see ya never diets
Intuitive eating principle # 1. Reject the diet mentality.
In the past I would say I’ve never been on a ‘diet’ as such. I was so absorbed in diet culture (as so many of us are) that I believed a diet was something like Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig. Now I know better, and yes, I’ve been victim to diet culture.
What started as a somewhat harmless attempt to get ‘healthier’ after my student years, turned into something harmful. I became obsessed with ‘clean eating’, attempted ‘calorie deficits’ through ‘calorie counting’ on ‘My Fitness Pal’, skipped breakfast by ‘intermittent fasting’ and worked out with ‘fasted cardio’. I felt like this was just me trying to be healthier, not a diet, “It’s not a diet it’s a lifestyle” (ick-red flag!). Unfortunately, I was sucked in by diet mentality with many of those seemingly ‘healthy’ (and accepted) behaviours.
What the research and evidence strongly tell us, is that diets don’t work.
But, society crams diet culture down our throats (and in sneaky ways too…). To find food freedom with intuitive eating, it is essential to ditch the diet mentality.
Take some time to “Be curious, notice, reflect”.
How to reject the diet mentality…
-Explore your diet history. What diets have you been on before, at what age did this start, how long did they last, did they ever work?
-What does dieting cost you? Not just financially, but time with friends, your mental wellbeing, physical wellbeing, joy, freedom, celebration.
-Does dieting ever serve as a coping strategy or form of control in times of turmoil or stress?
-Even if you have don’t believe that you diet, what thoughts and beliefs do you still carry from diet culture? Think about your ‘food rules’.
-What about diet culture would you like to let go of this week?
“Remember to give yourself grace & self-compassion: you’ve been inundated with diet culture’s harmful messaging for years, if not decades! Deconstructing & unlearning this mindset takes time, patience, & intention. You are not alone.” Evelyn Tribole, MS, RDN, CEDRD-S
M x
