Reading Time: 5 minutes I came to really understand this in myself a couple of years ago.  You see, I’d had a pretty typical relationship with my body over my lifespan, things were up and down, but I was doing ok at that point.  And then I had a health problem that no one could figure out and someone suggested that I try a really restrictive diet to help. And in my desperation to feel better, I cut out nearly every food known to humankind.  I mean, I wasn’t eating much. No grains, dairy, legumes, acidic foods (so most fruits, tea, coffee), no nuts or eggs. And I was sad, so so sad. And I lost 10 pounds. And then I realized that it wasn’t helping, so I started eating normally again a few months later and I gained 15 pounds.  I could tell that my mind was terrified that I was going to cut all those foods out again, proving to me that restriction, simply resulted in weight gain after the fact.