Time to Say No to Diets

As a dietitian, I am often asked, “What is the best diet for weight loss?” And my answer is always, “NO DIET”. Thankfully, there are plenty of other people, including registered dietitians, that agree with me!

Today, May 6^th is International No Diet Day! Come celebrate with me!

If you’re a regular reader of my blog posts, then you know that I am against dieting. Diets are created with the mindset that by following certain food rules and restrictions, you can achieve a “thin ideal” body, just like the next person. However, this is simply not true. Everybody is created differently and has a genetic blueprint specific to them.

Luckily, today is the perfect day to dive head first into saying no to diets!

5 Reasons to Say No to Diets

1. Diets don’t work. Given all the structure that these diets have in place, it is inevitable that at some point you “throw in the towel”. The restriction leads to feelings of deprivation which leads to overeating and binge eating. When this happens repeatedly (and it does), you become with yourself, eventually start another diet, and the viscous cycle continues.

2. Diets lead to stress. Counting calories, tracking points and being obsessive over your food is stressful! Studies show that dieting actually increases your stress hormone cortisol! Who needs more cortisol floating around the bloodstream!

3. Diets disrupt your natural signals. When you start a diet, you follow the rules that the diet tells you to, including when to eat and what to eat. However, your body already knows naturally when to eat. Which means, when you are listening to the diets rules instead of your body’s signals, you disrupt your natural signals and they atrophy and silence!

4. Diets can promote binge eating. As mentioned above, when you deprive yourself of certain foods, you begin to crave them even more. So, when you do break the diets rules and eat, you will likely find yourself bingeing on all the foods that you previously deprived yourself of.

5. Diets are costly. You may not be aware of how much money you spent on diets in the past few years, but I can ensure you it’s been plenty. Many diets come with their own food brands and books and, before you know it, you are spending hundreds of dollars just to keep up with the diet! Isn’t it time you invested in yourself, and not the diet industry!

It’s time to save yourself the time and money and embrace the intuitive lifestyle instead of looking for the next fad diet.  Intuitive eating is a self-care feeding model; it’s focus is on listening to your body’s needs and eating when and what your body signals to you at that moment. Using this approach you will relearn your body’s hunger and fullness cues, and approach food in a whole new light. Food will no longer be “good” or “bad,” instead you will learn how all foods have a place in your eating life.

Looking for more reasons why intuitive eating may be best for you?

Here are 5 more reasons: Intuitive eating will help you –

1. Make peace with food.
2. Rediscover your body’s natural signals.
3. Achieve great pleasure in your meals.
4. Learn to love your body.
5. Discover how to cope with your emotions without food.

Those are just a handful of reasons to reclaim intuitive eating. This no diet approach to eating will ultimately leave you feeling happier with your body and yourself.

Check out all my Intuitive Eating Resources HERE.

And reach out to me at Bonnie@BRGHealth.com if you are interested in learning more about intuitive eating.

Your turn to action: How will you be celebrating National No Diet day? Let us know in the comments below.

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