Why I Quit Diet Culture

I wish the diet/fitness industry would break up with every single one of us, stating in a brutally honest manner, "It's not you, it's me." Because it isn't us, it is our society and the extreme pressure to fit into what society thinks we need to look like and represent.

I remember quite vividly how I felt- time and time again when I would "fall off the wagon" on my eating/diet and be so pissed.

I blew it.

I am not dedicated enough and I don't have enough control.

I'm weak compared to all those fitness competitors and girls on IG.

And shame shame shame- guilt guilt guilt. That's all that would wash over me every time I was faced with eating. Looking back on that girl, I'm sad for her. I'm primarily sad for her because she thought her self worth was in direct relation to her size and secondly sad because she thought she was a failure.

Radical and deprivation diets that are rigid, void of an entire macronutrient, or ones that leave you in a chronic deficit set you up for failure, greater weight gain, and diminish mental and emotional health. You literally set yourself up for failure and expect yourself to maintain an unsustainable behavior/lifestyle.

Diet culture would have you think less is more, pills and powders are greater than whole foods, and that it's as simple as eat less and you'll BE MORE. Well I'm here to tell you not only is that incorrect, it's all at your cost to make a buck- well lots of bucks- 167 billion last year to give you an idea of what the diet/fitness industry brings in.

Unfortunately, food and body freedom have to be a choice and a choice in which you have to actively fight to unlearn everything you've ever known, images and social expectations that are shoved down your throat daily. Everything you know to be true about what's "healthy", probably has little to do with being healthy at all.

Everyday healthy habits are far greater than any restrictive behavior. I know it isn't sexy to hear,

"Eat your fruits and vegetables, drink water, eat lean meats, move everyday, enjoy your foods when you sit and eat them, make dinners at home, breathe and make time to relax daily, and enjoy some treats when your body tells you to."

Most of our population would rather hear about a new pill to pop or powder to mix that's going to do all the hard work for them. It just simply doesn't work that way. Balance and sustainability are not only key into making lasting changes, but is what life should be about: Balance, variety, moderation in all things to include exercise. When participating in a diet, if you can't see yourself living this way making the same choices, why do it now? Most often clinical studies follow participants who participate in a diet or deficit and yes they do lose weight in the 30-120 days that the study goes on for, but they often don't last longer than a year. Those people go back to their "normal eating" and end up gaining more due to the restrictive nature of the regime they are on, and the cycle repeats.

All the nutrition knowledge in the world is meaningless if you still have a disordered relationship with food. That's why this isn't just an easy concept to grasp. We have been exposed to this way of thinking for years and it's an uphill battle to even wrap your mind around this idea or to see otherwise.

Health isn't being solely thin, health isn't being large, health isn't having bulging muscles, health isn't having the latest fitness gadget, health isn't being tanned up, health isn't working out for 3 hours a day, health isn't yoga, health isn't green drinks with 10 different powders and latest adaptogens, etc. Health is any size, health is knowing your worth and understanding that it has nothing to do with your physical appearance, health is being kind to all humans to include yourself, and health is individually unique to YOU and YOUR LIFE.

Saying this, I'm not stating that you should throw all cares into the wind and eat every single morsel of any food you come across and never go to the gym again, but rather I'm suggesting a lifestyle that is in tune with YOU. Listening to your body, being intentional and intuitive when it comes to meals, food choices, and movement. We did it for thousands of years, we can get back to it, but it's going to take a lot of unlearning and effort.

Instead of focusing on physical appearance, I'm suggesting focusing on what something offers to you and how it serves you. Focus on the benefits of how you feel and how it benefits your life, relationships, and goals. There are greater things in the world than a number on the scale, being the most "dedicated to a diet", or fitting into a size desired by society. I believe in health at any size and that you are worth more.