What is diet culture anyway?
Well, let me ask you this. When you think of the word diet, what do you think of?
A.) Do you think Paleo, Keto, Weight Watchers, Whole 30, Atkins, etc?
Or
B.) Do you think it’s just the kinds of food that a person habitually eats?
Answer A is what I’m talking about when I refer to diet culture. It’s the act of “going on a diet” or “going off of a diet.”
But the interesting thing is, answer B is what I came to when I searched for the actual definition of diet.
So, what’s the problem with diet culture?
Well, from my perspective, the problem is that diet culture is not set up as a long-term solution. Typically, when people start a diet, they’re going from one extreme to another. From a standard American diet to a very limited or restrictive diet. And yes, you can absolutely lose weight and become healthier doing this. The problem is that it’s often not sustainable, and many people end up gaining the weight back that they lose, plus some.
Here’s how you know if you’re stuck in diet culture….
- You’re always looking outside of yourself for the answer to your weight loss.
Maybe if I start this new Crossfit gym, or this new meal delivery service, or get back to weight watchers meetings, or had someone to work out with….
- You say the line, “I’m starting on Monday.”
This phrase is definitely an indicator that you’re stuck in diet culture. It means you see it as being “on a diet” or “off a diet.”
- You white-knuckle your way through with an end in sight.
I see this a lot with diet plans that have a specific time frame in the name, like “lose ten pounds in 21 days!” You may do great and lose weight those 21 days, but that’s only because you know it’s short-term and see an end in sight. That’s why so many women binge afterward and gain weight back. The only way you’ll lose the weight and keep it off for good is to keep doing what you did to get it off. And if you’re not willing to do that for the rest of your life, what’s the point of starting it at all?
What I encourage you to do is let go of diet culture, and move into a one step at a time approach, changing habits one by one. I encourage you to be in it for the long haul. What is it that you’d be willing to do for the rest of your life?
What if instead of being “on a diet” or “off a diet,” you simply took one baby step at a time in the direction of health? What if you began noticing how foods affect your body and began listening to it, rather than what a book tells you? What if you allowed yourself to enjoy certain foods that don’t nourish you, without letting it all go to hell and giving up on your health? This is the stuff that I practice and that I teach.
Are you willing to let go of diet culture?
In health & happiness,
Jamie
