[00:00:00] Free food has a strange power over us.

[00:00:04] It bypasses logic, ignores hunger, and convinces otherwise sensible people that they absolutely must eat the cookie, grab the samples, or finish the chips before someone else does.

[00:00:17] In today’s episode, we are diving into the psychology of free food and why the words,

[00:00:23] “It’s free,” can short-circuit even the most determined weight mastery mindset.

[00:00:29] I’ll show you what’s actually happening inside your brain when free food appears,

[00:00:34] why it feels so hard to say no, and how this hidden influence can quietly sabotage your goals.

[00:00:42] Most importantly, I am gonna give you a simple three-step technique to break the spell in the moment so that you can make decisions based on what you truly want,

[00:00:53] not on what your bargain-loving brain thinks it’s getting away with.

[00:00:58] And I’ll leave you with a few powerful mantras that can become your magical shield against the siren song of free food.

[00:01:06] So before you grab that complimentary cookie in the hotel lobby, let’s talk about what’s really going on.

[00:01:13] Come on in.

[00:01:15] Did you know that our struggle with weight doesn’t start with the food on your plate or get fixed in the gym?

[00:01:22] 80% of our weight struggle is mental.

[00:01:26] That’s right.

[00:01:27] The key to unlocking long-term weight release and management begins in your mind.

[00:01:33] Hi there. I’m Rita Black.

[00:01:35] I’m a clinical hypnotherapist, weight loss expert, best-selling author,

[00:01:39] and the creator of the Shift Weight Mastery Process.

[00:01:43] And not only have I helped thousands of people over the past 20 years achieve long-term weight mastery,

[00:01:49] I am also a former weight struggler, carb addict, and binge eater.

[00:01:54] And after two decades of failed diets and fad weight loss programs, I lost 40 pounds with the help of hypnosis.

[00:02:02] Not only did I release all that weight, I have kept it off for 25 years.

[00:02:07] Enter the Thin Thinking podcast where you, too, will learn how to remove the mental roadblocks that keep you struggling.

[00:02:15] I’ll give you the thin thinking tools, skills, and insights to help you develop the mindset you need, not only to achieve your ideal weight,

[00:02:23] but to stay there long term and live your best life.

[00:02:29] Well, hello, hello, hello. Come on in.

[00:02:32] Settle on in.

[00:02:34] I am so thrilled that you are here with me in this beautiful last week of June as we head towards the Fourth of July holiday, those of you who are in the United States.

[00:02:45] I realize that there are many, many of you who are not in the United States,

[00:02:50] but today, since we are a week and a half away from Independence Day, or whenever you’re hearing this, I thought, what a perfect time to talk about freedom.

[00:02:59] And not just political freedom and holiday freedom but today we are talking about a very specific kind of freedom, freedom from free food.

[00:03:10] And before we get into that, I just want you to notice those little free samples over there that I have for you.

[00:03:16] I made them just for you. Go ahead, have one.

[00:03:19] And then, of course, you’ll owe me.

[00:03:23] No, no. Okay, I’m just kidding, sort of.

[00:03:26] Okay, we are gonna talk about, in today’s episode, free food, and it’s obviously never quite as free as it seems, right?

[00:03:35] There’s usually some kind of cost.

[00:03:37] Maybe it costs you your peace or your self-trust.

[00:03:42] Maybe it costs you your calorie budget, and maybe it costs you that feeling of being the boss of yourself.

[00:03:50] And with Fourth of July coming up, summer in full swing, travel, parties, barbecues, family gatherings, hotel breakfasts, office treats, samples,

[00:04:01] snacks in food everywhere, free food is going to be a-plenty.

[00:04:07] So I thought this would be the perfect time to work on some mind techniques and some new ways of thinking around free food so that we can stay the boss of ourselves.

[00:04:18] But before I begin, I wanna invite you to my free masterclass.

[00:04:25] Yes, free. Did, did I say that? Yes.

[00:04:28] Did I do that?

[00:04:29] And unlike the mystery muffin in the breakout room, this free offering is designed to help you come back to yourself.

[00:04:36] So when you sign up, you’re gonna receive a free weight release masterclass with a powerful weight release hypnosis session,

[00:04:46] and hopefully you’ll come and break free from the mental roadblocks that keep you struggling with weight.

[00:04:54] I say hopefully because you gotta show up.

[00:04:57] So go ahead and sign up for the masterclass, www.shiftweightmastery.com/free.

[00:05:08] And now let’s talk about free food and why it tempts us, and why it’s never quite as free as it seems.

[00:05:16] All right. So, I have to laugh because as I sat down to record this tonight our neighbor had this bag that’s been sitting on the front porch for, like, a day.

[00:05:30] Like last night somebody went and put this bag on her front porch, and she texts my husband because they text each other about, you know.

[00:05:39] Can you turn on the sprinkler on the lawn?”

[00:05:42] Or, you know, “Can you watch the dog for today?”

[00:05:45] And so she texted my husband, said, “Hey, I’m out of town, and there was a delivery of those kind of vegetables and some groceries,

[00:05:54] and I forgot about it, so why don’t you guys, why don’t you have that?”

[00:05:58] So as I am about to sit down and start recording this podcast, I see my husband in the kitchen, who really doesn’t eat bread because he has blood sugar issues,

[00:06:13] slicing himself a nice big piece of beautiful sourdough bread.

[00:06:17] And I was like, “What the hell is that?”

[00:06:20] And he’s like, “Well, it’s free food.”

[00:06:23] Our neighbor… And he explained that she had these groceries and he, you know this big old loaf of sourdough bread was in the bag, so of course he had to tuck in.

[00:06:37] Oh, life is so funny, isn’t it? Ah, so ironic.

[00:06:39] So listen, you can be walking through your day, like my husband, minding your business, not hungry, not thinking about food, not looking for food, and then suddenly there it is,

[00:06:49] a box of donuts in the break room, a tray of cookies at a meeting, a sourdough loaf of bread on your neighbor’s front porch,

[00:06:57] Costco samples, birthday cakes, bread baskets, leftovers that somebody hoists upon you.

[00:07:04] And your brain lights up and says, “Ooh, free food.”

[00:07:09] And you can find free food in front of you in so many places.

[00:07:14] Like I said, the office, Costco.

[00:07:19] What would we do without Costco or the grocery stores?

[00:07:23] Church, church socials, community gatherings, holiday parties, weddings, receptions, hotel breakfast buffets.

[00:07:31] Who’s had those?

[00:07:32] Airport lounges, farmers markets, potlucks, book clubs, airline flights.

[00:07:39] And more and more and more.

[00:07:41] And it’s funny because free food being free doesn’t make you hungrier, it doesn’t make the food better for your body, and it doesn’t make it a part of your plan,

[00:07:52] and it doesn’t magically remove the calories or the consequences or the way you feel afterwards.

[00:07:57] But somehow, the word free can cast that spell, and that’s what I wanna dive into today.

[00:08:06] ‘Cause free food can feel like an opportunity, and it is crazy if I don’t have it.

[00:08:12] So I did some research, and I found about eight ways that free foods work on our minds

[00:08:21] and put us into that trance that can really take our power away, and I find them really fascinating.

[00:08:27] So the first one is free changes the brain’s cost benefit math.

[00:08:34] Let me repeat that one.

[00:08:37] Free changes the brain’s cost benefit math.

[00:08:43] There’s a classic behavioral economic study by Kristina Shampanier, and it’s called Zero As a Special Price.

[00:08:54] And what they found is important because in theory, we think we are rational about price.

[00:09:02] We think, well, if something costs a dollar, that’s one thing, and if it costs 10 cents, that’s better.

[00:09:10] And if it’s free, that’s just one more step down.

[00:09:15] But that’s not how the human brain actually works.

[00:09:19] The research shows that free is not just a cheaper price.

[00:09:24] Free is its own magical category.

[00:09:28] When something is free, our brain does not simply say, “Oh, good, the cost went down.”

[00:09:34] It often says, “This is better. This is more valuable. This is less risky, and it’s an opportunity that I should take.”

[00:09:44] That’s what researchers call the zero price effect.

[00:09:48] And this is why the difference between 10 cents and free can feel much bigger than the difference between a dollar and 10 cents, because free does something to us.

[00:09:59] It lowers our defenses, it makes the food feel more exciting than it actually may be, and it makes the choice feel almost consequence-free.

[00:10:11] Now, the second one, free food removes the pause point.

[00:10:17] One of the reasons free food has so much power is that it removes the pause.

[00:10:23] When you have to pay for food, even if it’s just a small amount, there’s usually a tiny moment where your brain has to check in.

[00:10:31] Do I really want this? Is it worth it? Do I wanna spend my money on this?

[00:10:37] That little moment may not seem like much, but it creates friction.

[00:10:43] It makes the choice visible.

[00:10:45] Free food takes that friction away.

[00:10:49] There’s no wallet coming out, no price to consider, or menu decision, or a moment where you have to say, “Yes, I am choosing this.”

[00:10:58] It’s just there.

[00:10:59] The donut is in the break room, the candy’s on the desk, the chips are at the party, and the cookies are left over from the meeting.

[00:11:06] The bread basket lands on the table or on your neighbor’s front porch.

[00:11:12] And because there’s no visible cost, the brain can treat it like there’s no cost at all.

[00:11:18] But of course, we know there may still be a cost.

[00:11:22] It may cost you your calorie budget, or comfort in your body, or food noise for the rest of the day, or just cause you that feeling of, “Ugh, why did I do that?”

[00:11:34] It may cause you your sense of being in leadership with yourself.

[00:11:39] And research shows how powerful that the workplace environment can be.

[00:11:46] One national analysis found that nearly a quarter of working adults got food at work during the week,

[00:11:52] and those foods added up to an average of almost 1,300 calories per person per week.

[00:12:00] Wow. All right. That is a big one, so take a breath.

[00:12:06] Now, number three, free food activates scarcity and FOMO.

[00:12:12] Well, another spell that free food casts is scarcity.

[00:12:16] And even when we’re not consciously thinking, “I may never get this again,” free food often carries a subtle little message.

[00:12:24] This is available now. This is special. This is a chance.

[00:12:28] Once it’s gone, it’s gone. And the brain pays attention to that. Our brains are wired to notice limited opportunities.

[00:12:38] Scarcity makes things feel more valuable.

[00:12:41] It makes us lean in and think, “I better grab that before I miss out.”

[00:12:45] And free food often has that built in.

[00:12:49] The donuts are only there until everyone eats them.

[00:12:52] The samples are only available while you’re walking through the store.

[00:12:56] The birthday cake is only here at this party.

[00:12:59] The free hotel breakfast ends at 10:00 AM.

[00:13:02] The chips and dips are only out for the game.

[00:13:05] And suddenly, it doesn’t feel like food anymore.

[00:13:08] It feels like a limited time offer, like a prize.

[00:13:11] It feels like a little moment you’re supposed to take advantage of.

[00:13:17] Number four, social norms make refusal feel awkward.

[00:13:24] Another reason free food can feel so powerful is that it often shows up in social situations, and social situations have rules.

[00:13:34] Not always written rules.

[00:13:36] Nobody hands you a little pamphlet when you walk into a birthday party that says, “Here is how we behave around the cake.”

[00:13:44] But we know, don’t we? We know when everyone is gathering around the dessert table.

[00:13:49] We know when somebody says, “You have to try this.”

[00:13:53] We know when the host is watching to see if we take a piece, or when the office donuts are not just donuts, but a little morning ritual,

[00:14:03] or the birthday cake is not just cake, but celebration, when the holiday leftovers are not just leftovers, but they’re our family tradition.

[00:14:13] And this is when that free food gets tricky, because refusing the food can feel like we’re refusing the person, or the group, or the celebration, or the culture.

[00:14:26] It can feel like you’re being difficult or uptight, rude, or not fun.

[00:14:31] And so for many of us, especially those of us who’ve spent years trying to be good and liked and not make waves and not disappoint people and not hurt anyone’s feelings,

[00:14:41] this can be a very powerful pull.

[00:14:44] Sometimes the cake isn’t even the hard part.

[00:14:47] The hard part is being the person who says, “No thank you,” and lets that be enough.

[00:14:54] Social eating research shows us that norms shape what we eat and how much we eat.

[00:15:00] In other words, we look around and take cues from everyone in the room.

[00:15:05] What is everyone else doing?

[00:15:07] How much is everyone else having? What’s normal here?

[00:15:11] And what will people think if I don’t participate?

[00:15:14] And again, this isn’t because you’re weak, it’s because you’re human.

[00:15:17] Human beings are wired for belonging.

[00:15:20] We’re wired to read the room, and we’re wired to stay connected to the tribe.

[00:15:25] So when the tribe is eating birthday cake, part of your brain may say, “Eat the cake, stay connected, and don’t stand out.”

[00:15:36] Number five, reciprocity.

[00:15:40] Another reason free food can feel so powerful is something that Robert Cialdini talks about in his work on influence called reciprocity.

[00:15:51] Reciprocity is that very human feeling of you gave me something and now I owe you something, and this can be really subtle.

[00:16:00] Nobody has to say, “I gave you that cookie, so now you must repay me.”

[00:16:06] Nobody has to say, “I handed you that grocery store sample, now you must buy the frozen meatballs.”

[00:16:11] But somewhere inside, we feel that. We feel that little tug.

[00:16:16] They gave me something. They were nice to me, and made an effort, and offered it to me, and now they’re watching.

[00:16:22] I should take it, and I should eat it, and then maybe I should buy it.

[00:16:27] I don’t wanna make them feel bad, and that’s why free samples work so well.

[00:16:31] It’s not because the sample tastes good, but sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t.

[00:16:37] But let’s be honest, the moment somebody hands you something for free, a little invisible exchange begins.

[00:16:44] They gave me something, now what do I give back?

[00:16:47] Attention, a smile, compliment, a purchase, my own comfort, my own plan, my own body.

[00:16:55] It’s an interesting in exchange, and it’s interesting to note.

[00:17:01] And often, what goes on inside us is a feeling of needing to give in to this tug of war around free food.

[00:17:14] Now, number six is scarcity programming.

[00:17:18] Another layer of this free food spell is old scarcity, and this one can be a little tender because for so many of us,

[00:17:29] free food does not just trigger the thought, “Ooh, free.”

[00:17:33] It triggers something much older, something deeper, something that maybe started in childhood,

[00:17:40] or during college, or during a financially hard season, or in a family where food and money were watched very closely.

[00:17:47] And I can relate to this because both my parents went through the Depression, and food was watched incredibly closely.

[00:17:56] I know I grew up hearing, “Don’t waste food. Clean your plate.

[00:18:00] There are starving children. We paid good money for that.”

[00:18:04] I don’t know about you, I certainly did.

[00:18:06] And I don’t know when you don’t know when you’re gonna get this again.

[00:18:10] Take it while it’s there. And those messages got wired in deep.

[00:18:16] So even when life changes, and there’s enough food and money and even when we’re not actually hungry, the body and brain will still carry that old instruction: Get it while you can.

[00:18:29] Don’t miss out. Don’t waste it. Take it now. Eat it now.

[00:18:34] And free food can wake up that old survival pattern.

[00:18:39] And I wanna say this with so much compassion if this is you.

[00:18:44] There is nothing wrong with you.

[00:18:47] That part of you may have helped you get through a hard time, so we are not here to shame that part.

[00:18:56] We are here to update it.

[00:19:00] All right now, number seven, free food as social proof.

[00:19:07] So another piece of the free food spell is social proof.

[00:19:11] That’s just a fancy way of saying when we’re not sure what to do, we look around and see what everyone else is doing.

[00:19:18] And around food, we do this all the time.

[00:19:21] If everyone at the office rushes towards the pizza, suddenly the pizza seems more exciting.

[00:19:27] If everyone is taking a donut, the donut seems to be more desirable.

[00:19:33] If everyone is standing around the birthday cake, it can feel strange to be the one who says, “No thank you,” because, like I said earlier, we’re wired to read what’s going on around us and to belong.

[00:19:46] And I remember standing at this Italian restaurant I used to go to, it was a cheap Italian restaurant here in Hollywood.

[00:19:56] It isn’t even there anymore, but this was back in the day, and we, you had to stand in line to get in, ’cause it was so cheap and all the other starving Hollywood types.

[00:20:07] My husband had lots of friends who were, like, screenwriters or wanna be screenwriters and all that.

[00:20:13] So we would all be standing in line, and while we were standing in line, they would hand out free bread and this cheap sweet wine.

[00:20:23] And the bread was disgusting and the wine was sweet and cheap, and it was not good.

[00:20:31] It was cheap and it gave me a headache.

[00:20:33] But still there I was grabbing at it and grabbing at the bread, taking it and drinking it and eating it, and why?

[00:20:40] Because everybody else was, because it was part of the ritual, and it felt like that’s what we do here.

[00:20:47] You stand in line, you take the bread, you drink the cup of wine, and you participate.

[00:20:52] And if I had stopped and asked myself, “Rita, do you really want this wine?”

[00:20:57] The answer would’ve been, “No.

[00:20:59] Absolutely not. We do not like this wine, and future Rita is going to have a headache.”

[00:21:05] But I wasn’t asking that question.

[00:21:07] I was just following the room, and that is social proof.

[00:21:13] And number eight, last but not least, free food creates emotional permission.

[00:21:19] And for many people, especially those of us who spent years in that yo-yo dieting cycle, or those of us who used food for comfort, reward, rebellion, or relief, free food can feel like a loophole.

[00:21:36] It can feel like it doesn’t count in the same way, because you didn’t plan it.

[00:21:42] You didn’t buy it. You didn’t have to order it from a menu.

[00:21:45] You did not walk into the bakery and say, “I would like one of those, please.”

[00:21:50] It was just there.

[00:21:52] Someone bought it, or offered it, or left it in the break room, and someone said, “Take some home.”

[00:21:59] And because it came from the outside, it can almost feel like the decision came from the outside, too.

[00:22:06] Like, “Well, what was I supposed to do? It was there.”

[00:22:10] And I say that with so much love. You know I’m loving hard on you, because I know that thought.

[00:22:17] I know that little mental shrug, “Well, it was free. It was there.

[00:22:22] Everyone else was having some. I don’t wanna be rude.

[00:22:26] I’ll just start again tomorrow.”

[00:22:29] And yes, this is the perfect transition point.

[00:22:33] So let’s be clear, people don’t eat free food just because they’re hungry.

[00:22:38] Very often they eat free food because free food pushes a whole set of ancient human buttons, scarcity, reciprocity, belonging, opportunity, reward.

[00:22:53] And when all of those buttons get pushed at the same time, it can feel like food has power.

[00:23:00] But here’s the good news.

[00:23:02] The food does not actually have the power.

[00:23:05] The spell has power when we are unconscious.

[00:23:08] The spell has power when we do not pause, or when we believe every thought that pops into our mind.

[00:23:15] It’s free. I should have it. I’m going to miss out. It would be rude not to.

[00:23:20] Everyone else is eating this. It doesn’t count, I’ll start tomorrow.

[00:23:24] So those thoughts can feel really convincing in the moment.

[00:23:30] But let me point out something to you. They are just thoughts.

[00:23:36] They are not commands.

[00:23:37] They are not laws, and they are not, most importantly, the voice of your inner coach.

[00:23:44] And this is where we can begin to use some simple cognitive behavioral tools to break the spell.

[00:23:52] Not complicated tools, not therapy homework that makes you wanna lie down on the floor.

[00:23:59] Just three simple practices you can use in the real world with each other or on their own,

[00:24:07] in the break room, at the barbecue, at the hotel breakfast, or at the party, or in front of the tray of brownies,

[00:24:15] or when your neighbor leaves you her groceries on the front porch.

[00:24:22] And I promise you, these tools are so easy but so powerful.

[00:24:27] The first tool is name the spell. Yeah, name the spell.

[00:24:34] Just pause and say, “Oh, this is that free food spell.” That’s it.

[00:24:40] This is that free food spell.

[00:24:43] You’re not judging yourself, you’re not saying, “I’m bad for wanting this,” you are simply naming what is happening.

[00:24:50] This is scarcity. This is social pressure.

[00:24:52] This is the inner rebel looking for a loophole.

[00:24:56] This is me not wanting to waste food or to disappoint someone.

[00:25:01] This is me seeing everyone else eat and wanting to join in.

[00:25:05] And when you name the spell, you create a little space between you and the urge, and in that space is where your freedom lives.

[00:25:16] Because the thought may say, “Eat it,” but your inner coach can take a breath and say,

[00:25:23] “Wait. Let’s look at what’s happening here.”

[00:25:28] And then you bust out the second tool, and you ask the choice question.

[00:25:36] I’m gonna repeat that. You ask the choice question.

[00:25:39] Free food tries to make the choice invisible. It says, “I’m free.

[00:25:44] I’m here. Take me.”

[00:25:46] So we make the choice visible again, and you ask yourself, “Would I choose this food if it weren’t free?

[00:25:56] Would I choose this food if it weren’t free?

[00:26:00] Or would I pay for this food right now?”

[00:26:04] Or even, “Is this worth it to me today? Is it worth it for me to eat this food?”

[00:26:12] Those questions are powerful because they take the words free out of the equation,

[00:26:18] and once you remove the word free, you can actually feel the truth more clearly.

[00:26:24] Maybe the truth is, “Yeah, I really do want this. It’s worth it to me, and I’m gonna choose it.

[00:26:30] I am going to enjoy it, and I am going to move on.”

[00:26:35] Awesome. That is not being out of control. That is leading yourself.

[00:26:42] Or maybe the truth is, “No, I actually don’t want this. I just got excited because it was free,

[00:26:49] or maybe because everybody else was eating it, or because I didn’t want to be rude.”

[00:26:55] Also awesome.

[00:26:57] That is breaking the spell.

[00:27:00] You’re getting in there to the old neural loops and busting through them, creating an opening, right? Asking the question.

[00:27:08] Sometimes I’ll ask the question, “Is this really an A-plus food?”

[00:27:13] Because I try to be somebody who eats only A-plus foods. You know what I

[00:27:18] mean?

[00:27:19] And so much free food is just garbage, right?

[00:27:22] It’s B, B-minus, C.

[00:27:26] And this is also a time to ask you if you do decide to eat the food.

[00:27:30] Let me eat just three bites of it, because the three-bite rule is awesome for when you wanna bust it out with the free food and eat that.

[00:27:39] And just the idea of the free… a three-bite rule, if you don’t know it, is after three bites of any delectable food.

[00:27:48] Your mouth experience goes from 90% down to 20%.

[00:27:52] So maybe you do choose the sample, but you only choose one, and you eat three bites of it, you enjoy it, and then you let it go, or the dessert, or the what have you.

[00:28:01] But you are making the choice.

[00:28:04] You’re stopping, you’re pausing, you’re noticing the spell, and you’re bringing yourself back to yourself.

[00:28:11] You can even take a breath and feel your feet on the floor.

[00:28:15] That helps me a lot, is just to get into the sensory part of my body, feeling my feet on the floor,

[00:28:21] rubbing my fingers together or maybe rubbing my, my palms together, like in a prayer position,

[00:28:28] and just breathing and bringing myself back into my body out of that brain of mine that’s spinning out and saying, “Free food.”

[00:28:34] So once I do that, bringing myself back into my body and feeling my body and saying, “if I eat this, how am I gonna feel?”

[00:28:43] It gives me more choice.

[00:28:45] It gives me clarity and choice and it starts to break the spell.

[00:28:50] And then the third tool-

[00:28:53] So we have, let me just review so far.

[00:28:56] We have named the spell, we have asked the choice question, and now we are gonna choose and close the loop.

[00:29:06] And this is really important, ’cause once you make your choice, you close the loop. And if it’s a yes, then make it a clean yes.

[00:29:12] “Yep, I’m gonna eat this,” or, “Yes, I’m gonna eat three bites.”

[00:29:16] Put it on a plate, sit down, enjoy it, and let it be enough.

[00:29:20] No sneaking, no standing over the tray, no pretending it didn’t happen.

[00:29:25] Own it like a power woman. Just own it.

[00:29:28] Yes, I’m choosing this.”

[00:29:31] And if it’s a no, make it a clean no.

[00:29:34] No torture, no victimhood, no drama, no turns into 20 minutes of staring at the cookies like they’re your best friend.

[00:29:44] It’s just like, “No. No thank you. I am good right now. That looks wonderful, but I am going to pass.”

[00:29:52] And then, important, move your body away from the food.

[00:29:56] Just change the environment, get out of the negotiation, because a no that keeps standing next to the brownies is not really free yet, right?

[00:30:07] So that is still a negotiation. We wanna remove any decisional anxiety.

[00:30:13] It’s just nope, and you are done.

[00:30:17] Just change the environment, get out of the negotiation, because a no that keeps standing near the brownies isn’t really free yet.

[00:30:25] It’s decisional anxiety, and you wanna get out of any negotiation with yourself.

[00:30:31] If you choose yes and later you wish you had chosen differently, do not turn it into self-recrimination or uh-oh or I blew it or I’m a horrible person.

[00:30:43] Don’t turn that microphone over to the inner critic. Don’t do it.

[00:30:47] Don’t say, “I blew it, and then I might as well keep going.”

[00:30:51] Just close that loop. One choice is one choice. I don’t start over. I self-correct.

[00:30:58] My next choice is available right now. And this is how we break the spell.

[00:31:03] We name it, we ask the choice question, we choose, and we close the loop.

[00:31:10] And notice what all three tools have in common.

[00:31:14] They bring you back into leadership with yourself.

[00:31:18] They bring you back to your inner coach.

[00:31:21] They remind you that food may be free, but the choice still belongs to you.

[00:31:26] And when you choose from you and not the free food spell, then you get to the real place of free, inner free, and that tastes the best of all, right?

[00:31:39] We name it, we ask the choice question, we choose, and we close the loop.

[00:31:47] Now, I’m gonna give you some fun mantras, and I will say it and go ahead and repeat it after me,

[00:31:53] and then feel free to choose one or more than one as your personal free food shield mantra.

[00:32:06] Here’s number one, and just repeat after me: I am the boss of me even when the food is free.

[00:32:17] Good. Let’s say it again. I like that one.

[00:32:19] I am the boss of me even when the food is free.

[00:32:28] Just because it’s free does not mean it’s for me.

[00:32:35] I can let it be free without making it for me.

[00:32:43] Free on the plate doesn’t mean yes from me.

[00:32:52] I can let food be free and still choose me.

[00:32:59] Just because it’s there doesn’t mean I have to care.

[00:33:05] The food may be free, but the choice belongs to me.

[00:33:12] So the next time free food appears in your path, remember, it’s not really about the food,

[00:33:18] it’s about the story your brain instantly creates around it, and that it’s a deal, an opportunity, something you shouldn’t waste.

[00:33:26] But your power isn’t in grabbing every opportunity to eat, it’s in choosing what really serves you.

[00:33:34] Let your mantras be your shield; just because it’s free doesn’t mean it’s for me.

[00:33:40] Practice the three-step technique, trust your wiser mind, and know that every time you break the spell of free food,

[00:33:48] you’re strengthening the habits of a true weight master.

[00:33:52] Until next time, remember, the most valuable thing in the room isn’t free food, it’s your freedom to choose.

[00:34:00] And speaking of choosing, if you like, please come to my free masterclass with Weight Release Hypnosis.

[00:34:06] The link is in the show notes or www.shiftweightmastery.com/free.

[00:34:14] It’s been wonderful to be with you. Enjoy your freedom over the upcoming holiday.

[00:34:21] But I will be here with you next week.

[00:34:23] So remember that the key, and probably the only key, to unlocking the door of the weight struggle is inside you.

[00:34:31] So keep listening and find it, and I will be here, back here with you next week.

[00:34:38] See you then.

[00:34:39] If you wanna dive deeper into the mindset of long-term weight release, head on over to www.shiftweightmastery.com.

[00:34:50] That’s www.shiftweightmastery.com, where you will find numerous tools and resources to help you unlock your mind for permanent weight release, tips, strategies, and more.

[00:35:03] And be sure to check the show notes to learn more about my book, From Fat to Thin Thinking: Unlock Your Mind for Permanent Weight Loss.