Why eating more helps you eat less…
Eating More: Why Restriction is Holding You Back
You might be wondering, “Why focus on eating more when so many of us are trying to eat less?” Well, I’ve found that embracing this mindset shift transformed not just my body but also my mind. This is also how REALLY you boost your metabolism without feeling miserable!!
Restriction to Freedom
For years, I was trapped in a cycle of trying to eat less. I was obsessed with getting smaller, avoiding junk food, and adhering to the “cleaner is better” mentality. I’d convinced myself that I was destined to be overweight because no matter how hard I tried—working out seven days a week, cutting out cheese, gluten, and other foods—it never worked. I believed that being fit and toned was purely genetic and unattainable for someone like me.
But everything changed when I stopped restricting myself and started eating more. The results were astonishing: I lost 15 pounds, but more importantly, I felt more at peace with food and my body. This journey led me to start my nutrition coaching business, Eat More with Julia, and to become an advocate for eating more as a way to achieve sustainable health and wellness… I coach on weight loss strategies that work without creating suffering.
The Science Behind Eating More
The more I learned, the more I realized there are cognitive, scientific, and metabolic reasons why eating more can actually help you reach your goals—whether it’s weight loss, weight maintenance, or getting stronger. Here’s the kicker: by intentionally eating more, you may accidentally eat less, as you reduce episodes of overeating and self-sabotage.
I want to share two key frameworks that explain why eating more is so effective.
The first is psychological, rooted in the scarcity principle, and the second is physiological, based on your body’s hormonal and metabolic responses.
The Scarcity Principle and Overeating
Let’s start with the psychological aspect. There’s a concept called the scarcity principle, which suggests that when something is perceived as scarce, its value increases. This is similar to how we value real diamonds over lab-grown ones—they’re rare, so they seem more precious.
When you restrict certain foods, like cookies, telling yourself they’re off-limits, you’re subconsciously placing them on a pedestal. You start to crave them more, obsessing over the idea of having them. And when you finally give in, you’re likely to overeat because you’ve built them up so much in your mind.
This is a classic example of the scarcity principle at work. Your brain is tricked into thinking that the reward of eating the “forbidden” food will be greater than it actually is. But in reality, when you finally eat it, the experience often doesn’t live up to the hype.
Food Habituation: Making Peace with Food
The solution to this problem is something called food habituation. This concept involves making a food less special by exposing yourself to it regularly. The idea is that if you eat a food every day, the novelty wears off, and you no longer feel an intense desire for it.
For example, if you love cookies but feel out of control around them, try allowing yourself to eat a cookie every day for a month. Over time, you’ll notice that cookies start to lose their power over you. They become just another food, rather than a special treat you can’t resist.
In the book *Intuitive Eating*, the authors discuss how repeated exposure to a food decreases its behavioral and physiological impact. A 2011 study mentioned in the book showed that women who ate the same food daily for five weeks experienced a decrease in their desire for that food. This is the power of food habituation in action—it helps you reconnect with your true hunger cues and reduces the emotional charge around food.
The Power of Choice
The goal of this process isn’t just about controlling your portions—it’s about reclaiming your ability to make choices. When you practice food habituation, you give yourself the freedom to choose what you truly want, rather than being driven by scarcity-driven urges. This autonomy is key to developing a healthy relationship with food.
The Metabolic Perspective: Your Body’s Hunger Cues
Now, let’s shift to the physiological side of things. Your metabolism is more than just a calorie-burning machine—it’s responsible for maintaining life. About 60% of the calories you burn each day go towards essential functions like keeping your brain, heart, liver, and lungs working.
When you don’t eat enough, your body perceives this as a threat to survival. It responds by increasing hunger signals, driven by hormones like leptin and ghrelin. Leptin suppresses hunger, while ghrelin increases it.
When you’re in a state of energy deficiency—whether from dieting or having a low body fat percentage—your body lowers leptin levels and increases ghrelin, making you hungrier. This is your body’s way of ensuring you get enough food to stay alive.
The Takeaway: Listen to Your Body
So, if you’ve been struggling with yo-yo dieting, constant hunger, and feeling out of control around food, it might be time to reconsider your approach. Instead of trying to eat less, try eating more—more mindfully, more intentionally, and with more focus on nourishing your body rather than depriving it.
And if you need help along the way, remember that I offer coaching programs to support women on this journey. You don’t have to go through it alone. Keep tuning in to this podcast, where I’ll be sharing more tips and insights on how to embrace the power of eating more.
Ultimately, the goal is to create a healthy relationship with food, where you can trust yourself and make choices that align with your long-term health and happiness.
Want more? I have a whole podcast episode on this!!
Listen to the More Mindful Podcast: HERE!!
