I need to tell you something that might surprise you: that voice in your head that rebels against your eating plans isn’t trying to screw you over. It’s trying to protect you.
As a family physician who spent years fighting herself around food, I wasted way too much time thinking I was broken. Perfect meal prep Sunday night. Feeling like a total boss. Then by Thursday, I’m eating takeout in my car wondering what the hell is wrong with me.
Sound familiar? Yeah, I thought so.
The Truth About Food Rebellion
Here’s what I learned after years of this BS: rebellion around food isn’t a character flaw. It’s your brain responding normally to diet culture’s terrible rules.
Think about it this way. Diet culture basically tells anyone with a body that holds weight: “You never get to eat normally again. While everyone else enjoys birthday cake, you sit over there with your sad desk salad. Forever.”
No wonder we want to give that a big middle finger.
Why Physicians Struggle More with Food Rebellion
As women in medicine, we face some unique crap that makes food rebellion even more intense:
We’re used to being in control. We make life-and-death decisions daily. But diet culture wants us to hand over all our power to external rules and meal plans? Hell no!
We hate being told what to do. Seriously – do you like it when anyone else commands you around? “You have to do this. You’re not allowed that anymore.” Of course your brain pushes back.
We’re already restricted enough. Between call schedules, hospital demands, and family stuff, the last thing we need is more rules around food.
What Food Rebellion Actually Looks Like
You might not recognize rebellion when it shows up. For some people, it feels obvious – like “I rebel against diet rules.” But for many of us, it doesn’t show up quite so in your face.
Sometimes what we call self-sabotage is actually rebellion. The key difference? Rebellion feels like your actions aren’t in line with what you actually wanted. Your intent was to follow through, but then your actions were different. And that can be really frustrating.
Here’s what rebellion actually looks like:
- Sunday night: “I’m meal prepping and eating clean this week!” Wednesday night: “Screw it, I’m ordering pizza and I don’t care”
- Eating perfectly all day, then standing in your kitchen at 10 PM thinking “You know what? I’ve been good enough. I deserve this entire sleeve of cookies”
- Being on a strict plan for three weeks, then hitting one social event and thinking “Forget all of it, I’m eating everything and drinking all the wine”
- Deliberately choosing the least healthy option because you’re tired of being “good” all the time
The key here is the attitude. It’s not just overeating – it’s the “screw this” mentality that comes with it.
And here’s the thing – this rebellious streak in you? It’s actually really powerful and it’s probably gotten you really far places in life. Think about it like a toddler or teenager (and let’s be real, sometimes there’s not a lot of difference between them). When you try to tell them what to do, they don’t like it. They’re seeking autonomy, some control in their own lives.
Sometimes parts of our brain function more like that toddler – more reactive, more primitive. It’s not your logical brain doing the rebellion. It’s deeper, more subconscious. And it makes total sense.
If any of this sounds like your life, you’re not broken. You’re just human. And honestly? You’re smarter than the diet industry gives you credit for.
The Empowered Eating Approach That Changes Everything
After years of fighting myself, I discovered something that completely changed my relationship with food: empowered eating.
Here’s how it works: I live my life knowing I can eat absolutely anything I want. There’s nothing I’m “not allowed” to have. I could get up right now and drive to get as much junk food as I want.
But – and this is key – I usually choose not to. Not because I’m “not allowed,” but because I have my own reasons for choosing differently.
When I eat a lot of carbs and sugar, I get headaches. My joints hurt. My energy crashes. My mood gets bitchy. After years of paying attention, I’ve learned that eating lower carb just makes me feel better.
The difference is huge. Instead of “I can’t have that bread because I’m on a diet,” it’s “Of course I could have that bread, but I know I’ll feel crappy in an hour, so maybe I don’t need it right now.”
Same behavior. Completely different internal experience. And here’s the beautiful thing – when you feel truly empowered around your food choices, there’s nothing left to rebel against. You’re not fighting external rules because you’re making your own decisions based on what serves you.
The Abundance Strategy
The other game-changer is shifting from restriction to abundance. When I do plan my food (which isn’t often because I usually don’t have time? And honestly, sometimes it feels too diet-y), I don’t create a restrictive meal plan.
Instead of writing out the “perfect” version of my eating – like “I’m allowed this at breakfast and only this at lunch and only this amount of dinner and no snacks” – I do something completely different.
I write down healthy options that I think would work. I don’t write amounts on them. I trust myself that in the moment, I can decide how much I need. If you really feel like you need amounts, put ranges rather than set amounts, because set amounts feel like rules. And rules make us want to rebel.
Then I ask myself: “What else might I want today?”
Things like:
- Do I think I’ll want a snack during the day when I’m at my office? If so, I plan one.
- Do I think I’ll want something sweet after dinner? I plan it.
- Do I think I’ll want some wine tonight? I plan it.
What happens is my food plan ends up being very abundant because I often plan more food than I end up eating. My brain knows there’s plenty planned and I have permission for more if needed, so it relaxes. I’m not in scarcity mode.
Often, I end up eating less than what I planned because I don’t feel deprived. My food plan becomes a framework, not a prison. And frameworks feel completely different than rules.
How to Start Working With Your Rebellion
Step 1: Stop calling it self-sabotage. You’re not broken. You’re responding normally to crappy rules that don’t fit your life.
Step 2: Ask better questions. Instead of “How do I follow this diet better?” ask “How can I feel more empowered around my food choices?”
Step 3: Practice the “of course I could” mindset. Of course I could eat that. Of course I could have seconds. Of course I could order dessert. I’m an adult who gets to choose.
Step 4: Find YOUR reasons. What are your personal reasons for choosing healthier options? How do different foods make YOU feel?
Step 5: Plan abundantly. If you meal plan, include things you might want, not just things you think you should eat.
Why This Matters for Your Medical Career
When you’re not constantly fighting yourself around food, you have more mental energy for everything else. No more standing in front of the fridge at midnight thinking about what you “should” eat. No more guilt after eating something off your plan.
You get to show up fully for your patients, your family, and yourself.
The rebellious part of you that fights diet rules? That’s the same part that probably helped you get through medical school, residency, and all the challenges of being a woman in medicine. It’s not your enemy. It’s your ally – you just need to point it in the right direction.
Listen to the podcast episode below.
Ready to stop fighting yourself around food? Learn more about working with me inside Thrive Academy for Physicians, my small group coaching program that takes you from feeling out of control to at peace with food.
Recent Comments