Signs of a Positive vs Unhelpful Relationship with Eating and Exercise  

Below is a list of signs indicating a positive vs unhelpful relationship with eating and exercise. 

Eating Behaviours 

Signs of a positive relationship with food and eating: 

• Eating a variety of foods across all food groups (grains, cereals, dairy, meat products, fruit, vegetables) 

• Eating a variety of foods across all macronutrients (protein, carbohydrate, fats) 

• Ability to identify when you are hungry and full and the nuances in between  

• Being able to honour your hunger and fullness  

• Enjoying a wide variety of foods 

• Enjoying eating food in social situations 

• Enjoying alcohol with your meal if you choose, without compensating through restriction or exercise 

• Being able to eat mindfully 

• Eating adequate amounts to meet your energy requirements 

• Being relaxed around food and eating 

• Eating to support physical, mental, social, and emotional wellbeing and development 

• Eat meals and snacks regularly throughout the day 

• Coping with various emotional states without attachment to food restriction and deprivation 

• Eating culturally appropriate foods for different occasions 

• Drinking water appropriately – not depriving self of adequate fluid and not overhydrating 

Signs of an unhelpful relationship with food and eating: 

• Cutting out food groups or particular foods without medical diagnosis or religious contexts 

• Following someone else’s diet to suit you 

• Continuous dieting or switching from one diet to another 

• Having a fear of certain foods 

• Being anxious about eating 

• Fearing attending social events because of eating 

• Avoiding eating socially 

• Using supplements instead of eating whole foods 

• Measuring, counting or weighing food and counting calories or counting macronutrients 

• Following rigid eating rules 

• Labeling yourself as ‘bad’ or a ‘failure’ if you break diet rules 

• Labeling food with an emotional attachment or judgment 

• Having an over-reliance on “quick-fix” strategies 

• Using compensatory behaviours such as vomiting, laxatives, diuretics, extreme fasting 

• Using food as a reward 

• Feeding others but not eating yourself 

• Depriving yourself of desired foods 

• Engaging in restricted eating most of the time 

• Restricting fluids or excessive drinking 

• Using water or diet products to suppress appetite 

• Using distracting behaviours to ignore hunger cues e.g. smoking/exercise/coffee 

• Using illegal or banned substances to control body composition 

• Not eating food prepared by others 

• Eating in secret 

• Fearing feeling full 

• Using competitive sport as an excuse for extreme diet behaviours 

Exercise Behaviours

A positive relationship with exercise/movement includes:

• Taking a rest day

• Moving in a variety of ways

• Exercising at a variety of intensities

• Exercising to support mental, emotional, physical and social wellbeing

• Exercising within recommended physical activity guidelines

• Exercising for performance

• Exercising with supported nutrition to fuel the activity and promote adequate recovery

• Exercising to meet sport goals

• Taking exercise free days

• Taking breaks from a set exercise regimen such as whilst on holiday or if life is busy

• Resting or modifying movement if injured or sick

• Having flexibility in your routine

• Moving your body for enjoyment

Your experience of exercise/movement may be unhelpful if:  

• Exercise feels more like “torture-cise” than exercise  

• You exercise while sick or injured 

• You exercise when it is dangerous, such as late at night  

• You exercise as a means of punishing yourself

• You exercise purely for burning calories  

• Your engagement in exercise is depleting you  

• You’re not giving yourself time to recover between sessions  

• You’re feeling as though exercise is exhausting your body and causing frequent illness, disturbed sleep, and alterations in mood 

• You experience guilt when you can’t engage in exercise  

• You experience anxiety or distress when you can’t exercise or when you are made to stop and didn’t want to   

• You exercise through pain and injury 

• You feel like a failure when you can’t “follow your routine”  

• You use exercise as a reason to eat or to compensate for eating 

• You exercise in secret, or hide the amount of movement you have engaged in  

• You feel compelled to exercise/move 

• You prioritise exercise over most other things e.g. you miss out on social functions to exercise  

• You engage in deliberate behaviour (for example standing up when others are sitting) to maximise energy expenditure