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Hello, everyone. Today I am pleased to have Julia from Jules’ Fuel guest posting with us. Julia is sharing with us some tips on how to free ourselves from the dieting dogma that is out there. Thanks so much, Julia. And don’t forget to stop on by her site to check out more great info on fitness, health, and of course, tasty eats.
5 Ways to “Un-Diet” (And Free Yourself from Diet Dogma)
45 million. The total number of Americans that DIET each year.
$33 billion. The total amount spent ANNUALLY on weight loss products, according to the Boston Medical Center.
Pause.
Is that not disturbing?!
Despite the incredible amount of time and dollars invested in “dieting,” we all know that diets. don’t. work.
Moreover, they cause terrible all-or-nothing psychological guilt (you know what I’m talking about!) and leave us worse off than before.
Clearly, there MUST be a better way to health and life than dieting.
The Real Meaning of “Diet”
The funny thing is, the word “diet” wasn’t intended to take on this short-term, “starve yourself, eat ‘low calorie’ and ‘low fat,’ and weigh yourself every day” connotation.
After all, its Wikipedia definition states:
“…The sum of food consumed by a person or other organism,” or the specific intake of nutrition.
Ironically, diets do exactly the opposite; they diminish the purpose of consuming food as nourishment, intuitive to our bodies’ needs.
They’re also a quick fix to a greater root problem – unhappiness, stress, emotional problems, or even lack of knowing what is nourishing (like good fats!) due to the brainwashing of our conventional food system.
Ditch the Diet Dogma: Join the Un-Diet Revolution
Just like science, technology, and culture evolve, it’s time that the perpetual diet dogma is put to REST.
Let’s start a revolution, the UN-DIET Revolution: Where we’re free to achieve vitality without strict rules, societal judgment, and negative self-talk.
Oh, and be “naturally attractive” like the women in this photo. 😉
So, how exactly does one…“un-diet!?
1. Throw your scale away!
Once upon a time, I weighed myself every day. And I used to tie my worth to that darn number, and rode the highs and lows along the way.
There’s WAY more to health than that number, though! Body fat percentage, blood work, how you FEEL… a number is meaningless without health context!
So, I threw the scale (and the guilt) out 3 years ago, and gained joy and freedom.
Try it. I think you’ll be greatly liberated.
2. Eat what your body wants, when it wants it {as long as it’s REAL food!}
Hunger is a natural, physiological process.
It’s a beautiful signal that’s telling you something. Stop ignoring and start embracing your hunger, and realize it’s a good thing!
But, it’s crucial that you feed yourself REAL, unprocessed food that grows in the ground (plants) or that has a mother (animals); preferably organic food at that.
Real food is what our genes know, want, and recognize. Eating “diet” food with fake sugars and preservatives triggers poor chemical changes in our brain and body, and makes us crave more terrible foods.
3. Stop counting calories and tracking “POINTS.” And eat FAT!
When I did the whole Weight Watchers thing, I found myself tracking points and counting calories all the time, and it became a controlling obsession.
Eating food wasn’t FUN or enjoyable – especially socially! It became something to record and measure, instead of smell, taste, and look forward to unabashedly.
Back in the day, there was no need to track calories. Humans naturally ate what they needed. Some days, they ate more and some days, they ate less.
We should follow this human intuition, too, as our lives and activity levels dictate!
P.S. Restricting calories does a whole lot of nothing… except down-regulates your metabolism. Are you nervous about “losing control?” Don’t be. You’ll find that when you eat REAL food, you’ll naturally get full.
Don’t forget to include healthy and liberal amounts of fat, though, which helps satiate you and actually burns fat! For a primer on fats, read my posts here, here, and here.
P.P.S. We all like to break rules, right? By removing the “calorie restriction rule” altogether, you’ll free yourself from wanting to go haywire on bad food in the first place.
4. Exercise when you feel like it.
Last week, I discovered the perfect quote that sums up what the purpose of exercise should be, and posted it on my Facebook page:
Isn’t that lovely!?
I used to force my body into submission by running crazy amounts of miles to burn off something I ate that was “less than perfect.” I ended up hurt, exhausted, and inflamed. Exactly the opposite of my intentions!
Because food is the majority determinant of health, you can’t compensate for eating poorly in the gym. Therefore, there’s no need to get obsessive with exercise; find something you love to do and do it when you feel like it.
5. Ditch the all-or-nothing mentality. 80/20, people.
In the world of “un-dieting,” there is no bandwagon to fall off… If you happen to eat a brownie, ENJOY it.
When you stress about it, it raises cortisol (the stress hormone), and that messes with your insulin levels, and therefore, your weight.
In general, eating healthy, real food 80% of the time is ideal, which gives you plenty of room for those enjoyable indulgences… guilt-free, right?
6. Stop comparing yourself to airbrushed, emaciated models.
We all do it. Comparison is ever-present in our freakish, uber-connected lives with Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, etc.
If you find yourself internalizing negatively, or wishing you had “her body,” just stop.
Shut off the computer. Close the application. Throw the mag out.
It’s not doing you any good! God gave you the body He did for a reason, and you are beautiful the way you are.
Wishing you were something or someone else is the worst possible way to live and robs you of joy. The best thing you can do is OWN your beauty and aim to be the BEST, whole you.
Besides, confidence radiates the most attractive form of you.
:::
So, what do you think? Are you with me in this Un-Diet Revolution to hop off the insane diet train, reach vital health without boundaries, boost body image, and nourish with gusto!?
- For more on why diets fail and what to do about it, read my post here.
- Still struggling with knowing what to do, but not finding the motivation to do it? Read my post here.
photo credit: Christi Nielsen via photopin cc
This is the name of a book. Did you know? “Undiet” by Meghan Telpner
Hi Marianne!
No, I was not aware of the “Undiet” book by Meghan Telpner, and I didn’t intentionally intend to use the same phrase.
Great article and all of it so very true.
Simplify your life. It WILL liberate you! Dump the diet and focus on the ‘lovely’ in you. Be who you are…embrace yourself. If you’re not sure how to do this; I have a few suggestions.
1) Help others any way you can…even if it is to help a senior with their groceries into their car.
2) Give to others…in secret…shh; don’t tell anyone. This will be between you and your Maker.
3) Say nice things to people and when you do so; do it with a smile on your face.
Peace and Love,
P.F.
P.S.
Remember…God loves you just the way you are.