criticizing everything you eat, or think about eating, or don’t eat. Food noise hounds you for screwing up by eating pizza, or pasta. It yells at you for not going to the gym. It reminds you of the number you saw on the scale and it yells all day long, making you feel bad–or good–if you lost a few pounds, as if a two-pound water weight loss makes you a better person.
It’s a product of the past, as well as of current stress and anxiety. Food noise tells each person something different, but you may need to recognize your food noise for what it is, so that you can stop dignifying it with a response.
So what’s your food voice? If your food noise is the devil on your left shoulder that tells you eat to eat a cheeseburger b/c you saw one on a commercial, then your food voice is the angel on your right shoulder that has the real information on whether or not you REALLY want a cheeseburger. It tells you what you really want and need.
Your food voice sounds like this : Wait a minute. I don’t really like fat-free cookies. I want a real cookie. And that’s ok!
Your food voice is your body’s organic sense of self. It tells you what to eat based on what your body really wants, and it tells you when you’ve had enough. It’s nice to you and makes you feel good.
Do you have a hard time listening to your food voice? I know I do, and I often still listen to my food noise, but I’m getting better.
PS–I got a new Q & A page filled with questions people have asked me. If you would like to ask me a questions, leave it in the comment section, email me at LisaOkie@gmail.com, or submit it anonymously HERE.
Have a good weekend!
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My food voice is still pretty quiet because my food noise was talking over it and it gave up. But I’m trying to let it out now
Hey Lisa! I have lots of catching up to do with your blog!
I am proud to say I am getting really really good and listening to my actual food voice…it’s changed my way of thinking so much! I feel at peace
I really appreciate the concept of Food Voice over Food Noise. I have tried many healthy eating plans, but I agree with the Food Voice concept now. I tend to be healthier in body, mind, and spirit when I listen to it instead of rules, even healthy ones.
This is so well-written and so very true. For years all that I listened to was food noise. It literally rang in my ears every waking minute. Sad. I still hear it throughout the day, but I have chosen to listen to my food voice instead. I hear it much more often now and most of the time I focus in on my the angel asking me what I truly want and need for my body. For example, I passed up on dessert last night… not because of the calories or anything like that… but b/c I knew I was already full and if I still wanted it tomorrow, then it’ll still be available for me to have, but it would not be worth getting a belly ache over.
I have a hard time hearing my food voice over my food voice shouting at me sometimes.
I’ve been slowly getting better at it. If I’m thinking about eating something “naughty” I’ll have a big glass of water and try to think about it for 15 minutes or take a walk and see if it passes. Also, I try to figure out what my body is craving. For example, if I’m craving something salty, like potato chips I try to have something with protein. Or if I’m craving something sweet, I’ll try fruit or a smoothie. Not really sure if there’s anything proven about this, but it seems to work for me!
My food voice can sometimes be annoying but right now she is quietly sleeping! Good post…as always!
love this post. i like the terms a lot. pretty self-explanatory and logical yet so many of us have issues distinguishing the difference.
i’ve had such issues with caving into my food noise with binging/restricting/overexercising but lately i’m trying to be more intuitive and listen to my food voice that i truly believe our bodies have!
It’s definitely hard for me to block out the “food noise” voice but I’m working on it! Intuitive Eating is such a helpful book.
This post goes perfectly with what I have been thinking lately. After my workouts I have been feeling the need to eat more. But I tried to ignore that because I thought it would defeat the purpose of me working out. But then I realized, wait I need to listen to myself (food voice) and realize that my body is requiring more fuel for all my extra exercise (training for a half0marathon). So I’m glad you talked about this because it just reinforces my thoughts. Thanks girl!
Food noise vs. food voice…I like that distinction. I must say the noise is always there, but the voice always is sweeter and not as annoying, so I tend to want to listen to that voice more.
Learning how to listen to your food voice is really difficult but I think once you learn when to eat and exactly what you need, you feel so much healthier.
Great post
I think I do pretty well with listening to my food voice. I try to listen to my body’s cravings, because they usually mean that I’m missing something, or I’m eating too many of the same types of foods.
I just wrote a post talking about this sort of thing, based on a book called Integrative Nutrition.
My food noise is extremely strong but lately I’ve been able to tap into my food voice instead. I’ve found that when I eat more clean, eat what I really want, and eat every 2-3 hours, it’s SO much easier to listen to the voice instead of the noise.
I’m so glad you brought this up because until this post, I never even thought about having two different “food” categories.
That is a great way to talk about what is going on in our heads. This is a great post. Love how you explain it. I hope you are done with the noise and simply listen to the voice.
Luckily I have discovered all of these wonderful blogs at such an early age, so I have discovered that it is our food voice we should be listening to you. I loved this post! It really got me thinking
-Court
My food voice is kind of the devil sometimes. It likes to tell me that I MUST go to the gym everyday..no breaks..and that I have to only eat healthy. I am trying to ignore this little voice sometimes though..because it’s definitly not the life I always want to live.
Great post! I’m definitely getting better at listening to my food voice! I think that if everyone listened to it, there would be a lot less diet books being sold.
I picked up “Naturally Thin” and started reading it again. It’s been about a year since I last read it and I’m so glad I’m checking it out again – there are a lot of great reminders in the book! I LOVE the idea of treating your “diet” like a bank account…it truly is all about balance.
Just found your blog and this post is KILLER! Loved it, I try to listen to my food voice for the most part. I think it’s so important to listen to what you NEED rather than what you WANT – but at the same time, sometimes you need to have what you want as well. It’s all about a healthy balance (:
Nothing to do with this post, but you guys should TOTALLY come to San Antonio! I think you would love it
I need a twinsie!!
I really like this concept! It’s hard to push the food noise aside though. I like how food noise is described as ‘yelling’ because it really is harsh most of the time.
Food Noise can be the loudest voice we ever hear in our lives! i know that every woman has to have dealt with this in their time, some more than others. I wish we could shut that damn voice up sometimes.. breathing helps tho, and just reminding ourselves to slow down, dont analyze too much, and remember that the thoughts arent true theyre just stupid jabber!
AWESOME POST!
xoxo <3
Love that book! Yes, like so many women I have a very hard time hearing my food voice. It tends to get quiet amongst all the food noise. I’m working on it, though
The whole progression of listening to my food noise vs. food voice has been interesting lately. A while ago I really ate a lot of whatever I wanted, and I was overweight and unhealthy due to it. In college I did sort of an overhaul of how I ate and I lost a good bit, but I think I still struggled with what I listened to. Slowly I got better, but had a lot of slip ups along the way. Recently I think that I’ve been doing a really good job with focusing on my Food Voice, and it feels great when I am in line with that voice. When I fall prey to the noise, I usually feel icky the next day or right after!
This is a great post, Lisa. It clarifies the difference nicely and is a great reminder to make that differentiation in life.
Thank you!
What a great post – this is my first time reading your blog, and I think it’s safe to say it won’t be my last
The idea of a food voice guiding you, versus a destructive food noise is so interesting, and is definitely something I want to carry with me, because I struggle with this a lot!
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