Whilst dieting is common, it is not a normal part of life, nor does it need to be.
Consider this: if diets really worked, why are there so many of them?
Dieting usually involves significant restriction, avoidance of enjoyable foods and drinks, and deprivation. Diets prescribe what to eat, when to eat and how much to eat – rather than letting our bodies tell us these things. In this way, dieting creates rules for our eating, and causes us to move away from our internal body cues.
Unfortunately, food rules have a number of negative impacts, including:
Preventing or making it difficult to engage in social eating (eating out with friends or family), which can be harmful to our relationships
Increasing our preoccupation with food. The saying “you always want what you can’t have” rings true here!
Removing enjoyment from food, which can lead to low mood
Increasing likelihood of food guilt (see my blog on how to stop the food guilt here)
Increasing the likelihood of nutrient deficiencies, which may impact both physical and mental wellbeing (see my blog on food and mental health here)
So, what’s the alternative?
Instead of dieting, I recommend intuitive eating, also known as eating with awareness. Practically, this means listening to your body to know when it is hungry or comfortably full, and responding to these cues appropriately. It means giving yourself permission to eat all foods, however balancing nutrition with food wants.
A helpful question to guide food choices is:
“Right now, do I value eating more nutritious food to keep my body healthy, or do I value eating (with awareness) the food that my body is telling me it would like to have?”
If you would like to learn how to recover from dieting, book in for a free 15minute discovery call today. Click here to book now.
