Is Diet Culture Based on Self Love or Self Sabotage?
For decades, we've been bombarded with messages that equate thinness with beauty, health, and self-worth. But behind the facade, diet culture may be rooted more in self-sabotage than genuine care for our well-being.
I’ve navigated the pressure of diet culture first hand for so many years of my life, struggled with my image, and learned how to overcome food addiction. For me, overeating was a “treat” , a way to show myself love on the weekends, and diets were the punishment I had to endure Monday through Friday in order to lose weight. Have you ever felt that way as well? Let’s talk about a better alternative.
The Mental Effect of Diet Culture
Despite its promises of transformation, diet culture often leads to self-sabotage and harmful behaviors. The cycle of yo-yo dieting, weight cycling, and disordered eating patterns can wreak havoc on both our physical health and mental well-being.
Take my story for example, the first time I learned I was overweight was in third grade, at only eight years old. The school nurse asked my classmates and me to stand in a line outside her office. One by one, she wanted each of us to step onto her scale so that she could measure our height and weight as part of our annual physical exams.
I already knew by then that I was bigger than everyone else—I had always been the tallest one in my class—so I went to the back of the line. I guess I hoped to avoid the entire ordeal somehow. Finally, though, it was my turn to step on that scale. When I did, I weighed 142 pounds.
The nurse stared at me in horror. “Oh my heck, you are one fat little kid!” she cried. “You weigh more than me, and I’m 20 years older than you are. You need to go home and have your mom put you on a diet!”
After that nurse’s heartless comment, my mother whisked me straight off to a Weight Watchers meeting the next day. Although the group was supportive, I was still such a young kid that I found it tough to resist the tasty foods other children my age loved to eat, like pizza or macaroni and cheese.
Whatever we had in our house that I wasn’t supposed to eat, I made sure to hide it so that I could eat in secret. This made me feel terrible. I knew it was dishonest, and no matter how much I thought I wanted the food at the time, eating it made me feel awful about myself afterward, both physically and emotionally.
These patterns (which I now recognize was a food addiction) followed me into adulthood. As a dental assistant, if one of my patients or coworkers came into the office claiming that she’d found a diet that would guarantee losing seven pounds in seven days, all of the girls in our office would go right on it, in a frenzy, to try and lose weight, often with me leading the charge.
At its core, diet culture sells the idea that restrictive eating and punishing exercise routines are acts of self-love. We're told to "love our bodies" by depriving them of food, punishing them with grueling workouts, and constantly striving for an unattainable ideal.
But beneath the surface is a toxic lie: that our bodies are inherently flawed and in need of constant improvement. This perpetual cycle of self-criticism and self-denial only serves to reinforce feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt, leading to a never-ending quest for perfection.
So if traditional dieting isn’t the answer, what is? Because simply giving in to our food addiction and living an unhealthy lifestyle of obesity isn’t the solution either.
The Alternative to Dieting for Weight Loss
During my decade-long journey of weight loss, I tried and failed 23 times by following every diet under the sun. But it wasn’t until I embraced the six rules to weight loss and followed the steps below that I was able to release the weight for GOOD.
Identify Your Why: The first thing you must do if you want to release weight and live a healthier life is to recognize WHY you are struggling with weight loss. What excuses, negative stories, or food addictions are holding you back? Take the time to uncover these barriers and confront them head-on.
Embrace a Holistic Approach: Instead of focusing solely on calorie counting or restrictive eating, prioritize whole food nutrition that nourishes your body from the inside out. Fuel your body with nutrient-dense foods and supplements that support your overall health and well-being.
Accountability and Support: Seek out accountability partners or join a supportive community that can help keep you accountable to your goals. Whether it's weekly check-ins with a coach or workout buddies who share your journey, having a support system can make all the difference.
Regular Exercise: Incorporate regular exercise into your routine to boost metabolism, build muscle, and improve overall fitness. Find workouts that you enjoy and make them a non-negotiable part of your weekly schedule. Need help figuring out which workouts are best for your goals, use this interview with my personal trainer, Karla, to learn where to begin.
Mindset Work: Transforming your mindset is key to long-term success. Use practices like visualizations, affirmations, and vision boards to reprogram your subconscious mind and cultivate a positive outlook on your journey.
Remember, sustainable weight loss is not just about changing your body—it's about transforming your mindset, habits, and relationship with yourself. When you change your thoughts, your habits and reality will follow suit.
In case this is the first time we’re connecting, I’m Jill, an entrepreneur, speaker, author, and leader inspiring other women to live out their God given purpose by helping them overcome physical, mental, and financial hardships. If you liked this blog post and want more where that came from, here are a few ways we can work together:
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