Diet.
It’s a 4 letter word.
For a lot of us, it’s a word that holds a lot of weight and emotion.
What does the word diet mean to you?
Technically speaking, our diet is what we eat.
That’s it. What you eat = your diet.
Being ON a diet is a different story and is what most of us associate with the term.
Diets are rarely viewed as a positive experience. They are synonymous with restriction, hunger, bland, unappetizing foods, failure, etc.… How many diets have you tried in your lifetime? Were they successful?
What makes a diet successful? In my opinion, a diet is only successful if it is sustainable. Most diets aren’t. You may see some great short term results; however, it’s rare that those results are permanent.
It’s common for most people to end up in a vicious cycle of starting a diet, being unable to maintain the strict parameters, failing, and starting again with another diet.
Over time this cycle can affect our metabolism and cause weight gain, not to mention the toll it takes on your self-esteem.
So what’s the answer? A lot of people have found success with a “non-diet” approach. Ditching diet culture and adopting the principles of intuitive eating.
For more detailed information on this approach to how you eat and more insight on diet culture and some of the harmful terminology associated with food click on the links below:
5 Tools To Help You Ditch Diet Culture For Good: Girls Gone Strong
5 Diet Culture Words That Don't Belong With Food: Spoon University
What Is Inutitive Eating?: Alyssa Rumsey
Intuitive Eating Myths And Realities: Girls Gone Strong
Healing your relationship with food and building new diet habits isn't going to happen overnight. It takes time, patience, and self-compassion. Ditch the extreme diets and find a sustainable approach that allows you to nourish your body while still enjoying your favorite foods and drinks in moderation.
