photo by Vinogradov Illya
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Our relationship with food is a direct reflection of our relationship with life. If you struggle with your weight, body image, or eating habits just know that this is not a problem. All of these conditions are symptoms of a problem that are trying to get your attention.
And so the more willing you are to take an honest look at yourself and your relationship with food, the more opportunities you will have to not only know yourself better but to make change. Remember, we cannot change what we do not accept (or see) so change will always begin with (kind and patient) observation and acceptance.
Understanding the four types of eating and how they relate to you is a great tool to help you gain a clearer perspective on yourself and your relationship to food.
These descriptions are my take on a concept I learned from my weight coach mentor, Brooke Castillo, (who is insanely amazing btw and the founder of the Weight Coach School). I have found them extremely useful and hope you do too!
The four types of eating are: Fuel, Fun, Fog, and Storm.
Fuel Eating is when you are eating foods that support your body and it’s needs. This is clean eating. Eating real, whole, natural, minimally processed foods that provide you with energy and nourishment and feel good in your body. You want to eat fuel foods 80% of the time.
Fun Eating is eating any foods that you love to eat that don’t necessarily give you anything back. In other words food that tastes great and you enjoy but don’t offer any real nutritional value (i.e. cake, wine, potato chips, candy, etc.). You want to pay careful attention when eating fun foods as to be sure you are receiving the pleasure that they provide. This could look like one small treat a day or two fun meals a week. The rule with fun eating is that you must enjoy each bite.
Fog Eating is anytime you eat without awareness. You are munching on chips without even tasting them, you are snacking on your kids’ peanut butter and jelly crusts while making lunch, you finish off a bag of candy before you even realize how much you ate and don’t even remember what it tasted like. Fog eating is not enjoyable or purposeful; it’s an unconscious munch that we are not even aware we are doing. The goal is to never fog eat. Stop the minute you catch yourself.
Storm Eating is binge eating or eating out of control. It is anytime you can’t stop yourself. You are aware that you are eating and you want to stop but you feel like you can’t stop or like you can’t control yourself. It’s almost like you are watching another person inside your own body. Sometimes this happens if we let ourselves get too hungry and sometimes it happens when we have an overwhelming emotion that we do not want to feel. Storm eating is usually followed by regret and shame. Many times it’s done in private or in hiding.
And yes, you can experience some of these at the same time or one can lead to another.
Just good to know.
Pamela Mearsheimer says
Dani, I love these new posts on eating! I started following your blog for the easy, clean eating recipes, but your news series of posts really speak to me. Keep them coming! And thank you 🙂
Alisa says
Dani, I love the way you’ve classified eating so simply! With fun eating, another quick note – migrating your fun eating choices to ones that combine a little fuel is also helpful. Like using whole food ingredients to make your own cookies rather than buying oreo’s.
Wendy says
Totally loved and needed to read ! I feel like it describes what I do exactly. Please say that there is a post coming on how to combat storm and fog eating!
Melinda Clancy says
Wow! I love your info.My Aunt got me tuned into your blogs and stuff you are great! We need people like u on t.v.! Can’t wait to try some of your masterpieces! thankyou.
Helen says
This is such a helpful classification. It adds another dimension to the process of becoming more aware of what is going on in our bodies, not only when we are eating but at other times. Thanks for this.
Dani says
You’re welcome! I’m gad you found it helpful;)
GaryD says
This is brilliant Dani. I love the breakdown. I’ve never looked at my relationship with food in this way but it makes perfect sense.
I’ve also heard it said that our relationship with food, money and time are all very similar so it’s a useful exercise to understand our relationships/habits with each of them. Your descriptions makes a great template to do exactly that. Thank you!
David says
Awesome breakdown, Dani! Makes such perfect sense.
Not sure about anyone else, but I know that sometimes the Fun Eating becomes too commonplace – going from enjoying every single bite with conscious satisfaction, to Fog Eating masquerading as Fun Eating. The first bite is “mmm” and after that, it’s “Oh, I finished already.” Having had bad habits in the past, this can often then be the go-to initial thought for food, especially if not preparing yourself.
Best trick I’ve learned? Never let yourself get too hungry if you’re in this state. If you’re peckish – as in, “I could go a snack right now” – go for a meal, instead (perhaps a “mini meal” depending on hunger and previous eating, but definitely bigger than a typical snack). But make it a Fuel Eating meal – but one of those you normally really enjoy, when you’re not on a Fun/Fog/Storm binge.
For me, it’s often something really simple: steamed veggies. After a period of Fog Eating, an al dente floret of broccoli suddenly becomes Fun Eating for me. Tastebuds come alive, and I’m in the moment. After that bowl of veggies, I’m not only satisfied but I’m Fuelled. I feel great afterwards. And the next time I get hunger pangs? My body reminds me how great it felt after the last meal, and so the Fun/Fuel reminder kicks in: “Eat more greens” says the brain, and I do, and I enjoy and so does my body.
Big thing: don’t beat yourself up too much if you fall into the Fog. Happens to the best of us. Just try and steer yourself back on track, and congratulate yourself when you do, and consciously choose the next snack/meal you have.
Biggest thing: I can’t recommend one of Dani’s earlier videos of pre-preparing veggies all cut up and ready to go for the week. When I’ve done that, I open the fridge and there it all is, waiting for me. It’s as convenient, but much healthier, as a bag of chips. Sure, it can take some time to prepare, but it’s worth it. I’ve worked some hideous hours on an overdue project, and “didn’t have the time” to prepare. I wish I had. Now that I am, again, instead of having processed snack bags in the house, or quick-and-easy junk food delivered, I have pre-cut veggies in containers in the fridge. So if I’m too tired, or too lazy, or just fog eating, it’ll be a handful of broccoli florets and some carrot and celery sticks, because they’re all ready to go and ready to eat.
Give that week’s worth of veggies pre-prepared a go, even just once, and I bet you’ll find – as I did – the next time you “browse the fridge library” for a snack, having ready-to-go veggies is far more appealing than “I could do celery, except I have to cut it, and that takes time and effort, so I’ll just fog-eat a packet of crisps instead.” I will admit I’ve often fog-eaten a handful of celery sticks after this but… it’s fuel, right? So no guilt! 🙂