frozen yogurt and Crispit cereal before bed. I have learned so much from you!! I am 66 years old and have strggled with an ed since I was 13. I am also 13 years sober. I have restless leg and if I dont get enough to eat my restless leg goes whacko!!! This year I discovered the gym. I love it!!! It is like an adult playground for me. And my body image issues are melting away for the very first time. I have in the past either over excersized compulsively or did nothing...both creating feeling of depression and hopelessness. This is a completely different experience. I have a paid 72 year old female trainer who has a normal body type. she is a grandma with 2 grandkids. I have let go of my dietition....who watches your videos cause I talked about you all the time .Thank you from the bottom of my heart!! You rock!!!!
Your rule about moving your body made my smile, because it's similar to one of my mother's rules when we were growing up. My mother was raised by Holocaust survivor parents, so she was often pushed to eat-eat-eat, and then shamed for her weight. She was determined to break the cycle with myself and my younger brother, so she started giving us the messaging around age four or five that "if you eat a variety of foods and move your body every day, your body will find the perfect body for you." I won't say this worked perfectly for me (particularly when I was in the Navy and being a particular weight was part of fitness standards), but it really did stave off a lot of the issues I could have had in my teenage years. She added on a message for me in particular when I was a little older--"someday, the mirror will start lying to you. You'll look into it and feel ugly and fat, but you are absolutely beautiful. Don't waste the best years of your life feeling awful, because the mirror will be lying." And I recognized this when it started to happen in middle school and high school.
Hi Abbey, I just want to say that your videos have helped me so much throughout my ED recovery, and you have inspired me to become a dietitian, so I can help people the way you do.
She is the only health or food related creator, across all platforms, that I follow! I’ve never been able to find anybody else who can talk about this stuff without triggering me!
this was so nice to watch!! as someone who’s struggling with food, it’s always so scary when dieticians blacklist foods, even just for themselves. it makes me wonder if i should too, and that’s just not how it should be when we go to experts. props to you for being flexible and supportive!
We have also seen dietitians give nutrition advice that isn't trauma/ED informed, which can end up being very triggering! GL with your continued journey with food, we believe in you!
1) Try to sneak in a veg or fruit into each meal if it's not too much of a hassle. 2) Eat slower and actually taste the food. Is it even as good as I thought it was gonna be? 3) don't obsess over cravings. If I've had multiple thoughts throughout the day about ice cream, I'll get ice cream. 4) err on the side of more full rather than more hungry. 5) try to get in the last meal around 2 ish hours before bed. Too long and I'll get hungry, too little time before and I feel overstuffed.
I really appreciate how you addressed the potential of some of these being lingering, unconscious choices caused by your ED and how you test/come to the conclusion that it’s just not for you. I feel like a lot of us recovering really understand this and I appreciate your honesty and openness
This is such an intuitive and compassionate approach to food “rules”! I suffer from migraines, so a lot of my off limit foods are triggers for me. Focusing on what makes me feel good and well has helped me get away from over restricting
Love what you said about not skipping a meal! I tried intermittent fasting and realized about myself that it just makes me anxious to skip a meal and I feel so much calmer when I eat 3 meals per day.
you can do intermittent fasting without skipping meals. e.g if you eat breakfast, lunch, and supper between 7 a.m-6 p.m, you'll have fasted for 13 hours daily, without starving yourself or undereating
I actually love the idea of creating flexible "rules" that are about self-care rather than punishment. It changes the narrative on food rules in such a positive way. Thank you for sharing!
When I was at my parents over the holidays my dad mentioned that his sleep has gotten better now that he stops eating at 8pm. I always thought that that was too restrictive and if I was hungry at 9pm-10pm I was going to eat regardless how close to sleep that was. But some of his symptoms and issues are similar to what I experience. Trouble falling asleep, waking up nauseated and not wanting breakfast (which then made for a hangry me by 10am which caused bingeing at lunch time). I took the last two weeks and tried eating a bit more at dinner (yay geriatric toddler 5:30 dinner) and added a small snack at 8 and I am falling asleep nearly immediately when I lay down at 10:30 and I wake up ready to fuel my body. Its evened out my food consumption across the day and I don't typically get that overstuffed feeling at a meal because I am not overly hungry by meal times. I'm amazed at how just shifting my night time snack has done to the way I feel.
"Intuitive Eating is not just the hunger/fullnes diet. It's about self care" This phrase was a perfect sum up of the concept. So great ♥ Also, when you talked about the bedtime snacks you had when you were a kid, it felt like such a warm memory. ♥🥰
This is so true! I have endometriosis and when I have endo belly the food I eat changes drastically to help reduce the bloating. The meals might be smaller and lighter but they are serving a self-care aspect. First to help reduce bloating. Second to ensure I'm still full and satisfied while also not weighing me down or contributing to the bloating. I also notice after eating a few really heavy meals in a row my body craves a nice fresh crisp salad. I try to listen to my body and what it wants to help fuel it properly. 😊
I just wanted to say that I love your channel so much. It’s helped me really repair my relationship with food and keeps helping me. I went from being 125 lbs and an ED to binging and weighing 220 lbs. I’ve now lost 50 pounds and have a healthy relationship with food!
Super interesting about discovering you don't actually like foods you used to crave binge on! I used to be obsessed with diet pepsi, cereal, granola bars, etc... and I'm still so surprised to discover that I don't like those things now that I'm almost a decade in recovery
Omg I loved that last point about keeping “unhealthy” foods close by. I’ve always watched other videos in the past saying the opposite bc it will cause temptation but I think your reasoning is SO valid bc keeping “junk” foods near causes us to have a neutralised view of them.
Lovely video Abbey. I always appreciate your insight. I used to be orthorexic + bulimic and this video really speaks to my soul. I don't drink soda or juice because I also conditioned myself to believe drinking calories is bad unless it's alcohol -- And much like you, if I needed something sweet it would be a diet energy drink or soda. I remember when I finally gave myself permission to enjoy pizza and burgers. Absolutely life changing. Happy new year to your family and you!!
Love these guiding principles rather than rigid rules! Its so freeing when we can move from eating for physique to eating for mental health/ to feel good. We love this journey, thanks for always sharing!
I love the emphasis that your rules are made for your mental and physical health or for your personal taste preferences. It’s so much more refreshing than these strict rules that create shame and guilt. I don’t drink soda either because it’s too sweet and I prefer things that aren’t so frizzy. But sometimes I want soda and I don’t worry over it!
LOVED THIS!!! My own "food rules" are pretty basic: I drink in between meals (not during as it can cause bloating for me), basically every meal is an HCC (Abbey's hunger crushing combo) to make sure I'm satiated, no soft drinks cuz I hate their taste, and breakfast is usually more carb based
Thank you thank you for being so damn honest. We're all individuals bringing a whole lifetime of food experiences to our eating habits. Knowing some of the choices we make aren't ideal but shifting other aspects of our eating to accomodate those choices is what I have found works best for me. Really appreciate your channel. All the best from Australia x
My “rules” are 1. Move my body every day - it feels amazing and makes me focused, energized throughout the day and genuinely happy (better mood) 2. Protein and produce with every meal - it guarantees that I will be satisfied and full for hours 3. Balanced meals - none of my meal EVER lack carbs or fats! A meal is complete when I get ALL the macronutrients in it 4. Something sweet after my last meal - I enjoy sweets and always keep my favorites on hand - like you said some people do better knowing that treats are available at all times - whenever I try not to have them in the house and I get a craving, I just end up eating way too much of the “healthy” version
I really love that your “rules” are just based on your preferences. I’m trying to eat more intuitively, but I’m also macro tracking to build muscle. I’m trying to learn what I really enjoy versus years of being told what to eat.
Loved this video! Kind of different from your usual. Was lowkey expecting you to make fun of how crazy some food rules are but you actually got personal!💯
I recently started watching your Abbey's Kitchen. I really like the videos you have done over the past year and I enjoy your sense of humor, as well as the advice you provide. You make nutritional advice fun without adopting a more extreme position like promoting only keto or carnivore. Not saying these regimes don't help some people even dramatically, but suggesting a balanced diet including moderate carbs may help some people more, especially if they have charge of a family's meals. I may not eat a high carb diet, but I will have pasta with vegetables when I choose or a half a bagel with smoked salmon, cream cheese , capers and lemon and I don't want to feel badly about it when I do.
I love this. I’ve been focusing on my health these past months after a very stressful year and a half, and learning to listen to my body and take the time to find what does and doesn’t feel good has been a focus for me. I want to become healthier in a way that is sustainable for me, and after a ton of ups and down over the last decade and a bit, since becoming a mom and adult, I realized that I can take all the time I need to learn about my body and my needs, and that my needs are incredible important.
Thanks for you honesty Abbey. I do a lot of what you do, after spending years throughout my teens obsessing over ridiculous calorie controlled diets and then binging in order to make up for it. You sound as if you've found what works best for you and it's encouraging to hear as everyone should strive to be more healthy in a way that works for their own body and life style.
Your hunger crushing combo mantra revolutionised my breakfasts. Blending tofu into my smoothie bowl is a game changer - I feel full and on top of my game for so much longer.
When I gave myself an unconditional permission to eat sweets I ate 3 lbs of chocolate, 3 packages of ice cream and 4 packages of cookies within two weeks. What I realised? I can keep on going right into diabetes and beyond. That's why I never have sweets at home. Happy end.
Your comment about alcohol and “self punishment” was profound! I was at a weekend-long party once and what I saw wasn’t actually self-indulgence. It was self-denial. Other girls admitted to me that “fomo” was the reason they continued to drink that night -even though they didn’t feel well and wanted to sleep. It was interesting that young people can be so persuaded about what a “good time” looks like that they ignore the fact they aren’t having a good time!
every time I watch your videos, I all over again realize how healthy your relationship with food is. I really envy that. My relationship with food has improved over the years but I still find myself overeating not only "unhealty" foods, also healthy stuff, because I am apparently never satiated. I use the your hunger crushing combo on every meal, but I am never fully satiated and therefore I fear I am gaining weight, which pressures me mentally and hinders my relationship with food to improve.
Maybe we need to have a period of weight gain before our bodies feel fully healed. If you’re not satisfied it’s probably your body telling you it needs more. Can be hard to trust ourselves, but after that period of weight gain, our bodies will probably start adjusting and finding it’s more natural weight. Stephanie Buttermore’s All In journey was really helpful to try and trust the process.
i love your channel so much. i know for sure that your content has helped me heal my relationship to food. you’ve allowed me to feel neutral about ALL foods. in fact, i like thinking about all of the benefits of foods now when i eat them. the hunger crushing combo has made eating almost a gamified experience that makes me feel good about fueling my body. thank you for all that you do, abbey. 💜
Thank you so much for this, I also struggle with what foods to eat or not, and it's refreshing to hear you talk about your real intuitive eating battles and what you're not willing to give up and how you work around the possible pitfalls. Yes to keeping all the food in your pantry or freezer!
I am not a bedtime snacker just because with my IBS, if I eat close to bedtime I will generally wake up with a stomachache. However, I have such fond memories of my late father giving us Nilla crackers before bed. I don’t even think I can find them in stores anymore. Your story about childhood memories brought that one back to me, thank you♥️ I also don’t drink juice except for when I have a headache. My step dad told me when I was a kid that apple juice fixed headaches. He was just trying to make me feel better, but now whenever I have a bad headache I crave a sip of apple juice!
i’ve been struggling with food my whole life- raised mormon, so, very strict guidelines on behavior we couldn’t drink tea, coffee, etc. junk food however, is really popular in mormon culture (think crumbl cookies and soda shops on every corner) and so restriction and binging is ingrained. Then i went and got a dance degree, so… lots of conflicting food information. Now trying to listen to myself in all areas of my life. It’s amazing, no matter how you grow up, there’s a piece of you that can tell when something is off. I feel like my life has been a journey of learning to listen to myself and be honest to myself. Thanks for what you do. Intuitive eating really changed things for me, coming from cultures of restriction. It’s like learning to trust your gut in a pretty literal sense! :)
Absolutely a bedtime snacker over here. I often find I can't fall asleep if I haven't had something before bed. I am the kind of person that wakes up in the morning absolutely ravenous no matter how much or how well I ate the day before, regardless of a bedtime snack, so if I don't have that snack, I wake up about four hours early and can't get back to sleep without some kind of food. I already wake up a lot throughout the night, so if I wake up and detect hunger, sleep is done for lol I type all of this while sucking down my Diet Coke LOL. DC is about the only soda I like anymore, and it's strange because I don't really like aspartame in it or diet tea drinks (which I drink purely for the flavor, regular sweetened tea drinks taste too sweet to me).
I was never a bedtime snacker, but was recently diagnosed with gestational diabetes and high protein snacks are suggested before bed to keep fasting blood sugar levels where they should be. Now I love having my nuts, cheese, or peanut butter with fruit before bed. Feels like a nice treat and something I'll likely continue after birth
Great video Abbey! Yes I am also a bedtime snacker! Sometimes just settling in with a bowl of yoghurt and fruit can be pretty relaxing. I’m also the type to store snacks and other ‘junk’ food in my house because other than giving a sense of abundance, it also helps me save a bit of money. For example when I’m outside and I’m tempted to buy a frappe to take home because the weather is hot, I remember that I got some ice cream, milk and coffee and I can eat that instead of spending more money on something similar.
Thanks for sharing the bit about not skipping meals! I eat like that, too. I grew up having pretty structured meal times, and I find now that if I skip a meal, even if I'm not super hungry, I end up getting a headache or feeling off later. I know a lot of people who forget to eat or don't have very structured meal times, and it can feel uncomfortable sometimes in a group to let people know I'm ready to eat when no one else seems to be thinking about it.
Thank you for that Abbey!! ❤ I'm inspiring to be a nutricionist in the near future and I was trying to figure out every part of an individual diet for myself those years, and omg everything you said made me feel so much safe and validated! Thank you for sharing!! Happy 2023 with love from Brazil! ❤
I appreciate your videos so much. It's where I know I will get facts and realistic discussion about eating and exercise. Especially at the beginning of a New Year, getting inundated with diet and exercise crap everywhere, it's nice to have a normal perspective on all of this. The influx of information coming at us -- and so much of it conflicting and not based on science or even reality. If you don't know yourself and what works for you, it can get very confusing and overwhelming. Thank you, Abbey!
my food rules are a bit more strict just because i have stomach problems so i have to regulate my diet in a way that allows me to feel my best physically and mentally. 1) i limit my caffeine to almost nothing- i will drink only decaf coffee, and i will rarely drink tea or starbucks refreshers and i never drink soda (i dont like it anyways) 2) i dont eat more than a snack in the mornings for “breakfast” unless i either have to be gone out of the house all day or im craving something more- im typically not hungry in the mornings plus i like to eat a big lunch and dinner so id prefer to eat more of my calories in meals that i actually enjoy and make me feel good. if i have to work in the morning or early afternoon and i’ll be gone all day, i make sure to eat my “lunch” early in the day (at breakfast time) 3) i have to have water with every meal- this is mostly a sensory thing because i like having a palate cleanser while im eating, plus i like to keep hydrated physically and mentally. (i try to have a minimum of 2L per day but i usually end up having 2L) 4) i rarely restrict myself of “drinking my calories”- oftentimes i strongly crave something cold sweet and wet (sensory thing) so i will drink a juice pouch (capri sun) or something similar whenever i get that craving. i make sure i am not drinking those sweet beverages to replace water, but rather as an accompaniment to water and i try to limit myself to no more than 3 different sugary beverages in a day (not a strict limit but just so i have some sort of control but if i want more i’ll allow it since i usually dont have more than 2 or 3 in a day) 5) i always eat something before i work out- i used to have to eat a small snack in the middle of my dance classes because i wouldnt eat much directly beforehand, so now i make sure that if i am working out later in the day to eat a meal a few hours before and then eat a small snack right before i leave this way i dont feel faint. if i am working out in the morning i make sure i have to eat something small first even if i am not hungry, to avoid feeling faint. 6) i try to have some sort of a vegetable with dinner every night- i dont cook in my house, my parents do, but i’ll always try to persuade them to make some sort of vegetable with dinner because i feel less sluggish that way. 7) i dont eat gluten or dairy- dairy has been causing me hell in my stomach for about 4.5 years so i avoid it altogether and gluten started to hurt my stomach this past july and ive felt so much better since cutting it out (it started to make me nauseous and cause sharp pain as well as it made it feel like the lining of my stomach was being worn away ??) 8) i dont limit snacks- if im hungry or emotionally craving a snack and i have it, i will eat it. 9) i dont limit how much i eat at dinner- dinner always tastes the best in my home and i love it so much that my first serving is to tend to my hunger and my second is to satisfy that emotional need (even if im already full) 10) i almost always have a post-dinner snack- satisfying my emotional and mouth hunger :) 11) i eat the same few meals in rotation for lunch every day- im not a good cook so having my select few meals to eat makes it so much less stressful trying to figure out what to eat, plus u know how long it’ll generally take to make it and eat it and how it’ll make me feel afterwards plus i like the consistency. those are all of the main rules i have that i can think of :) i definitely have phases i go through of more disordered eating (in either direction) but i dont try to fight it because i know it’ll pass and i’ll get back on the right track again soon enough :)
I had my gallbladder removed 10 yrs ago and it changed my relationship with a lot of high fat/rich foods! I almost never eat fast food because the lack of fiber and high fat causes GI upset. I packed a cooler for a cross country road trip this summer so I wouldn't have to rely on the limited "road food" options and I felt much better for it. While I can still eat things like bacon, cheese burgers, or pizza, the portions are small and infrequent. I also rarely drink regular soda anymore, although I still LOVE a really cold Mexican coke every once in a while. Spindrifts satisfy the desire for bubbles and taste better IMO. I feel very fortunate that I can pick/choose certain foods, not all of us have that option.
I can totally relate, I had my gallbladder removed 4 years ago and have to be much more careful with portions and rich foods, but also find that if I skip a meal that will wreck my digestion. I feel lucky that I can eat some rich foods now, while I was waiting for surgery I had to follow a very low fat diet and the lack of satiety was so annoying. Wishing you health 🙂
Abbey! You should do a collab with soheefit! Both of you have pretty much changed my life and I’ve lost 15lbs without restriction just following a long with your advice. I’m so grateful to people who are breaking down diet culture and offering actual, tangible and obtainable nutrition advice.
So much of this resonated with me, especially the juice thing! When I was actively anorexic (spent 4 years in recovery counselling for this!) I wouldn't drink my calories. I WOULD drink 3-6 (so gross) cans of diet pop a day and would leave a case of it in my car because I was so afraid that I would be caught without some. Weird, I know. I would also drink 5-6 cups of tea with Splenda. I don't touch these things now. I still don't like juice much. I also don't drink during the week, and I'm finding as I age the crappier I feel when I do drink. The odd time I need to have a corona with my Taco Tuesday taco. :)
I love this video; simple and honest. I have many of the same guidelines as you... especially avoiding splenda, which I had a hard addiction to for a few years. For me, actual sugar is better than fake sugar. Thank you for all of your content; I have learned a lot and look forward to your videos. Happy new year!
Great video, Abbey! And I'm totally with you on juice and soda/diet soda. I rarely feel good after drinking these beverages. Diet soda especially gives me bad headaches, so I gave it up many years ago.
I always try to be a perfect dieter & I simply threw the diet out my window when I indulged too much so I got really upset because I felt I failed 😢 However, watching your videos helped me to not be so hard on myself & I will encourage myself to try again ❤
Surprisingly I already live with some of the rules you mentioned without evening thinking of them as "rules". One of my personal most important rules is to sum up the nutrients I consumed during the day. I always ask myself "Did you fuel your body enough today" rather than asking myself if I was restricted enough. And if I feel snackish I always eat some veggies or fruits before I eat something unhealthy. If I still crave unhealthy snacks I eat them on top.
Your “rules” are pretty neat. I have a similar diet except I don’t keep junk food in the house. It’s just a personal preference. I still eat ✨garbagé✨ at times
Thanks for a lovely year of videos. I have mentioned before, but your intuitive eating videos have helped me immensely. It’s not a perfect journey, but it is a positive one overall, and I appreciate you for helping me get there. Happy new year! May the new year bring joy, laughter, and smiles to you and yours 💜🖤
I loved hearing you talk about alchohol. I'd love to hear you talk more about it or if you already have videos about it I'd like to see them. I struggle a lot with my relationship with alchohol cos alcoholism runs in my family. So I forces myself to stay away from it up until I was 18 but then it became a terrible coping skill for me. I try to give it up entirely but then just end up binging whenever I do. I've been taught my whole life to abstain entirely from Alcohol but I can and have seen myself be able to have a healthy relationship with it. Would love to hear your advice on the relationship between EDs and Alcoholism
I appreciate how many of your rules/habits revolve around constipation. 😁 Really cool to see you employing mindfulness concerning how foods make your body & emotions feel.
Personal food rules, can’t skip breakfast, and breakfast needs a good amount of protein. I realized fueling my body first things helps with the anxiety, helps with brain fog, and sensory issues. I feel much more energized and just generally in better help. At this point skipping breakfast can mess up my entire day, and even have carry over effects from the subsequent loss of sleep. Another softer rule is one of the meals I eat in a day needs to be veggie heavy for digestive health, and overall health. Maybe I’ll let it slide if I eat other things with a decent amount of fiber and snacked on fruit.
My food rule is always share food if friends and family are willing to share at a restaurant. I love getting to try more things and it genuinely really helps with my intuitive eating and also helps with my food waste anxiety. I also pair this with always allowing myself to order more if I’m still hungry :)
I could not have junk food in my pantry 😅 i would immediately binge. Definitely doesn’t neutralize their power. Not a bedtime snacker either, we intermittently fast, but I agree with everything else there you do
I'm so glad that you no longer suffer from disordered eating, and I agree that it's so important to approach eating from a non-judgemental standpoint. However, I also think it's valuable to acknowledge that the typical western diet is problematic and contributing to rising chronic disease, and rising health care costs. Many of the things you listed here are the problem items in the western diet, and your Hunger Crushing Combo method addresses these very issues.
I love your reasoning behind the rules though. It’s because certain foods genuinely do not sit well with your body. Not like these other influencers that come up with the craziest ideas. Abby is the truth 🤩
Yep same, same. Juice makes my blood sugar go bananas and I feel like crap. I never really liked fast food even when I was a kid, no thanks. If you are on a plane something I do is when I go to the bathroom I do as many fast squats as I can in 1 minute. It keeps your legs from swelling. Very much needed on a long haul to Asia. We differ on the bed time snack. I never snack before bed. It makes me feel like I'm up all night trying to digest whatever I've eaten. I feel bad. For me food stops at 8 hard stop or I can't sleep then I'm up all night thinking about the fact that I can't sleep and I just lay there being mad. 😅
I really only have 2 food “rules” that I can think of. The first one is that I try to stick to a sweet breakfast and snack and a savory lunch and dinner. I have a big sweet tooth and used to only eat sweet meals. I hardly ate any vegetables so a couple months ago I started to prioritize my vegetables intake. I found that this schedule worked the best for me but I’m flexible when it comes to cravings or social gatherings. My other “rule” is that I try to stay away from erythritol because it makes my stomach upset it larger doses.
These are the exact rules to a T that I follow based on the reasons you gave above. Sometimes, things do not feel that great and I care about how my body feels after consuming certain foods.
The thing is with these types of "rules" with your kind of mindset is that they are not usually forced unwillingly, one just kind of start to follow it happily. I am busy fixing huge issues with my digestion through diet, and foods I had to cut out for a little while -to give my intestine time to recover and try and function normally - made me feel unwell once I put them back. I was encouraged to try them at least twice so I can determine if it really makes my body feel bad each time or not, and things that are really still making me feel terrible, like alcohol and caffeine, are super easy to cut out now. Not because I force it, but because the thought of the aftermath puts me off completely from including it in my diet often. Once you notice how bad certain foods make you feel as an individual the "rule" becomes a personally choice / preference really. And if we choose to have them it really comes down to we are willing to suffer tomorrow for the emotional gratification or craving that we are having today, or for the simple memory of the event with loved ones.
In my country the «bed time snack» actually is a meal that is normal to have. We usually eat dinner around 4 and have “kveldsmat” (translate to evening food) at around 7-9.
movement after a meal for sure, also keeping the carb's low and to only "whats found in naature" (aka fruits, veges, yes even a potatoe, you can have a potatoes even on keto as one is generally only about 25grams of carbs so one won't knock you out) I mainly stick with just meat and what nature intended (limit the processed stuff, keep away from bread, grains, pasta, and rice,.... sure they might be fine "fermented" but thats generally not whats sold).... plant food and meat='s feel great all the time
Wow, rules 1-6 and 8-10 match my approach except that I still struggle with weight fluctuations, especially now that I'm going through menopause and suffer from hypothyroidism. I have a sweet tooth so my other rule is no cakes or chocolates during the week but I sometimes overindulge on week-ends! I really enjoy your channel, thanks Abbey!!
Talking chain fast foods: I was raised on homecooked fresh meals, and when I tried McDonalds, I took one bite and threw it away. Literally, too salty, feels like cardboard, made me feel awful. I still eat calorie-dense foods that aren't necessarily a HCC, but I'd simply prefer having the homecooked version with fresh, locally sourced ingredients and the spices that fit my tastes. My food rules as someone who is working on sustainable intentional weight-loss are as follows: 1. Have a piece of chocolate or a chocolate truffle with my morning coffee. It's part of my ritual and it keeps me from craving larger amounts of chocolate later in the day. 2. Listen to my body when deciding on food options. I naturally stay away from deep fried and very sweet foods when I try to be intuitive about it. 3. Move every day. This is both good for my physical and my mental health. 4. Don't obsess about calories or macros. Obviously, if I want to lose weight, I have to include small changes to get there, but I do my best not to stress about it. 5. Avoid non-sugar sweeteners, since I never like the aftertaste and they just make me crave sugary foods. 6. Limit alcohol consumption to roughly 1-2 times a month. I am on meds that can interact with alcohol and while my doctor said drinking in moderation was fine, I've been lucky to be spared from the side-effects so far and don't want to test my luck.
I have pretty much the same rules, some of my friends say that I over-obsess over my food but now I feel like having these rules is the right thing to do. I think it’s very important to listen to your body but most people don’t see food as fuel but as an enemy. I also want to be a dietitian, I think your work is very inspiring ❤
There’s two things I love at wendy’s - baked potato with chili and bacon cheese fries. I don’t like their burgers at all. With McDonald’s…I like hot fries. And I will crave them on occasion.
Also a bedtime snacker and have almost all the same rules for many similar or same reasons. I also always try to drink a glass of water right away in AM before eating or starting my day. Seems to kickstart my day otherwise i might not start hydrating till like noon but when i start right away, i fill.up the cup again and keep with me at my desk or on counter at home and reminds me to keep.hydrating!
I am trying to learn how my body reacts to certain foods. After being diagnosed as diabetic I have ignored ALL advice telling me to count carbs and stop eating all fruit. Instead I pay attention to how foods impact my body - Apples bad, watermelon no problem. I don't feel guilt about a greasy meal or a cookie or a piece of cake. I just don't make it a habit. My big food rule is looking for added sugar on labels especially on foods that just don't need it - pasta sauce, yogurt. 2nd food rule - don't allow cake to stay in the house - I can't help myself and I will eat the whole thing. Its the only junk food I can't resist.
My list is almost identical - except I don’t do a bedtime snack, my thing is something sweet after a meal, I have lost interest in drinking and rarely ever drink alcohol and I struggle when I keep junk in the house…
I too am a bedtime snacker; almost always gluten free crackers and lactose free cheese. However that doesn't always stop me from sleep walking and sleep eating. Happy New Year from Saskatchewan 🥂
Very interesting. A few things suprised me but ive only been watching you for about a week. I first saw you on a "Greg Doucette" video and made my way over to what you chat about. Anyway good video!
in the morning i always workout fasted never eat dairy i eat protein fiber healthy fat in every meal i drink lots of water i do workout do weights 75% of the time and cardio 25% of the time i workout 4 to 5 days a week i do 90/10 rule i do 16/8 fasting everyday i dont eat at fast food places i do have treat meals 10% of the time and i eat lots of fruits and veggies in every meal
My hubby and I ALWAYS have a bedtime snack - Greek yoghurt or cottage cheese, fresh or frozen berries, nut butter, honey, some or other crunchy element like cereal or granola or nuts & seeds, cacao nibs or activated buckwheat! It's one of the highlights of every single day 😝😝😝
Haha, one of my “rules” is I can’t eat right before bed because it gives me acid reflux! Also, I can’t have just carbs for breakfast, that makes me feel very yucky.
Love the sudden change to Simpsons voice, so funny! This all sounds like good old common sense, the kind my mama raised me on. I never used to be a bedtime snacker but now I sleep better if I have a little something, like Pooh Bear
I feel best when I don’t eat before bedtime and when I don’t have gluten. I actually am not sure on the dairy - so I sometime will go a time without it and see how I feel… I also feel best when I’m not eating a bunch of sugar or simple carbs. My mornings seems to feel best when I have coffee and wait to eat breakfast.
Nutrition bachelor's, incoming psychology masters student - My rules are more behavior based: 1. no eating just to feel included. Often when I was younger I would be full, but felt I had to order food if I was in a social gathering in order to fit in. One day I decided to just stop doing that and I haven't gone back. 2. no artificial sweeteners 3. choose a healthy option when i'm out to eat if nothing on the menu sounds like something I'm dying for (IE: I'm not a huge cheeseburger gal, so when we go to a burger joint, I'll get a salad because choosing a burger might only sound a *little* better to me than a salad, so the risk/reward balance there is easy for me to choose. Now.. tikka masala vs salad? No question, it's tikka masala every time. 4. same rule as above but for drinks. If there's not some specialty cocktail on the menu that sounds unique and amazing or a drink I've been absolutely craving for days/weeks, I'll get a vodka soda with lime. 5. I DO only eat when I'm hungry. This is a result of coming from a house where I sometimes got guilted for not finishing my plate. So nothing external dictates my eating anymore, not even the clock. 6. remind myself that I can probably make it better at home. I'm a foodie and a home chef so rather than spending $40 to eat out for only one meal, I encourage myself to find a similar looking recipe online, tweak to my liking, and have enough leftovers to enjoy it again, and be mindful of the portion size and ingredients I'm choosing, whereas in a restaurant I have no say.
![[UNCUT] The Loyal Pin ปิ่นภักดิ์ EP.15 (1/4)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/TLBjiHvkKtE/mqdefault.jpg)
frozen yogurt and Crispit cereal before bed. I have learned so much from you!! I am 66 years old and have strggled with an ed since I was 13. I am also 13 years sober. I have restless leg and if I dont get enough to eat my restless leg goes whacko!!! This year I discovered the gym. I love it!!! It is like an adult playground for me. And my body image issues are melting away for the very first time. I have in the past either over excersized compulsively or did nothing...both creating feeling of depression and hopelessness. This is a completely different experience. I have a paid 72 year old female trainer who has a normal body type. she is a grandma with 2 grandkids. I have let go of my dietition....who watches your videos cause I talked about you all the time .Thank you from the bottom of my heart!! You rock!!!!
Your rule about moving your body made my smile, because it's similar to one of my mother's rules when we were growing up.
My mother was raised by Holocaust survivor parents, so she was often pushed to eat-eat-eat, and then shamed for her weight. She was determined to break the cycle with myself and my younger brother, so she started giving us the messaging around age four or five that "if you eat a variety of foods and move your body every day, your body will find the perfect body for you." I won't say this worked perfectly for me (particularly when I was in the Navy and being a particular weight was part of fitness standards), but it really did stave off a lot of the issues I could have had in my teenage years.
She added on a message for me in particular when I was a little older--"someday, the mirror will start lying to you. You'll look into it and feel ugly and fat, but you are absolutely beautiful. Don't waste the best years of your life feeling awful, because the mirror will be lying." And I recognized this when it started to happen in middle school and high school.
Hi Abbey, I just want to say that your videos have helped me so much throughout my ED recovery, and you have inspired me to become a dietitian, so I can help people the way you do.
This is amazing❤ Looking forward to having you join the field!
She is the only health or food related creator, across all platforms, that I follow! I’ve never been able to find anybody else who can talk about this stuff without triggering me!
this was so nice to watch!! as someone who’s struggling with food, it’s always so scary when dieticians blacklist foods, even just for themselves. it makes me wonder if i should too, and that’s just not how it should be when we go to experts. props to you for being flexible and supportive!
🥰🥰
We have also seen dietitians give nutrition advice that isn't trauma/ED informed, which can end up being very triggering!
GL with your continued journey with food, we believe in you!
@@WiseMindNutrition thank you so much, and i hope things are going well for you too
1) Try to sneak in a veg or fruit into each meal if it's not too much of a hassle.
2) Eat slower and actually taste the food. Is it even as good as I thought it was gonna be?
3) don't obsess over cravings. If I've had multiple thoughts throughout the day about ice cream, I'll get ice cream.
4) err on the side of more full rather than more hungry.
5) try to get in the last meal around 2 ish hours before bed. Too long and I'll get hungry, too little time before and I feel overstuffed.
I really appreciate how you addressed the potential of some of these being lingering, unconscious choices caused by your ED and how you test/come to the conclusion that it’s just not for you. I feel like a lot of us recovering really understand this and I appreciate your honesty and openness
This is such an intuitive and compassionate approach to food “rules”! I suffer from migraines, so a lot of my off limit foods are triggers for me. Focusing on what makes me feel good and well has helped me get away from over restricting
Love what you said about not skipping a meal! I tried intermittent fasting and realized about myself that it just makes me anxious to skip a meal and I feel so much calmer when I eat 3 meals per day.
Same here, if I skip a meal my stress levels go up and I feel faint like I want to pass out.
I have tried fasting too...nope...not for me. I lie to eat.
you can do intermittent fasting without skipping meals. e.g if you eat breakfast, lunch, and supper between 7 a.m-6 p.m, you'll have fasted for 13 hours daily, without starving yourself or undereating
I actually love the idea of creating flexible "rules" that are about self-care rather than punishment. It changes the narrative on food rules in such a positive way. Thank you for sharing!
When I was at my parents over the holidays my dad mentioned that his sleep has gotten better now that he stops eating at 8pm. I always thought that that was too restrictive and if I was hungry at 9pm-10pm I was going to eat regardless how close to sleep that was. But some of his symptoms and issues are similar to what I experience. Trouble falling asleep, waking up nauseated and not wanting breakfast (which then made for a hangry me by 10am which caused bingeing at lunch time). I took the last two weeks and tried eating a bit more at dinner (yay geriatric toddler 5:30 dinner) and added a small snack at 8 and I am falling asleep nearly immediately when I lay down at 10:30 and I wake up ready to fuel my body. Its evened out my food consumption across the day and I don't typically get that overstuffed feeling at a meal because I am not overly hungry by meal times. I'm amazed at how just shifting my night time snack has done to the way I feel.
Same here!!
"Intuitive Eating is not just the hunger/fullnes diet. It's about self care"
This phrase was a perfect sum up of the concept. So great ♥
Also, when you talked about the bedtime snacks you had when you were a kid, it felt like such a warm memory. ♥🥰
This is so true! I have endometriosis and when I have endo belly the food I eat changes drastically to help reduce the bloating. The meals might be smaller and lighter but they are serving a self-care aspect. First to help reduce bloating. Second to ensure I'm still full and satisfied while also not weighing me down or contributing to the bloating. I also notice after eating a few really heavy meals in a row my body craves a nice fresh crisp salad. I try to listen to my body and what it wants to help fuel it properly. 😊
I just wanted to say that I love your channel so much. It’s helped me really repair my relationship with food and keeps helping me. I went from being 125 lbs and an ED to binging and weighing 220 lbs. I’ve now lost 50 pounds and have a healthy relationship with food!
Super interesting about discovering you don't actually like foods you used to crave binge on! I used to be obsessed with diet pepsi, cereal, granola bars, etc... and I'm still so surprised to discover that I don't like those things now that I'm almost a decade in recovery
Omg I loved that last point about keeping “unhealthy” foods close by. I’ve always watched other videos in the past saying the opposite bc it will cause temptation but I think your reasoning is SO valid bc keeping “junk” foods near causes us to have a neutralised view of them.
I wish you and your family a happy new year in the name of all the people like me who you’ve helped to heal their relationship with food ☺️
Happy new year!
Lovely video Abbey. I always appreciate your insight.
I used to be orthorexic + bulimic and this video really speaks to my soul. I don't drink soda or juice because I also conditioned myself to believe drinking calories is bad unless it's alcohol -- And much like you, if I needed something sweet it would be a diet energy drink or soda.
I remember when I finally gave myself permission to enjoy pizza and burgers. Absolutely life changing.
Happy new year to your family and you!!
Love these guiding principles rather than rigid rules!
Its so freeing when we can move from eating for physique to eating for mental health/ to feel good. We love this journey, thanks for always sharing!
I love the emphasis that your rules are made for your mental and physical health or for your personal taste preferences. It’s so much more refreshing than these strict rules that create shame and guilt. I don’t drink soda either because it’s too sweet and I prefer things that aren’t so frizzy. But sometimes I want soda and I don’t worry over it!
LOVED THIS!!! My own "food rules" are pretty basic: I drink in between meals (not during as it can cause bloating for me), basically every meal is an HCC (Abbey's hunger crushing combo) to make sure I'm satiated, no soft drinks cuz I hate their taste, and breakfast is usually more carb based
Thank you thank you for being so damn honest. We're all individuals bringing a whole lifetime of food experiences to our eating habits. Knowing some of the choices we make aren't ideal but shifting other aspects of our eating to accomodate those choices is what I have found works best for me. Really appreciate your channel. All the best from Australia x
My “rules” are
1. Move my body every day - it feels amazing and makes me focused, energized throughout the day and genuinely happy (better mood)
2. Protein and produce with every meal - it guarantees that I will be satisfied and full for hours
3. Balanced meals - none of my meal EVER lack carbs or fats! A meal is complete when I get ALL the macronutrients in it
4. Something sweet after my last meal - I enjoy sweets and always keep my favorites on hand - like you said some people do better knowing that treats are available at all times - whenever I try not to have them in the house and I get a craving, I just end up eating way too much of the “healthy” version
I really love that your “rules” are just based on your preferences. I’m trying to eat more intuitively, but I’m also macro tracking to build muscle. I’m trying to learn what I really enjoy versus years of being told what to eat.
Thank you Abney for giving off a relaxed vibe around food. It really inspires self care and nourishment.
Loved this video! Kind of different from your usual. Was lowkey expecting you to make fun of how crazy some food rules are but you actually got personal!💯
I recently started watching your Abbey's Kitchen. I really like the videos you have done over the past year and I enjoy your sense of humor, as well as the advice you provide. You make nutritional advice fun without adopting a more extreme position like promoting only keto or carnivore. Not saying these regimes don't help some people even dramatically, but suggesting a balanced diet including moderate carbs may help some people more, especially if they have charge of a family's meals. I may not eat a high carb diet, but I will have pasta with vegetables when I choose or a half a bagel with smoked salmon, cream cheese , capers and lemon and I don't want to feel badly about it when I do.
I love this. I’ve been focusing on my health these past months after a very stressful year and a half, and learning to listen to my body and take the time to find what does and doesn’t feel good has been a focus for me.
I want to become healthier in a way that is sustainable for me, and after a ton of ups and down over the last decade and a bit, since becoming a mom and adult, I realized that I can take all the time I need to learn about my body and my needs, and that my needs are incredible important.
Thanks for you honesty Abbey.
I do a lot of what you do, after spending years throughout my teens obsessing over ridiculous calorie controlled diets and then binging in order to make up for it.
You sound as if you've found what works best for you and it's encouraging to hear as everyone should strive to be more healthy in a way that works for their own body and life style.
I’m grateful Abbey mentioned her bedtime snacks because it’s an old comforting habit I’ve never been able to give up.
Your hunger crushing combo mantra revolutionised my breakfasts. Blending tofu into my smoothie bowl is a game changer - I feel full and on top of my game for so much longer.
When I gave myself an unconditional permission to eat sweets I ate 3 lbs of chocolate, 3 packages of ice cream and 4 packages of cookies within two weeks. What I realised? I can keep on going right into diabetes and beyond. That's why I never have sweets at home. Happy end.
you only did that because you restrict urself
Your comment about alcohol and “self punishment” was profound!
I was at a weekend-long party once and what I saw wasn’t actually self-indulgence. It was self-denial.
Other girls admitted to me that “fomo” was the reason they continued to drink that night -even though they didn’t feel well and wanted to sleep.
It was interesting that young people can be so persuaded about what a “good time” looks like that they ignore the fact they aren’t having a good time!
every time I watch your videos, I all over again realize how healthy your relationship with food is. I really envy that. My relationship with food has improved over the years but I still find myself overeating not only "unhealty" foods, also healthy stuff, because I am apparently never satiated. I use the your hunger crushing combo on every meal, but I am never fully satiated and therefore I fear I am gaining weight, which pressures me mentally and hinders my relationship with food to improve.
Maybe we need to have a period of weight gain before our bodies feel fully healed. If you’re not satisfied it’s probably your body telling you it needs more. Can be hard to trust ourselves, but after that period of weight gain, our bodies will probably start adjusting and finding it’s more natural weight. Stephanie Buttermore’s All In journey was really helpful to try and trust the process.
i love your channel so much. i know for sure that your content has helped me heal my relationship to food. you’ve allowed me to feel neutral about ALL foods. in fact, i like thinking about all of the benefits of foods now when i eat them. the hunger crushing combo has made eating almost a gamified experience that makes me feel good about fueling my body. thank you for all that you do, abbey. 💜
Thanks for the video! Yes, bedtime snacks are a must for me. My favorite is lime yogurt and graham crackers.
That sounds so good, like a key lime pie!
Thank you so much for this, I also struggle with what foods to eat or not, and it's refreshing to hear you talk about your real intuitive eating battles and what you're not willing to give up and how you work around the possible pitfalls. Yes to keeping all the food in your pantry or freezer!
I am not a bedtime snacker just because with my IBS, if I eat close to bedtime I will generally wake up with a stomachache.
However, I have such fond memories of my late father giving us Nilla crackers before bed. I don’t even think I can find them in stores anymore. Your story about childhood memories brought that one back to me, thank you♥️
I also don’t drink juice except for when I have a headache. My step dad told me when I was a kid that apple juice fixed headaches. He was just trying to make me feel better, but now whenever I have a bad headache I crave a sip of apple juice!
I also have IBS c (constipation), and I don't experience any pain if I have some raw nuts and/or fruit before bed.
i’ve been struggling with food my whole life- raised mormon, so, very strict guidelines on behavior we couldn’t drink tea, coffee, etc. junk food however, is really popular in mormon culture (think crumbl cookies and soda shops on every corner) and so restriction and binging is ingrained. Then i went and got a dance degree, so… lots of conflicting food information. Now trying to listen to myself in all areas of my life. It’s amazing, no matter how you grow up, there’s a piece of you that can tell when something is off. I feel like my life has been a journey of learning to listen to myself and be honest to myself. Thanks for what you do. Intuitive eating really changed things for me, coming from cultures of restriction. It’s like learning to trust your gut in a pretty literal sense! :)
Absolutely a bedtime snacker over here. I often find I can't fall asleep if I haven't had something before bed. I am the kind of person that wakes up in the morning absolutely ravenous no matter how much or how well I ate the day before, regardless of a bedtime snack, so if I don't have that snack, I wake up about four hours early and can't get back to sleep without some kind of food. I already wake up a lot throughout the night, so if I wake up and detect hunger, sleep is done for lol
I type all of this while sucking down my Diet Coke LOL. DC is about the only soda I like anymore, and it's strange because I don't really like aspartame in it or diet tea drinks (which I drink purely for the flavor, regular sweetened tea drinks taste too sweet to me).
Bedtime snacks can be helpful for sure
Bedtime snack is a must for me. Usually it’s popcorn.
I was never a bedtime snacker, but was recently diagnosed with gestational diabetes and high protein snacks are suggested before bed to keep fasting blood sugar levels where they should be. Now I love having my nuts, cheese, or peanut butter with fruit before bed. Feels like a nice treat and something I'll likely continue after birth
Great video Abbey! Yes I am also a bedtime snacker! Sometimes just settling in with a bowl of yoghurt and fruit can be pretty relaxing.
I’m also the type to store snacks and other ‘junk’ food in my house because other than giving a sense of abundance, it also helps me save a bit of money. For example when I’m outside and I’m tempted to buy a frappe to take home because the weather is hot, I remember that I got some ice cream, milk and coffee and I can eat that instead of spending more money on something similar.
Thanks for sharing the bit about not skipping meals! I eat like that, too. I grew up having pretty structured meal times, and I find now that if I skip a meal, even if I'm not super hungry, I end up getting a headache or feeling off later. I know a lot of people who forget to eat or don't have very structured meal times, and it can feel uncomfortable sometimes in a group to let people know I'm ready to eat when no one else seems to be thinking about it.
Thank you for that Abbey!! ❤
I'm inspiring to be a nutricionist in the near future and I was trying to figure out every part of an individual diet for myself those years, and omg everything you said made me feel so much safe and validated! Thank you for sharing!! Happy 2023 with love from Brazil! ❤
I appreciate your videos so much. It's where I know I will get facts and realistic discussion about eating and exercise. Especially at the beginning of a New Year, getting inundated with diet and exercise crap everywhere, it's nice to have a normal perspective on all of this. The influx of information coming at us -- and so much of it conflicting and not based on science or even reality. If you don't know yourself and what works for you, it can get very confusing and overwhelming. Thank you, Abbey!
Looove this video 💜 Could you make a video about the “mouth hunger” you mentioned? I experience that a lot and struggle to legitimize this feeling :(
Dont know how I missed this video. The best video yet! Its an overall message in a one video nutshell! Thank you. ❤
my food rules are a bit more strict just because i have stomach problems so i have to regulate my diet in a way that allows me to feel my best physically and mentally.
1) i limit my caffeine to almost nothing- i will drink only decaf coffee, and i will rarely drink tea or starbucks refreshers and i never drink soda (i dont like it anyways)
2) i dont eat more than a snack in the mornings for “breakfast” unless i either have to be gone out of the house all day or im craving something more- im typically not hungry in the mornings plus i like to eat a big lunch and dinner so id prefer to eat more of my calories in meals that i actually enjoy and make me feel good. if i have to work in the morning or early afternoon and i’ll be gone all day, i make sure to eat my “lunch” early in the day (at breakfast time)
3) i have to have water with every meal- this is mostly a sensory thing because i like having a palate cleanser while im eating, plus i like to keep hydrated physically and mentally. (i try to have a minimum of 2L per day but i usually end up having 2L)
4) i rarely restrict myself of “drinking my calories”- oftentimes i strongly crave something cold sweet and wet (sensory thing) so i will drink a juice pouch (capri sun) or something similar whenever i get that craving. i make sure i am not drinking those sweet beverages to replace water, but rather as an accompaniment to water and i try to limit myself to no more than 3 different sugary beverages in a day (not a strict limit but just so i have some sort of control but if i want more i’ll allow it since i usually dont have more than 2 or 3 in a day)
5) i always eat something before i work out- i used to have to eat a small snack in the middle of my dance classes because i wouldnt eat much directly beforehand, so now i make sure that if i am working out later in the day to eat a meal a few hours before and then eat a small snack right before i leave this way i dont feel faint. if i am working out in the morning i make sure i have to eat something small first even if i am not hungry, to avoid feeling faint.
6) i try to have some sort of a vegetable with dinner every night- i dont cook in my house, my parents do, but i’ll always try to persuade them to make some sort of vegetable with dinner because i feel less sluggish that way.
7) i dont eat gluten or dairy- dairy has been causing me hell in my stomach for about 4.5 years so i avoid it altogether and gluten started to hurt my stomach this past july and ive felt so much better since cutting it out (it started to make me nauseous and cause sharp pain as well as it made it feel like the lining of my stomach was being worn away ??)
8) i dont limit snacks- if im hungry or emotionally craving a snack and i have it, i will eat it.
9) i dont limit how much i eat at dinner- dinner always tastes the best in my home and i love it so much that my first serving is to tend to my hunger and my second is to satisfy that emotional need (even if im already full)
10) i almost always have a post-dinner snack- satisfying my emotional and mouth hunger :)
11) i eat the same few meals in rotation for lunch every day- im not a good cook so having my select few meals to eat makes it so much less stressful trying to figure out what to eat, plus u know how long it’ll generally take to make it and eat it and how it’ll make me feel afterwards plus i like the consistency.
those are all of the main rules i have that i can think of :) i definitely have phases i go through of more disordered eating (in either direction) but i dont try to fight it because i know it’ll pass and i’ll get back on the right track again soon enough :)
Bedtime snacker here. Crisp poppy red grapes are great!
I had my gallbladder removed 10 yrs ago and it changed my relationship with a lot of high fat/rich foods! I almost never eat fast food because the lack of fiber and high fat causes GI upset. I packed a cooler for a cross country road trip this summer so I wouldn't have to rely on the limited "road food" options and I felt much better for it. While I can still eat things like bacon, cheese burgers, or pizza, the portions are small and infrequent. I also rarely drink regular soda anymore, although I still LOVE a really cold Mexican coke every once in a while. Spindrifts satisfy the desire for bubbles and taste better IMO. I feel very fortunate that I can pick/choose certain foods, not all of us have that option.
Thanks for sharing this❤
I can totally relate, I had my gallbladder removed 4 years ago and have to be much more careful with portions and rich foods, but also find that if I skip a meal that will wreck my digestion. I feel lucky that I can eat some rich foods now, while I was waiting for surgery I had to follow a very low fat diet and the lack of satiety was so annoying. Wishing you health 🙂
Abbey! You should do a collab with soheefit!
Both of you have pretty much changed my life and I’ve lost 15lbs without restriction just following a long with your advice.
I’m so grateful to people who are breaking down diet culture and offering actual, tangible and obtainable nutrition advice.
I was with you until Cool-Whip. 😂 It’s heavy whipping cream only over here! 🙌😂😂
Great video, Abbey. Super helpful and insightful. I appreciate it!
So much of this resonated with me, especially the juice thing! When I was actively anorexic (spent 4 years in recovery counselling for this!) I wouldn't drink my calories. I WOULD drink 3-6 (so gross) cans of diet pop a day and would leave a case of it in my car because I was so afraid that I would be caught without some. Weird, I know. I would also drink 5-6 cups of tea with Splenda. I don't touch these things now. I still don't like juice much. I also don't drink during the week, and I'm finding as I age the crappier I feel when I do drink. The odd time I need to have a corona with my Taco Tuesday taco. :)
I love this video; simple and honest. I have many of the same guidelines as you... especially avoiding splenda, which I had a hard addiction to for a few years. For me, actual sugar is better than fake sugar. Thank you for all of your content; I have learned a lot and look forward to your videos. Happy new year!
Happy new year Margaret, thanks for watching❤
Great video, Abbey! And I'm totally with you on juice and soda/diet soda. I rarely feel good after drinking these beverages. Diet soda especially gives me bad headaches, so I gave it up many years ago.
Always need a before bed snack no matter what. Your awesome thank you!
I always try to be a perfect dieter & I simply threw the diet out my window when I indulged too much so I got really upset because I felt I failed 😢
However, watching your videos helped me to not be so hard on myself & I will encourage myself to try again ❤
Bedtime snack is an emotional must for me! So glad you mentioned it. Popcorn is always my go to.
Surprisingly I already live with some of the rules you mentioned without evening thinking of them as "rules". One of my personal most important rules is to sum up the nutrients I consumed during the day. I always ask myself "Did you fuel your body enough today" rather than asking myself if I was restricted enough. And if I feel snackish I always eat some veggies or fruits before I eat something unhealthy. If I still crave unhealthy snacks I eat them on top.
Your “rules” are pretty neat. I have a similar diet except I don’t keep junk food in the house. It’s just a personal preference. I still eat ✨garbagé✨ at times
Thanks for a lovely year of videos. I have mentioned before, but your intuitive eating videos have helped me immensely. It’s not a perfect journey, but it is a positive one overall, and I appreciate you for helping me get there.
Happy new year! May the new year bring joy, laughter, and smiles to you and yours 💜🖤
I loved hearing you talk about alchohol. I'd love to hear you talk more about it or if you already have videos about it I'd like to see them. I struggle a lot with my relationship with alchohol cos alcoholism runs in my family. So I forces myself to stay away from it up until I was 18 but then it became a terrible coping skill for me. I try to give it up entirely but then just end up binging whenever I do. I've been taught my whole life to abstain entirely from Alcohol but I can and have seen myself be able to have a healthy relationship with it. Would love to hear your advice on the relationship between EDs and Alcoholism
I appreciate how many of your rules/habits revolve around constipation. 😁 Really cool to see you employing mindfulness concerning how foods make your body & emotions feel.
Personal food rules, can’t skip breakfast, and breakfast needs a good amount of protein. I realized fueling my body first things helps with the anxiety, helps with brain fog, and sensory issues. I feel much more energized and just generally in better help. At this point skipping breakfast can mess up my entire day, and even have carry over effects from the subsequent loss of sleep.
Another softer rule is one of the meals I eat in a day needs to be veggie heavy for digestive health, and overall health. Maybe I’ll let it slide if I eat other things with a decent amount of fiber and snacked on fruit.
My food rule is always share food if friends and family are willing to share at a restaurant. I love getting to try more things and it genuinely really helps with my intuitive eating and also helps with my food waste anxiety. I also pair this with always allowing myself to order more if I’m still hungry :)
Love this idea! Food is more than just nutrients, its the social piece also!
I could not have junk food in my pantry 😅 i would immediately binge. Definitely doesn’t neutralize their power. Not a bedtime snacker either, we intermittently fast, but I agree with everything else there you do
this might be my favorite video of yours. it was the explanation of eating fish and chips. helpful to hear real examples. thanks for sharing
I'm so glad that you no longer suffer from disordered eating, and I agree that it's so important to approach eating from a non-judgemental standpoint. However, I also think it's valuable to acknowledge that the typical western diet is problematic and contributing to rising chronic disease, and rising health care costs. Many of the things you listed here are the problem items in the western diet, and your Hunger Crushing Combo method addresses these very issues.
This video was brilliant - thank you; always accessible, none blame or shame, and wise
I love your reasoning behind the rules though. It’s because certain foods genuinely do not sit well with your body. Not like these other influencers that come up with the craziest ideas. Abby is the truth 🤩
Ginger and garlic are my two Go-To's. Energy!!
Yep same, same. Juice makes my blood sugar go bananas and I feel like crap. I never really liked fast food even when I was a kid, no thanks. If you are on a plane something I do is when I go to the bathroom I do as many fast squats as I can in 1 minute. It keeps your legs from swelling. Very much needed on a long haul to Asia. We differ on the bed time snack. I never snack before bed. It makes me feel like I'm up all night trying to digest whatever I've eaten. I feel bad. For me food stops at 8 hard stop or I can't sleep then I'm up all night thinking about the fact that I can't sleep and I just lay there being mad. 😅
I really only have 2 food “rules” that I can think of. The first one is that I try to stick to a sweet breakfast and snack and a savory lunch and dinner. I have a big sweet tooth and used to only eat sweet meals. I hardly ate any vegetables so a couple months ago I started to prioritize my vegetables intake. I found that this schedule worked the best for me but I’m flexible when it comes to cravings or social gatherings. My other “rule” is that I try to stay away from erythritol because it makes my stomach upset it larger doses.
These are the exact rules to a T that I follow based on the reasons you gave above. Sometimes, things do not feel that great and I care about how my body feels after consuming certain foods.
The thing is with these types of "rules" with your kind of mindset is that they are not usually forced unwillingly, one just kind of start to follow it happily. I am busy fixing huge issues with my digestion through diet, and foods I had to cut out for a little while -to give my intestine time to recover and try and function normally - made me feel unwell once I put them back. I was encouraged to try them at least twice so I can determine if it really makes my body feel bad each time or not, and things that are really still making me feel terrible, like alcohol and caffeine, are super easy to cut out now. Not because I force it, but because the thought of the aftermath puts me off completely from including it in my diet often. Once you notice how bad certain foods make you feel as an individual the "rule" becomes a personally choice / preference really.
And if we choose to have them it really comes down to we are willing to suffer tomorrow for the emotional gratification or craving that we are having today, or for the simple memory of the event with loved ones.
Many of the same rules for me! I have no idea how people skip meals, I would be so hangry. 😆
In my country the «bed time snack» actually is a meal that is normal to have. We usually eat dinner around 4 and have “kveldsmat” (translate to evening food) at around 7-9.
Same in Finland! 5 meals a day was the rule I was taught to follow as a kid (we see snacks as meals)
I am 35 and until this VERY moment thought I was the only person who experienced juice mouth 😂 So glad I’m not alone!!
movement after a meal for sure, also keeping the carb's low and to only "whats found in naature" (aka fruits, veges, yes even a potatoe, you can have a potatoes even on keto as one is generally only about 25grams of carbs so one won't knock you out) I mainly stick with just meat and what nature intended (limit the processed stuff, keep away from bread, grains, pasta, and rice,.... sure they might be fine "fermented" but thats generally not whats sold).... plant food and meat='s feel great all the time
Yes abbey!! Just had to comment before watching this but I really respect your opinion so am very excited to watch this one!
I agree about fast food, even if I eat something made without gluten, I always feel glutened after.
Wow, rules 1-6 and 8-10 match my approach except that I still struggle with weight fluctuations, especially now that I'm going through menopause and suffer from hypothyroidism. I have a sweet tooth so my other rule is no cakes or chocolates during the week but I sometimes overindulge on week-ends!
I really enjoy your channel, thanks Abbey!!
Talking chain fast foods: I was raised on homecooked fresh meals, and when I tried McDonalds, I took one bite and threw it away. Literally, too salty, feels like cardboard, made me feel awful.
I still eat calorie-dense foods that aren't necessarily a HCC, but I'd simply prefer having the homecooked version with fresh, locally sourced ingredients and the spices that fit my tastes.
My food rules as someone who is working on sustainable intentional weight-loss are as follows:
1. Have a piece of chocolate or a chocolate truffle with my morning coffee. It's part of my ritual and it keeps me from craving larger amounts of chocolate later in the day.
2. Listen to my body when deciding on food options. I naturally stay away from deep fried and very sweet foods when I try to be intuitive about it.
3. Move every day. This is both good for my physical and my mental health.
4. Don't obsess about calories or macros. Obviously, if I want to lose weight, I have to include small changes to get there, but I do my best not to stress about it.
5. Avoid non-sugar sweeteners, since I never like the aftertaste and they just make me crave sugary foods.
6. Limit alcohol consumption to roughly 1-2 times a month. I am on meds that can interact with alcohol and while my doctor said drinking in moderation was fine, I've been lucky to be spared from the side-effects so far and don't want to test my luck.
I have pretty much the same rules, some of my friends say that I over-obsess over my food but now I feel like having these rules is the right thing to do. I think it’s very important to listen to your body but most people don’t see food as fuel but as an enemy.
I also want to be a dietitian, I think your work is very inspiring ❤
There’s two things I love at wendy’s - baked potato with chili and bacon cheese fries. I don’t like their burgers at all.
With McDonald’s…I like hot fries. And I will crave them on occasion.
Also a bedtime snacker and have almost all the same rules for many similar or same reasons. I also always try to drink a glass of water right away in AM before eating or starting my day. Seems to kickstart my day otherwise i might not start hydrating till like noon but when i start right away, i fill.up the cup again and keep with me at my desk or on counter at home and reminds me to keep.hydrating!
I am trying to learn how my body reacts to certain foods. After being diagnosed as diabetic I have ignored ALL advice telling me to count carbs and stop eating all fruit. Instead I pay attention to how foods impact my body - Apples bad, watermelon no problem. I don't feel guilt about a greasy meal or a cookie or a piece of cake. I just don't make it a habit.
My big food rule is looking for added sugar on labels especially on foods that just don't need it - pasta sauce, yogurt. 2nd food rule - don't allow cake to stay in the house - I can't help myself and I will eat the whole thing. Its the only junk food I can't resist.
night snack is a MUST
Very interesting. It’s nice to think about this for myself.
Also, night time snack for me too ❤
I AM a bedtime snacker!! Cereal used to be my favorite, but lately it's been dried apricots, wasabi peas, or dark chocolate!
I sometimes I crave soda, but I noticed it I add a lot of ice to a soda sometimes when I eat out, this waters it down while still enjoying the flavor.
My list is almost identical - except I don’t do a bedtime snack, my thing is something sweet after a meal, I have lost interest in drinking and rarely ever drink alcohol and I struggle when I keep junk in the house…
I too am a bedtime snacker; almost always gluten free crackers and lactose free cheese. However that doesn't always stop me from sleep walking and sleep eating. Happy New Year from Saskatchewan 🥂
Very interesting. A few things suprised me but ive only been watching you for about a week. I first saw you on a "Greg Doucette" video and made my way over to what you chat about. Anyway good video!
in the morning i always workout fasted never eat dairy i eat protein fiber healthy fat in every meal i drink lots of water i do workout do weights 75% of the time and cardio 25% of the time i workout 4 to 5 days a week i do 90/10 rule i do 16/8 fasting everyday i dont eat at fast food places i do have treat meals 10% of the time and i eat lots of fruits and veggies in every meal
I love this! Thank you abbey for helping my relationship with food one video at a time💗💗💗
My hubby and I ALWAYS have a bedtime snack - Greek yoghurt or cottage cheese, fresh or frozen berries, nut butter, honey, some or other crunchy element like cereal or granola or nuts & seeds, cacao nibs or activated buckwheat! It's one of the highlights of every single day 😝😝😝
Haha, one of my “rules” is I can’t eat right before bed because it gives me acid reflux! Also, I can’t have just carbs for breakfast, that makes me feel very yucky.
Love the sudden change to Simpsons voice, so funny! This all sounds like good old common sense, the kind my mama raised me on. I never used to be a bedtime snacker but now I sleep better if I have a little something, like Pooh Bear
I feel best when I don’t eat before bedtime and when I don’t have gluten. I actually am not sure on the dairy - so I sometime will go a time without it and see how I feel… I also feel best when I’m not eating a bunch of sugar or simple carbs.
My mornings seems to feel best when I have coffee and wait to eat breakfast.
no bedtime snack here... if i do that i don't sleep and feel sick. my snacktime is earlier in the day. i don't wanna miss out on that
Nutrition bachelor's, incoming psychology masters student - My rules are more behavior based:
1. no eating just to feel included. Often when I was younger I would be full, but felt I had to order food if I was in a social gathering in order to fit in. One day I decided to just stop doing that and I haven't gone back.
2. no artificial sweeteners
3. choose a healthy option when i'm out to eat if nothing on the menu sounds like something I'm dying for (IE: I'm not a huge cheeseburger gal, so when we go to a burger joint, I'll get a salad because choosing a burger might only sound a *little* better to me than a salad, so the risk/reward balance there is easy for me to choose. Now.. tikka masala vs salad? No question, it's tikka masala every time.
4. same rule as above but for drinks. If there's not some specialty cocktail on the menu that sounds unique and amazing or a drink I've been absolutely craving for days/weeks, I'll get a vodka soda with lime.
5. I DO only eat when I'm hungry. This is a result of coming from a house where I sometimes got guilted for not finishing my plate. So nothing external dictates my eating anymore, not even the clock.
6. remind myself that I can probably make it better at home. I'm a foodie and a home chef so rather than spending $40 to eat out for only one meal, I encourage myself to find a similar looking recipe online, tweak to my liking, and have enough leftovers to enjoy it again, and be mindful of the portion size and ingredients I'm choosing, whereas in a restaurant I have no say.