Intuitive Eating Principle 1: Reject the Diet Mentality

The first principle of Intuitive Eating is Reject the Diet Mentality. It’s first for a reason, since it is a crucial step towards becoming an Intuitive Eater. However, it is also (for many) the most challenging. The majority of us have been taught from the time we were very young that the only way to be healthy was to be on a diet. Very few of us maintained our natural ability to eat intuitively into adulthood or even adolescence thanks to the diet culture that we grew up in. We’ve been taught that we can’t trust our bodies, and must instead look to outside advice and influence (such as calorie trackers, diet plans, etc.) to tell us what and how much to eat. Because of this, the idea of not dieting is terrifying!

The Dieting Merry-Go-Round

The problem with dieting isn’t that it doesn’t work – it’s that it doesn’t work the way we want it to. What I mean by that, is that we expect the weight lost to last. In actuality, most diets are designed to only work in the short term because their true motivation isn’t health – it’s making money. According to Marketdata, the US Weight Loss and Diet Control Market is now a whopping $72 billion dollar industry. There’s also a pretty significant body of research that shows the majority of individuals who lose weight are unable to maintain it over the long term, and that the purported benefits of weight loss are more likely due to changes in behaviors rather than changes in weight itself. Additionally, weight cycling, “yo-yo dieting”, or continuously losing and regaining weight wreaks havoc on your metabolism and health. Diets just don’t work.

I’m sure that, like many people, you’ve had the experience of starting a diet, feeling motivated, losing weight, and then all of a sudden real life happens and it’s impossible to continue following the meal plan or intense exercise regimen. You start losing energy and craving the foods that are “off limits”. Pretty soon, you’re feeling out of control around food again, overeating, and regaining the weight you had lost (plus some). You then tell yourself that on Monday you’ll try the next *big thing* that will help you keep weight off forever, only to go through the same cycle again and again and again. This is how diets are designed to work – they need your repeat business in order to continue making money. And you, my friend, are unfortunately stuck on the dieting merry-go-round.

Getting Unstuck

One of the first steps to getting off of this uncomfortable ride is first acknowledging that you’re on it. It’s then important to explore your history with dieting:

• Think about any diet, food plan, lifestyle change, cleanse, or challenge that you’ve participated in in the past that promised weight loss. Did the diet really work in the long run?
• Have you ever considered the costs of dieting, not only to your wallet, but to your social life, relationships, time, and mental health? Think about how your most recent diet has impacted these various aspects of your life (and more!).
• What are you hoping a diet will bring you? Is it more control, happiness, self confidence, etc.? Are there other ways you could find these things?

Moving Forward

Now that you’ve had a chance to reflect on your history with dieting, it’s time to consider how you’d like to move forward:

• Is there a piece of your diet that you could let go of this week? Maybe only tracking one meal instead of all of them or only weighing yourself once per week instead of every day?
• What steps can you start taking today to slowly and gradually let go of these dieting behaviors completely?
• What does a positive relationship to food look like for you? What steps can you start taking to make that a reality?
• What are ways you can care for yourself that don’t involve trying to lose weight?
• At the very least, can you put weight loss on the back burner for a little bit and focus on other ways to take care of yourself?

It’s important as you move forward in this process to focus on having compassion for yourself. Rejecting dieting is hard! You’re unlearning things you’ve been told for the majority of you life such as your weight and health being based on “willpower” and that weight loss is the only way to be healthy. Give yourself some grace and speak to yourself with kindness. I’m proud of you for taking this first step!

I’d love for you to share any reflections or questions you have in the comments below. You can also send me a message – I love getting your emails!

Mindfully yours,
Sam