Say goodbye to diets, hello to lasting wellness! Ditch dieting for a balanced and joyful approach to a healthier you. Here are nine actionable steps you can take towards moving away from the yo-yo diet pendulum.
What is Dieting?
MANY people throughout the world have a deep, personal connection with dieting and don’t need a definition to understand it. If you are the lucky minority that do not know what dieting is, it is technically a certain way of eating but in reality it’s usually a way of eating with the purpose of losing weight.
Why You Should Ditch Dieting
Dieting ends up being a cycle of working towards weight loss, a state of being in a lower weight, eventually returning to the previous weight, increase past your original weight, then deciding to try a new diet.
This yo-yo dieting cycle is exhausting and endless!
Dieting can steal your life by always attempting to achieve the unachievable. Leave this lifestyle in the dust by finding food freedom.
Health At Every Size (HAES)
Health at Every Size (HAES) is a movement for advocating for the spread of knowledge that health can be had in any size body.
A thin person can be unhealthy. A fat person can be unhealthy.
A thin person can be healthy. A fat person can be healthy.
The physical size of a person does not automatically determine their level of health.
Health can be defined by someone’s capabilities, improvements, and blood work but the physical size of a body is a bit redundant.
How To Ditch Dieting
There’s no one-size-fits all path to ditch dieting. We’re all different with different experiences, cultures, situations, goals, and behaviors. I have a few actions you can take to take you to the next step down the path of never dieting again!
1. Change what you listen to
You have the autonomy to turn on what plays through your speakers. Surround yourself with positivity and education on topics you’re curious about, not podcasts and videos that pedestal diet culture.
2. Redefine your ‘food rules’:
You may be unaware of the food rules you have set up for yourself without even noticing because you’ve become so ingrained in them.
Do you have a cutoff time of when you can eat at night? Is there a certain food you avoid? Do you follow a fad diet (intermittent fasting, keto, low carb, etc.)?
Instead of these ‘rules‘ be open to having anything in moderation. These restrictive mindsets result in a feeling of deprivation and likely eventually consuming a bit more than you’d like to compensate.
3. What is healthy to you?
Health is not a size. Re-hardwire your brain to understand that thinness is not the solution. It is not the goal. HEALTH is the goal.
Now that we’ve got this covered ask yourself, what is healthy to you?
Some determine their health by bloodwork, blood sugars, fitness abilities, etc.
4. Have a social media cleanse
Many social media accounts are toxic. Many are not.
It is worth the time and effort to curate a feed based on what you need in this phase of life. If there is a certain influencer you know is detrimental to you in some way, it is okay to unfollow them. You can always follow them once you are in a better state.
I share body positive, encouraging messages and recipes on my Instagram if you are in need of new, safe accounts to surround yourself with.
5. Educate yourself
It’s completely fine to not fully understand or accept the true workings of diets. Take the time to read a bit deeper into how they work..well.. how they don’t work.
Once you have the realization of their workings you may immediately ditch dieting for good!
6. Make your boundaries clear (to yourself and loved ones!)
Making your boundaries clear to yourself allows you to set clear boundaries for others as well.
Maybe you don’t want to speak about a recent weight loss. First, you have to know this is a boundary you have. Then, when a loved one (or stranger) comes close to this boundary make it clear to them that this is not a conversation you currently want to have.
If they make the explicit choice to continue the topic, walk away. They are making you uncomfortable by crossing your boundary after you informed them of it!
7. Have a closet clean out
If you are on the diet pendulum swing where you are up in weight you may experience your clothing not fitting or fitting differently than previously.
Get rid of the clothes that don’t fit or make you feel uncomfortable. Clothes are to fit you. There is no world where you should be attempting to change your body to fit into a pair of pants.
8. Toss the scale
Knowing your weight isn’t as beneficial or useful as you may expect. Obtaining your weight at doctor check-up is enough. Honestly, you don’t even need to hear them record it nor even allow them to record it!
There are many other more valuable measures of health than your weight. Your healthcare provider should be able to accommodate this boundary. If not, this is a chance to educate them on its lack of importance.
9. Speak to a Registered Dietitian
You can ditch dieting on your own but if it is too difficult or feel unescapable, seek some assistance from a registered dietitian.
If you believe you need some help escaping the grasp of the diet pendulum, let’s set up a free nutrition consultation to see what your next steps should be.
Food Freedom
Food freedom is a way of eating that came about from our intense diet culture. In the most basic form food freedom is just ‘regular’ old eating.
There really is no specific food freedom definition. I consider it to be a space where you have a good relationship with food, the ability to balance what you crave, need, and have access to, eat at appropriate times for you, stop eating when satisfied, and are carefree about eating for comfort.
How To Ditch Dieting Takeaways
- Dieting is an exhausting (and disappointing!) cycle of weight gain, loss, and regain.
- There are many different steps you can take to help you ditch dieting for good!
- Food freedom is an invigorating space to live in. You are able to be flexible with your food yet accepting with your body.
- Reach out for help if you feel stuck in the yo-yo diet cycle. We can figure out what your net steps should be!
Pin NOW to SAVE for later!
Disclaimers
Always speak to your trusted healthcare provider before making any large changes related to your health.
Leave a Reply