Frankly, this is just a never ending story. No matter how vocal dietitians and health advocates are against the dieting industry, we will continue to see a rise in labelled, hash-tagged ways of eating. The “all or nothing” approach is also a pattern I frequently see with a large number of my clients so this post is dedicated to those wanting to break free once and for all as bringing this industry down starts with you!
1. Delete social media accounts that make you feel bad about your body. This is actually something that I have enforced with all my clients that have struggled with their weight or hold negative perceptions about their body. Instagram and Facebook accounts of so-called foodies, fitness gurus or wellness bloggers can either act motivators when it comes to health and fitness or simply be a source of misinformation, discouragement, disappointment and self-judgement about our bodies. You are your a whole person not a sole body part, with individual preferences so as cliché as this may sound, stop comparing yourself to others!
2. Start practicing mindful eating. I’ve actually written a whole segment on what mindful eating is, which you can access here. Applying this practice requires us to be fully aware of food and the process of eating, which impacts our attitudes and behaviours towards food. Mindfulness encompasses every element related to eating from food preparation, recognising physical hunger, acknowledging food preferences to eating for satisfaction and satiety.
3. Ditch the “D” word. No more unnecessary restrictions based on fads! How to spot a fad you say?
- Your diet comes with a promise
- Your diet guarantees ultra-fast weight loss
- Your diet cuts out a food-group such as carbohydrates, gluten, dairy, wheat…etc
- Your diet sounds too good to be true
- Your diet comes with prescribed food products or supplements to purchase
4. Let go of Guilt. Food should never make you feel guilty, deprived nor fearful. It’s about moderation and not elimination. Being overly restrictive tends to bring out the “diet fanatic” in everyone so let go of that person and start listening to your internal cues. This is where mindful eating is a handy practice!
5. Be kind and patient towards your body. This includes accepting the fact that there is no “one size fits all” approach when it comes to health and nutrition. Health does come in all shapes and sizes and that number on the scale does not define your self-worth nor your health.
Here are some excellent accounts and resources that I would suggest you follow including my own page with lots of non-diet talk!
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