Break Free from Diets on No Diet Day

Have you skipped a meal because a “diet” told you to? Have you replaced meals with shakes or avoided entire food groups? Do you restrict your favorite foods or force yourself to eat foods you do not like because your “diet” says you should?

We all fall prey to the many fad diets out there, but why do we do it?

A diet provides you with a set of rules about what you can or cannot eat. They are a short-term strategy to reach long-term goals. Why not adopt a healthy lifestyle to reach your goals?

Let’s celebrate No Diet Day today by stopping the diets. Use this day to celebrate body acceptance and body shape diversity.

Dieting

Diets can be filled with restriction, deprivation and cravings, which may lead to bingeing, emotional eating and guilt. This can move you further away from having a healthy and balanced life.

Diets can cause you to ignore your internal hunger signals that your body naturally gives you for when and what it wants to eat. This can lead to an altering ability to recognize these signals and affect how you feed yourself. The change in mindset also alters the “brake” system your body has in place to avoid overeating. If you restrict, you are more likely to binge.

Breaking the Diet Cycle

Here are some tips to help break the never-ending diet cycle:

Become an attuned eater. Choose foods based on an internal sense of hunger, appetite and satisfaction. This will help you learn more about what your body craves and help avoid overeating.
Eat without distractions. Chew thoroughly and enjoy what you are eating. Listen for the internal cues your body will give you as you reach satiety.
Do not deprive yourself. Instead, eat in moderation. Avoiding deprivation will help limit the temptation “avoided foods” have.
Each week try a new vegetable or fruit. This can help you find new nutritious foods that you will enjoy eating!

Remember, your body has its own set point. There is a set weight your body prefers to be at and it may be hard to move away from it, although not impossible. Start by accepting your body where it is now. With acceptance comes admiration and you will naturally feed your body better and avoid restricting to provide your body with all the nutrients it needs. You will see that naturally you will release weight, without the diet.

Your Turn to Take Action: Are you stuck in a diet mindset? Check out my many resources to help you break the diet cycle by clicking here.