19 Reasons to Ditch Dieting
Happy New Year!
I really do love a new year.
Fresh start.
Big Goals.
Unlimited Potential.
New year's resolutions are the rage this month so I want to take this opportunity to talk all about this ANTI-DIETING, INTUITIVE EATING, HEALTHY BODY IMAGE message because everywhere you look and everyone you talk to is raving about this or that diet.
TV & movie stars on diets. Gyms full to the max. Diet product infomercials. Diet books at the store. And weight-loss programs galore. You can't avoid it.
All wanting your money as they promise you a skinny body in absolutely no time at all.
The deceptiveness and allurement of dieting and weight loss is mesmerizing and sucks us in because WE WANT CHANGE. Whether it be in our hearts or in our bodies - the human experience is to desire to be better than before.
There are so many ways to better yourself this year besides going on a diet! If you want to work on your health you can do that without dieting. Stay tuned for the next post...
Here are 19 Reasons Not to Diet this year.
Diets don't work. There is TONS of research out there showing diets don't work. 95-98% of dieters regain the weight or gain even more weight after 5 years. Dieting is the new smoking. We all thought back in the day that smoking was healthy, good, and helpful but years later after people started getting lung cancer and dying early it was discovered smoking was the primary cause.
Diets make you think you are the failure when in reality it's the diets that are the failure.
Diets aren't good for your brain. Diets often encourage eliminating certain foods or changing multiple aspects of our eating at a time. This doesn't work. Essentially our brain gets too overwhelmed if we cut out sugar, grain, dairy, processed foods, fast foods, add in a shake a day, add in intense workouts 3x/week and your BRAIN IS SPINNING with OVERWHELM which leads to EXHAUSTION and BURNOUT. If you want to make a change commit to one HABIT at a TIME. We can't do all the things at the same time. I'm sure you tried that before and it probably ended in tears...at least it did for me.
Dieting could be the symptom of a deeper heart issue. Sometimes when life is overwhelming or stressful or out of control we want just ONE THING we can control and that ONE THING we often turn to is our bodies and food.
Dieting is not a good coping mechanism. For you dieting could be a long-standing coping mechanism you are using to deal with the stress and overwhelm of life. I want to encourage you to take some time and think about some different coping strategies to help you feel better (because I can almost guarantee to restrict certain foods or food groups is probably not).
Dieting affects your social relationships. If on a diet it is difficult to go out with friends or go out with your spouse because all you are thinking about is what food there is going to be to eat, or what you are going to order or if you are going to gain weight by eating this food off your plan etc.
Dieting affects your children (or the children in your life). When we diet we send the message to our daughters that our bodies are not good enough and need to be changed. When we diet we send the message to our sons that bodies are so important - so when someday they are looking for a partner remember their thinness is a priority. This may sound harsh, but everything we do our kids are watching. When I found out I was going to have a daughter I sent my own body and food journey healing into overdrive because the last thing I want to do is pass my dysfunction with body image and food onto my sweet daughter!
Dieting negatively impacts your body image. Dieting tells the image you have about yourself that you aren't good enough and you need to change how you look. When this message plays in your head with every bite you take or every food choice you make it can feel discouraging, overwhelming, and hopeless.
Dieting negatively affects your self-esteem. Diets make us feel like our bodies are the problem and therefore need to change when your body is seriously amazing and needs to be treated as such.
Dieting can cause eating disorders and other mental health issues. Research shows chronic dieting can also lead to eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating disorder as well as other mental health issues like depression and anxiety.
Dieting causes weight gain! I've said this before...95%-98% of dieters gain all the weight back or more in 1-5 years after a diet. If we think about the long-term consequences of dieting it will likely prevent us from going on a diet in the first place.
Diets aren't good for your overall health and wellbeing. When we can't trust our bodies or like our bodies it seriously messes with our natural mind-body connection impacting us physically, emotionally, socially, and mentally.
Diets don't allow you to tune into your body. When we diet we allow something or someone else to tell us what and when to eat. This completely diminishes your inner voice that lets you know all about hunger, fullness, emotions, needs, wants, satiety, and more!
Dieting encourages fatphobia and an "ideal body type." We do a great job in America promoting the thin ideal. 67% of women living in America are plus-sized and yet they only represent 2% of the images we see in the media. This is crazy! Fill your Instagram feed with all sorts of diversity - you do have some control over the images you see!
Diets steal your money! The diet industry is a $60 BILLION a year industry. That is a heck of a lot of money that could be going to something that is actually beneficial to us.
Dieting consumes your mental and physical energy. Just think about what you could be using your energy for instead of only focusing on your food.
Dieting encourages negative body image. Our bodies are amazing and when we are stuck in a diet mentality we do not feel good about ourselves.
Dieting induces disappointment. The idea of starting a new diet produces an initial high as we have so much hope this diet could be "THE ONE" that makes us lose weight forever! Then we are only disappointed when this one turned out the same or we end up feeling worse and even more confused than before.
Diets diminish your worth as a person. You are amazing just the way you are.
Diets steal our joy. Diets consume us in a way that is irritating and completely overwhelming.
If you are new to this whole idea of not dieting I want to encourage you to pick up a copy of the book Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. This book will provide you with a tremendous amount of encouragement in learning how to ditch diets, tune into your body, and be your best self without the pursuit of weight loss.
I also have tons of great blogs to get you started!
Leave comments below and let me know what you are doing instead of dieting in this year!
If you are wanting help with intuitive eating, body image or discovering your own body satisfaction give us a call! Counseling could be a great option for you to get the ball rolling in a positive direction. We would love to hear from you!
In body liberation,
Chelsea
**Source: Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch.
Encounter Counseling offers in-person counseling in Grand Junction and online counseling state-wide in Colorado including Denver, Boulder, Ft. Collins and Colorado Springs.