Reversing the Diet Culture Damage
Ever since we were born, food has been one consistent throughout our entire lives. We rely on these nutrients to live our lives, pursue our passions, and care for others. But why is it that the thing we need most for survival has turned into something many of us fear?
At a certain point in your life you might have been faced with the fact that some people (okay, MOST people) are not happy with their bodies. Maybe you heard your mom say something about her waist, or you saw the bigger kid in class got picked on for their size, and of course, you probably saw a slew of advertisements telling you to be highly concerned about the shape of your body. This is where the ever-present diet mentality slipped in and started taking up space in your head, little by little.
Diet mentality is the way that we were all taught to think about our food, weight, and body size. It’s the lens we’ve been seeing through for most of our lives that changes a simple stomach growl into a tornado of questions like:
“when’s the next time I’m allowed to eat?”
“how can I fill myself up with the lowest amount of calories?”
“I can only have X amount of calories for the rest of the day”
Once the seed has been planted, it’s hard to make choices without the opinion of outside voices clouding your judgement. This mindset changes how you make food choices and how you view your body. You’re not making decisions based on the information your body is sending you, rather, the information that everyone else is telling you!
You might try to adhere to these made up rules for as long as you can until suddenly your body fights back. This is where the binging comes in.
After a period of restriction, confusion, and instability, your body will decide that it needs to steer the ship, not your mind. The binging begins, making you feel disconnected from your body, until it gets what it needs.
Becoming aware of that voice is the first step to stopping it. Next time you’re picking what to eat, take off those diet-tinted glasses and see what truly sounds good to you in the moment. Scan your body to try and understand what it needs and wants to feel nourished and satisfied. You’re MUCH more likely to feel content with what you chose to eat if you make a conscious choice than if you were to pick something that was deemed “healthy” by outside voices. Give this exercise a try each time you eat and take note of how these choices make you feel.
With every conscious bite you take, you’re taking another step away from the burden of the diet mentality.
Need help breaking away from dieting or diet mentality so that you can finally make peace with food and your body? Apply for a complimentary Break Free From Diet Mentality Session HERE and I’ll give you the next steps you need to take to say goodbye to diet mentality and say hello to a nourishing relationship with food.