Are You Still Following Childhood Food Rules Without Realizing It?

You’re not dieting anymore. You’re learning to trust your body. But somehow, the guilt still sneaks in. You find yourself justifying snacks, pushing through meals even when you’re full, or saving up for dessert like it’s a reward. And deep down, you’re wondering—why is this still so hard?

Here’s the truth: even if you’ve stopped dieting, you might still be following invisible scripts that were written in childhood.

If you grew up hearing things like:

• “Clean your plate or no dessert.”
• “You just ate—you can’t be hungry again.”
• “Don’t waste food, there are starving kids elsewhere.”
  …then those rules may still be running the show, decades later.
  

This episode of Rebuilding Trust With Your Body dives into how your early food experiences shape the way you eat today—and what you can do to finally break free.

These Rules Weren’t Just Annoying—They Were Internalized

Maybe you can remember sitting at the table as a kid, staring down peas you didn’t want to eat but weren’t allowed to leave behind. Or maybe you were the kid who learned to sneak snacks in secret because snacks weren’t “allowed.”

What happens when you grow up with these messages? You might find yourself finishing your plate even when you’re full. Or feeling guilty for wanting a snack—even if your body is clearly hungry.

These rules don’t always look like rules anymore. They morph into beliefs like:

• “I shouldn’t be hungry again.”
  “I need to earn this dessert with something healthy first.”
• “I can’t waste food—it’s wrong to throw it away.”
  

And they’re so normalized that you may not even question them. But here’s your permission to pause and ask: Where did this belief come from—and do I want to keep it?

(For more on where your food guilt might be coming from, check out this blog: The Hidden Grief of Quitting Dieting.)

Food Rules Masquerade as “Healthy Habits”

One of the hardest parts about these internalized rules is that they often look like healthy choices on the outside. But the truth is, if the reason behind your food decisions is fear, guilt, or shame—it’s not really about health. It’s about control.

For example:

• Skipping snacks might look like discipline—but it’s rooted in a fear of eating “too much.”
• Pushing past fullness might seem like being “grateful” for your food—but it’s rooted in scarcity.
• Eating dessert only after “earning” it with veggies? That’s diet culture in disguise.

The Messy Middle is Real—and You’re Not Alone

If you’re no longer dieting, but you’re not quite at peace with food either, you’re likely in what I call the messy middle. You’ve let go of the old rules, but haven’t fully stepped into trust. You want to eat intuitively, but there’s still guilt, fear, and second-guessing.

You might be asking yourself:
“How do I know if I’m listening to my body—or just doing what I’ve always done?”
“Is it really okay to eat this much?”
“What if I let go and totally lose control?”

This is the work. This is the real work. And it’s the exact kind of work we’re doing together inside my free masterclass.

Save Your Seat in the Free Masterclass: What’s Weighing On You

Let’s talk about what’s really going on under your food stress.

In this free live masterclass on Monday, May 12th at 6PM CT, I’ll walk you through:

• Why old food rules are so hard to break (even when you want to)
• The science of why your body responds the way it does when you let go of dieting
• How to step into food freedom without feeling like you’re spiraling
• What the “messy middle” really means—and how to move through it with clarity and confidence

If you’re in that stuck, in-between place, this class will meet you right where you are, save your spot here.

Journal Prompt: Start Uncovering Your Food Rules

Here’s one small step you can take today:
What rule did you learn about food as a kid that still echoes in your decisions today?

Write it down. Notice where it shows up.
Then ask yourself: Is this rule helping me trust my body—or is it keeping me stuck?

This is how change begins. One belief at a time.

Want to go deeper? My mini course Stepping Off the Dieting Rollercoaster is the next step for those who’ve outgrown the surface-level stuff and are ready to do the deeper work. You can check it out here.

And remember:
You are not failing.
You are feeling.
And that’s part of the work.

🎧 Listen & subscribe:
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Referenced Episode: Ep.184 – How Your Childhood Food Rules Still Control Your Eating Habits

Looking for more support on your journey to food freedom and body acceptance?

• Save your spot in my FREE masterclass What’s Weighing On You
• Work with Katy
• Listen to episode #119: Grieving the Things You’ve Lost to Diet Culture with Erin Kinzel
• Join the Intuitive Eating Made Easy Facebook Group
• Grab my FREE Daily 3 Body Kindness Journal Pages
• Intuitive eating education on the blog