The Real Reason We Love Diets ( and How to Let Them Go) With Chrissy Kirkman

Ask yourself this question: "What makes dieting so attractive to me?"

I’ve found that, when it all boils down, diets feel safe because we don’t have to make our own decisions. If we follow all the rules and the diet causes chaos, fails to bring the promised results, or makes us feel miserable, we're not the one to blame—the diet is. 

In episode 6 of The Joy-Filled Eater Podcast, we’re hanging out with Chrissy Kirkman, executive director of FINDINGbalance and the host of the Old School Food Freedom Podcast, and we’re going to help you navigate:

• 🧠 Decision fatigue and menu planning when you’re no longer dieting
• 😕 How to decide what to eat when nothing sounds good
• 🤷🏻‍♀️ Why you may be having trouble letting dieting go for GOOD
• 🍽️ Strategies that you can use NOW to simplify weekly menu planning

Wait, What's Decision Fatigue? 🧠 

Decision fatigue is exactly what it sounds like: becoming exhausted from making decisions. It sounds strange, but our brains use a TON of energy! When you spend tons of time trying to decide what to eat, you can get pretty tired! 

Looking at the old albums…

Before we jump into this conversation, it’s important to look back at how you have decided what to eat in the past. How have your childhood experiences with food impacted your choices and behaviors around food today? Was there food insecurity? What were your parents’ attitudes around food? When you gained independence, how did you choose what to buy, how much to prepare, what to eat? 

For many people, dieting creeps in when they're figuring out how to independently handle food for the first time. Chrissy testifies to her experience in college and as a 19-year-old newlywed. She was excited at learning to cook with her husband, but she was terrified of the weight gain that accompanied the healthy development of her body as a young college student (Side note: Your body is not done growing and developing at 19!) This is where she started dieting and cutting out food groups which led to food fixation, cravings, and ultimately shame. 

As Chrissy found freedom in food, she realized that the foods she dreamed of day in and day out were not bad. She could choose to have those foods or not to have them. She had freedom to analyze how her body felt after eating certain foods and choose meals that supported her health while not restricting, but, in this newfound freedom, Chrissy realized that she had lost the “romance” of food in her struggles; nothing sounded good anymore! 😥 Can you relate? In the episode, Chrissy shared 3 tips and strategies to help you know what to eat when nothing sounds good and reduce decision fatigue in your weekly menu planning: 

Tip #1: Meal Kits

If you are your own at-home chef and are thinking: “Meal kits are for people who don’t know how to cook”, hang on with me here. At first, Chrissy thought the exact same thing, but she realized that they can have lots of benefits and emphatically recommends them because... 

• Weekly choices are laid out for you
• There’s flexibility to choose what sounds good to you
• Opportunity to try new, fun things!
• Cuts costs from eating out 
• Reduces decision fatigue
• Increased satisfaction

Tip #2: Menu Planning

Some people are hesitant around meal planning; how can you eat intuitively and meal plan at the same time? Menus don’t have to be written in stone; they can be super flexible! Even if you just plan a few ingredients or 2-3 meals per week, that small amount of structure can actually increase your freedom to choose what sounds good to you because those foods will be more readily available. 

For example, if chicken parm sounds good to me for dinner, but my chicken is still frozen, I will most likely make something else. Chicken parm would be still on the menu if I had defrosted the chicken earlier! For some extra support with meal planning, be sure to grab my FREE Mix and Match Menu Planning Guide!

Tip #3: Branch Out!

Chrissy was raised in a “meat and potatoes” family, but she was surprised at how many vegetables bring her joy on her plate when she tries them in delicious ways. Since her husband had a frequent, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it" attitude towards food, she tried to make food that he would consent to, but as she branched out with new cultures, flavors, and foods, they both were surprised at how enjoyable new foods were!

Challenge yourself to break some food rules and enjoy new foods, one meal at a time! Experiment with your fullness levels, how you feel after certain foods, what foods you enjoy… For more info on meal prep and making meals nutritiously delicious, check out episode 9 where I brought on professional chef, Kris Dovbniak!

Tip #4: Get Community! Encouragement From Chrissy

Chrissy emphasized the role of community in your food freedom journey. When we are struggling, we tend to hide it until we get it under control. In reality, this is counterproductive; you need community, friend! Don’t let shame hold you captive. If you're a Christian woman struggling to find godly counsel around food in your local church body, check out Episode 3: Dealing With Diet Culture in the Church, where I dive deep into how to know if diet culture is influencing the “big C church”, how do deal with it, and steps towards developing a food-freedom perspective in your local body of believers. 

And, friend, give yourself grace. Food freedom is a long, difficult journey, and you’re going to make mistakes. We all do. But, oh, it is so worth it! 

Resources and Next Steps

You don’t have to go at freedom alone, friend. Check out these resources from Chrissy and me: 

• Lasting Freedom Courses—These are Chrissy’s food-freedom courses that teach and equip you in your food and body-image journey!
• Free ED Recovery Prayer Groups—Whether you are the one struggling or you are supporting a loved one, these free prayer groups can help provide you with community and support. 
• Join me in my Nourishing Menus Workshop!—Meal prep doesn’t have to feel like climbing Mt. Everest! The Nourishing Menus workshop is where I teach you how to prepare nourishing menus for yourself and your family with ease. 

Want to connect with Chrissy? You can find her at:

• Instagram:@findingbalanceofficia
• Her website: www.findingbalance.com
• The Old School Food Freedom Podcast