Our thought patterns have a tremendous impact on our behaviors and our ability to grow and make changes.

Thinking about a non-food example — let’s say I am trying to have a productive work day (intended behavior). BUT, as life would have it, I slept miserably and have a terrible headache. I got out of bed later than I wanted and have barely crossed anything off my to-do list by the time early afternoon rolls around. Some common thought patterns here might be for me to start catastrophizing the day (Now my entire day is ruined! My whole week is going to be thrown off!), viewing the day as overly black-and white (I have gotten NOTHING done that I wanted… this day is an absolute failure) and continually judging myself for struggling to get done wanted I had planned and hoped.

Mentally reacting to my day in this way would likely cause me to continue spiraling throughout the day and week, veering even further from my original intentions.

Instead, a much more helpful response would be to recognize these unhelpful thought patterns, approach my day with flexibility and adjust as needed, show myself understanding and compassion, and live in the reality that I didn’t sleep well / am not feeling well instead of fighting reality by trying to plow ahead.

Like areas of our lives such as time/task management, habit-building, and health routines, many of us may have experience reacting to food with similar unhelpful thought patterns.

How we think about food has a great impact on how we engage with food.

In today’s blog post, I’m going to identify 10 common thought patterns that may be perpetuating any disordered eating you are struggling with.

For each thought pattern, I will provide an example as well as a way to reframe/look at the situation differently. I’ll also provide some additional tips and notes to consider. I hope you find this post helpful and something you can bookmark/come back to repeatedly!

10 Common Thought Patterns Perpetuating Your Disordered Eating:

(1) Black-and-white thinking:

Involves viewing food, or how you are relating to food, in an overly simplistic and rigid way.

Example: If I order a salad, that is “good,” and if I order a grilled cheese, that is “bad.”

Possible reframe: Both a salad and a grilled cheese sandwich have nutrients my body needs. Neither choice is “right” or “wrong.” The best/most helpful choice is likely whatever sounds most satisfying to me right now. I can go ahead and order the grilled cheese if that’s what I’d like. I can trust that I will get in more veggies later on / throughout the week.

Other notes/tips:

• Closely related to catastrophic thinking.
• A common thought pattern with the binge/restrict cycle. For example, if I ate one cookie (a violation of my perceived black-and-white rule), I messed up and failed…a “what the hell” attitude may ensue leading to more and more cookies… and then followed by restriction the next day to “get back on track.”

(2) Catastrophic thinking:

Over-assigning negative meaning to something.

Example: I hurriedly ate another piece of cake that I didn’t necessarily even want and now am feeling uncomfortably full. I’m never going to be able to eat mindfully / stop at a comfortable level of fullness.

Possible reframe: It is frustrating that I felt compulsive and rushed while eating the cake, and now don’t feel well physically. At the same time, the fact that I am bringing awareness to this dynamic is progress. Each meal/snack is another opportunity to practice calmer eating around food. At the same time, “perfectly mindful and calm eating at all times” doesn’t even exist for anyone, anyways.

Other notes/tips:

• When noticing catastrophic thinking, it can be helpful to ask yourself: “What if I am wrong here?” What if I’m not an absolute failure? What if I am actually making progress with my disordered eating? Am I willing to accept that I am possibly wrong with the narratives I am telling myself?

(3) Self-fulfilling prophecy:

The assumption you make that something is going to happen (maybe because it has been a pattern in the past) leads to a greater likelihood that said thing does happen (thus reinforcing your narrative about yourself and the behavior or situation).

Example: I’ll probably be upset after I see my exam score, and then I know I’m going to go to restricting food as a way to try and manage this.

Possible reframe: First of all, I don’t know yet what my exam score is. Secondly, I am growing in new and more helpful ways to manage my feelings instead of restricting. Just because I used restriction a lot to manage my feelings in the past doesn’t mean that pattern has to continue. I also have ___ (parent, friend, dietitian, or therapist) to help me.

Other notes/tips:

• It may also be helpful to consider how you can shift your mind to focus more on the present moment… instead of projecting into the future what is going to happen — (when we don’t know that… all we have to work with is the present…).

(4) Pessimistic thinking: 

Seeing or assuming only the worst about a situation. Glass-half-empty type of thinking.

Example: If I go on this trip, surely I will gain weight from all the eating out.

Possible reframe: Weight is a multi-faceted picture involving many factors over time (beyond food!!!). If I listen to my hunger/fullness signals most of the time, and pursue satisfaction as the main driving factor in my eating decisions, I can trust that my body will adjust and respond as needed. I can enjoy a vast variety of foods (including with dining out) and maintain a stable weight. (Another conversation could be had about whether this weight gain is “bad” or not.)

Other notes/tips:

• With the risk of sounding cliche, I think it is true that having a habit of gratitude is incredibly helpful for shifting pessimistic, overly negative thinking. Even if you can think of nothing to be grateful for about a situation, you could potentially be grateful that you are aware of the negative/undesired situation and thus have the ability to think about possible changes/paths forward.
• A common cycle with disordered eating: responding to your binge eating (or restricting, purging, etc.) in an overly negative and self-critical way –> ensues shame and guilt –> triggers more of the disordered eating behavior.

(5) “Should” statements:

Similar to black-and-white thinking, telling yourself you “should” always do something, or that one choice is the one you “should” make because it is “better” than the others.

Example: I should order the side salad instead of the fries. That is clearly the nutritionally “better” choice.

Possible reframe: If I am craving fries, maybe that is a good choice for tonight. What might help me feel most satisfied and able to move on with my meal?

Other notes/tips:

• Usually “should” statements aren’t taking into account the various facets of health and wellness. For example, telling yourself you “should” never have dessert could be discounting your emotional, mental, and relational health.
  • All aspects of our health and wellness are interconnected/influence one another.

(6) Conditional statements: 

If _______ happens/doesn’t happen, then I must do/not do _______. (Regardless of how I actually feel or what I actually think in the moment).

Example: Since I had such a big dinner last night, I need to have less at breakfast this morning (regardless of my physical hunger level when the time comes).

Possible reframe: My body still needs a balanced breakfast to start the day. I can tune into my hunger signals to help guide me with how much I may want to eat.

Other notes/tips:

• Conditional statements are what tend to happen when we over-fixate on future or past eating situations, rather than tuning into our bodies’ needs in the present.
• You are responsible for the current moment’s eating decisions. NOT “trying to make up for the past” or worrying about the future. Tuning into your body in the moment is going to be more helpful for feel more calm and centered around food going forward.

(7) Overgeneralizing:

Making a blanket, black-and-white statement.

Example: All carbs are bad.

Possible reframe: Carbs are an essential macronutrient that provide nutrients/energy for a wide range of bodily functions. A well-balanced meal includes a source of each macronutrient, including carbohydrates. Many different foods and varieties of carbohydrate sources can be included in a healthy diet. (Not to mention, avoiding an entire macronutrient tends to lead to total chaos mentally around food).

(8) Mind-reading:

Assuming what others are thinking about you.

Example: If I eat in front of others, they will judge the type or amount of food I am eating.

Possible reframe: Unless directly told to me, I can’t assume what others are thinking about me. If anyone is judging me for my food choices, that is about them and their issues, not me. I can stay in my own “eating lane” with confidence and stay committed to my own health/food choices.

(9) Comparison:

So many flavors and varieties!

Example: I am not as thin as _______.

Possible reframe: Bodies come in all shapes and sizes. There will always be someone larger or smaller than me. I can continue focusing on healthy, life-giving behaviors instead of manipulating my body size. Not to mention, I can’t know someone’s health status or fitness level just by looking at their body size / knowing their weight.

(10) “It’s not my fault” thinking: 

Shifting responsibility for behaviors.

Example: I would eat more / follow my meal plan if I did not feel so full and disgusted afterwards.

Possible reframe: Even though recovery is challenging and uncomfortable, eating more will help me digest and tolerate food better in the long run. I can ask my parents/dietitian for ideas to help with feeling more comfortable physically in the meantime, and can work on the guilt in my therapy + nutrition counseling appointments.

A few closing thoughts on how to work on shifting your thinking around food:

The first step to changing your thinking is to become more aware of your thinking. Ways to practice awareness include noticing when you are having unhelpful thought patterns around food in the moment and writing them down, or writing a few brief reflections at the end of the day. For example, you could write a specific unhelpful thought you noticed about food (ex: “I felt hungry in the afternoon but told myself I shouldn’t eat”) and write down what type of thought pattern you think it is. Bringing these types of journaling insights to nutrition counseling sessions is especially helpful! 3 of the key themes I try to focus on in sessions include: thoughts patterns with food, emotional engagement with food, and actual food/nutrition patterns.

Begin to challenge your thinking over time. Start to ask yourself questions like: do I know that this thought is true? What if it isn’t true? What beliefs or values are behind this thought? Is this thought coming from my Healthy Self or my Disordered Eating Self? What might be a different/healthier perspective?

Consider what kind of relationship with food these thoughts may be driving, and if this is a “direction” you want to go. How is this way of relating to food ultimately serving or harming your health and the life you want to be living?