This time of year, the media is all about how to maintain your weight this holiday season or minimize the holiday eating “damage”. These articles or news pieces essentially give you all the diet tips you’ve heard many times before. They teach you how to spend the whole holiday meal planning to eat enough to satisfy your cravings, but not too much that you might end up gaining weight. The tips are well-meaning. After all, most people are worried about holiday weight gain and then try to go on a diet come January 1st.
But what if you didn’t need to worry about your weight? What if you could just enjoy the holiday season with family and friends? What if holiday gatherings were about all the things you’re grateful for?
Tag Archives: anti-diet dietitian
How to Protect Your Peace as a Non-Dieter in a Dieting World
As someone who’s long ago left the world of dieting and disordered eating behind, I’m still shocked every time I hear references to dieting. It’s all around me everywhere I go. At the doctor, at work, at the grocery store, at the gym, at home, and on my social media feed. At this point, it’s truly impossible to avoid diet culture. Since it can be so easy to be sucked back into diet culture, especially in the beginning, let’s explore some ways to challenge the culture so you can remain a non-dieter, intuitive eater, and lover of self.
You’re Not Tricking Your Body
Sure, we know all the tips and tricks for fooling our bodies into being satisfied with an apple when we really want the cake. But the truth is, you’re not tricking your body.
It’s Okay to Still Be Hungry Even if You “Should” Be Full
It’s okay to eat. It’s okay to keep eating even when you should be full. Even when you’re not sure if you’re hungry, but you want to keep eating. It’s okay.
Losing Weight is Not Your Life’s Purpose
There is so much more to life than losing and gaining the same few pounds over and over. Your life is more than dieting, excessive exercise, and deprivation. Choose to find your real purpose.
Eat Because it Tastes Good
This is what we call normal eating. It’s eating more some days because the food tastes good, and perhaps eating less other days because you were busy or didn’t have food available. It’s trusting that your body can regulate your weight and you don’t need to work so hard to deny yourself certain pleasures.
Erase the guilt and the shame and just enjoy your food when it tastes good.