Does your mind constantly feels full of thoughts about food? What you should or shouldn’t eat, whether you’ve been “good” or “bad,” how today’s food might affect your weight? If so, you’re not alone.
Many women feel like they’re in a never-ending mental battle with food. Constant second-guessing. Feeling guilty anytime they have something ‘unhealthy’. The “I’ll start again Monday” cycle. It’s exhausting, and it can feel impossible to escape.
This mental chatter is what we term ‘food noise’.
It’s that non-stop inner dialogue about food and body image that drains your energy, steals your joy, and makes healthy living feel like a chore rather than a choice.
But here’s the good news:
You can quiet that noise.
You can feel calm and in control around food.
And you can still lose weight while eating foods you love – in a way that’s sustainable, empowering, and doesn’t involve rigid rules or constant guilt.
In this post, I’ll show you six practical steps to help you do just that.
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Build Awareness – Without Judgement
The first step to changing your relationship with food is becoming more aware of your thoughts, patterns, and triggers – without beating yourself up for them.
Start to notice:
- When do the loudest food thoughts show up?
- Are you physically hungry, or emotionally eating out of boredom, stress, or habit?
- What stories are you telling yourself about what you should or shouldn’t eat?
You’re not trying to ‘fix’ anything straight away.
Just observe. Gently. With curiosity, not criticism.
Try this:
Keep a simple journal where you jot down what you eat, how you felt before and after, and any thoughts that came up. This builds powerful insights about your habits and thought patterns. Recognising those patterns helps you respond – rather than react – to food choices.
2. Eat Regular, Balanced Meals
Many women undereat during the day – whether intentionally to try to lose weight, or simply because life is busy. But when your body doesn’t get what it needs, food noise gets louder. Your brain becomes hyper-focused on food, and you’re much more likely to feel out of control later.
What helps?
Build regular meals that include:
- Protein (e.g. eggs, chicken, meat, fish, tofu, tempeh, Greek yoghurt)
- Fibre (vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains)
- Healthy fats (oily fish, nuts, seeds, eggs, olive oil, avocado)
Aim to eat every 3–5 hours and avoid letting yourself get overly hungry. When your body is nourished, your mind quiets down.
3. Ditch the All-or-Nothing Mentality
One of the biggest things keeping women stuck is perfectionism around food.
The belief that you’re either “on track” or “off track.” You’re either being good, or you’ve failed.
Here’s the truth:
You don’t need to eat perfectly to make progress.
Progress comes from consistency – not perfection.
Instead of pressing the ‘f*** it’ button after one less-nutritious choice, ask:
“What’s the next kind choice I can make for myself?”
This mindset builds resilience, reduces guilt, and keeps you moving forward.
4. Include Foods You Love – Mindfully and Guilt-Free
Many women think they need to cut out their favourite foods to lose weight. But actually, it’s often restricting them that makes us want them more. It fuels the obsession and increases the likelihood of overeating later.
Instead, give yourself full permission to eat the foods you love. To lose weight, you’ll need to be selective, and choose your moments to indulge. But when it’s worth it, go for it. Practise eating slowly, mindfully, without guilt, and enjoy each bite.
This is what helps break the “I’ll be good all week, then binge at the weekend” cycle.
Try this:
Pick a food you often feel guilty about. Eat it without distractions, paying attention to the taste, texture, and how it makes you feel. You might be surprised at how much more satisfied you feel when you truly enjoy it.
5. Reduce Exposure to Diet Culture
What you consume mentally affects how you feel about your body and your food choices.
If your social media feed is filled with people’s amazing (questionable long-term) results from diet plans and weight loss jabs, with other people telling you how fruit makes you fat (it doesn’t), it’s no wonder your brain is overwhelmed with food rules, comparison and self-doubt.
What to do? Take control of your environment.
Unfollow or mute any accounts that don’t make you feel good.
Instead, follow people who promote self-compassion, balance, healthy habits, and sustainable approaches to fitness and weight loss.
Protect your peace – it matters.
6. Focus on How You Want to Feel
It’s completely valid to want to lose weight. But what if that wasn’t the only goal?
What if you focused on:
- Feeling strong and energised
- Sleeping better and managing stress
- Having more headspace and confidence
- Feeling in control without obsessing
When you shift your mindset from “how do I look?” or “what do the scales say?” to “how do I want to feel?” and “what am I proud of?”, your motivation becomes more powerful, and longer-lasting.
Ask yourself:
- What’s one habit I can focus on this week that supports how I want to feel?
- What’s one way I can be kind to myself and my body today?
That’s where sustainable change begins.
This podcast goes into much more detail on habits:
Final Thoughts
Breaking free from food noise isn’t about willpower.
It’s about understanding your thoughts, meeting your body’s needs, and treating yourself with kindness and respect.
You can lose weight without feeling obsessed or deprived.
You can create new patterns that support your health and happiness.
And you can feel calm, in control, and confident around food again.
If you’d love some support doing that — that’s exactly what I help women with.
Check out the link below for more information and to apply for coaching:
Online Weight Loss Coaching with Hayley
