Hey there. Let’s talk about quieting the chatter…the food noise.
If you’ve ever been on a weight loss journey, or honestly even just tried to eat in a way that feels good for you, you’ve probably struggled with what’s often called food noise. It’s this constant chatter in your head about food. Thoughts bouncing around about what you should or shouldn’t eat, when to eat, how much to eat, how guilty you feel about what you just ate…it’s exhausting.
Over the past few years, “food noise” has become a common term for what many of us have experienced for decades. But here’s the thing. There are no absolutes when it comes to any of this. Context is everything. What I hope to do in this post is share some ideas you can try and test for yourself. Because quieting food noise takes time, and our thoughts are going to jump around. Sometimes out of nowhere. So please, give yourself plenty of grace along the way.
A big part of the challenge is that our relationship with food is not just logical. It’s emotional too. There’s a huge history there for all of us. It’s not all bad, but it’s important to remember that when we’re dealing with food noise, we’re dealing with emotions as much as facts and tactics.
One of the first practical things I want you to consider is whether you’re actually eating enough. I’m not talking about simply eating because you’re having thoughts about food. It’s about looking at how much you’re eating, how often you’re eating each day, and making sure you’re not going too long between meals or snacks.
When you’re eating enough, you’re fuller longer. That alone can delay the onset of food thoughts and help reduce how extreme they feel when they do pop up. It won’t erase the noise completely, but it can absolutely take the edge off.
Beyond just quantity, the quality of what you’re eating matters too. Make sure you’re getting enough water, enough nutrient-dense foods like fruits and vegetables, and enough food that’s going to fill you up. The goal is to eat enough of the right kinds of foods to help you stay satisfied for longer periods.
Here’s a simple starting point. If you eat three regular meals a day, try to get four to five servings of produce in there. That could mean one to two servings at each meal. If you eat more frequently or include snacks, you might be able to add even more servings. But aiming for at least four servings a day is a solid place to start.
Another helpful trick is pairing fiber-rich foods with water. When you eat fruits and vegetables and drink water alongside them, it creates more volume in your stomach. This really does help curb hunger and can quiet some of that mental chatter around food.
But food noise is about so much more than just what you’re eating. A huge piece of this puzzle is the rules you think you should be following.
I’d love for you to grab your journal, a piece of paper, or even just your phone and list out all the “rules” you believe you should be following around food. Be as specific as you can. Then, right next to each rule, write down where you’re really at with it. Ask yourself, do I really want to do this? Is this something that actually fits my life?
For example, one of the most common rules people have heard forever is “don’t eat after 8 pm.” But if you don’t get off work until 6:30 or 7 pm, and you’re legitimately hungry, that rule may not work for you at all. Your reality might be “don’t eat after 11 pm,” which fits your schedule and keeps you from being ravenous.
When you put your “shoulds” next to your actual willingness and ability, you’re creating your own personal rules. And those rules are yours. You get to decide what makes sense for your life. Seeing those rules clearly on paper stops them from endlessly bouncing around your head, fueling the noise.
Another powerful exercise is observing how you talk to yourself when the food noise hits. What kind of things are you saying in your head when you’re eating or even thinking about eating? Do you feel guilt, shame, frustration, or anger with yourself?
Start by simply observing without trying to change anything yet. Write down the thoughts you’re having. Write down how those thoughts make you feel. This is a first step toward gradually scaling back the intensity of the noise.
Over time, you can begin moving toward a more neutral way of talking to yourself. Eventually, you might even sprinkle in some positive self-talk. I’m a big fan of being your own biggest supporter. That means being honest and direct with yourself but leading with kindness and compassion. I want you to be your biggest cheerleader, coming from a place of reasonable optimism.
For me personally, when I’m eating, I like to be relaxed. Sometimes I’ll have music, a podcast, or TV playing in the background. But I’ll admit, the thoughts still come up sometimes. There are times when I’ve zoned out while eating, only to snap back and realize I’ve eaten way more than I planned and I feel physically sick and upset with myself. I’ve been there, and it’s not where I want to be.
Another thing to think about is your environment. Are there certain foods you keep in the house that become triggers for you? For me, I practice a little “pantry positioning.” I keep treats in the house, but I don’t keep them front and center. Out of sight, out of mind, at least for a while.
Depending on where you’re at, you might decide not to bring certain foods into the house at all for now. That’s okay too. There’s a whole other conversation to be had about how to work through trigger foods, but starting by controlling your environment can help reduce food noise in the short term.
It’s also worth asking yourself when the noise starts. Is it around a specific meal? A certain food? Is there a common event, situation, or feeling that triggers it? Just observe for now.
And speaking of triggers, I love watching food history channels on YouTube. I’m fascinated by how different kinds of pizza evolved in different regions, or where Fruit Roll-Ups came from. But I’ve noticed something.
I can be completely fine, not even thinking about food. Then I scroll through social media, see a delicious recipe video, and suddenly I’m hungry. I’m not even planning to make that recipe, but my brain goes straight to, “I want to eat something right now.” It’s wild how our content consumption feeds into food noise.
I’m not saying you need to unfollow every food account. But it’s something to be aware of. It’s one more piece of the puzzle.
If you notice the thoughts popping up, a great question to ask yourself is, “Is this real? Do I actually feel hungry right now? Do I have to own this feeling?” So often, food noise is tied to a feeling. For years, my emotional support food was a pint of Chunky Monkey ice cream. I’d crush the whole thing. Now, when I make muffins or cookies, sometimes I incorporate those flavors into higher-fiber versions because chocolate, walnuts, and banana are flavors I love.
Instead of banning certain foods, I look at how I can incorporate them in a way that feels good.
The more we untangle our thoughts and feelings around food, the easier it becomes to see how our relationship with food ties into our relationship with ourselves. While our relationship with exercise is also important, I’ve noticed that how we view food and how we view ourselves are deeply connected.
I believe the slower you work on this stuff, the more likely it is to stick for the long term. You may feel tempted to attack food noise aggressively, but remember, this chatter didn’t start overnight. It’s been building for years, maybe decades. It will take time to quiet it.
There will be times when the chatter comes roaring back. And yes, there will be times when you give in to it. You might even feel like you’ve backtracked for days, weeks, or months. That’s normal. Life is long, and we have decades to figure this out.
But the sooner you can observe your thoughts, hear them, and gradually start to change them, the more in control you’ll feel. You won’t quiet the noise 100 percent of the time, but you’ll remember who you are and how much experience you already have navigating all of this.
You’ve figured out things that work for you before. You’ve had successes. And you’re capable of figuring this out again.
So if you’re wrestling with food noise right now, take a deep breath. Start by making sure you’re eating enough. Observe your thoughts without judgment. Journal your rules versus your reality. And remember, working on the inside/out approach is what helps you build lasting change.
If you’re ready for more support in quieting the food noise and building a sustainable plan that fits your life, join one of my YLF coaching programs. Let’s work on this together!