How to Bash the Dieting Mentality in 2020
Are you already planning your next diet?
It’s officially 2020! If you are already planning out your next diet, ask yourself if dieting has served you in the past. Maybe this can be the first year where you stop dieting and instead start moving towards healthier habits that you can sustain. If your diet does not give you the flexibility to eat normally at parties or special events, is that a diet that you can live on a long term?
More often than not, diets restrict your intake and result in more intense cravings. They also don’t always teach you anything about healthy eating or how to eat normally in all situations. Well, what exactly is eating normal you may ask?
Eating Normal is when food becomes NEUTRAL in your life, instead of the comfort or the bad guy.
It is eating for fuel and eating something because it’s your favorite food, but also being able to stop when you know you’re full.
It is eating when you’re hungry and not ignoring your hunger because your intermittent fasting diet tells you it’s not time to eat yet.
It’s cutting out the stress of eating and making food decisions based on “good” and “bad” foods, but instead giving in to your cravings when you really want something.
It’s letting go of the guilt of eating what you really want, and beginning to actually listen to your body and how it feels when you eat it.
It’s not placing restrictions on whole food groups for the sake of losing weight.
It’s a way of eating that you can DO FOREVER.
If this scares you, I challenge you to ask yourself — what is the alternative?
It’s all too easy to want to go back on yet another diet in the new year. The number 1 most popular New Year’s Resolution is to lose weight. There is enormous pressure coming from social media, our family and all those around us who are trying the latest fad. It surely is tempting to want to jump on that bandwagon as well and hope this time will be different.
But the thing is, everyone is an individual. While a certain diet may seemingly work well for one person, that does not at all mean it will work for you. And this is not because you are “failing.” This is because diets set you up for failure.
Habits of the most successful people exhibit the following habits and characteristics:
- They eat a variety of foods that they enjoy.
- They don’t avoid their favorite foods.
- They are mindful eaters who listen to their body.
- They exercise regularly — and mix up their exercises so it doesn’t get boring.
- They surround themselves with positive people.
- They drink plenty of water.
- They get guidance and support from a professional.
- They stay consistent with habits that work for them.
It’s important to remember that the process of improving your relationship with food is a journey. It does not have a start and end date, and it shouldn’t have one. It’s okay if you don’t have it all figured out right now. It takes plenty of time and practice to see what works best for you, what weight feels good, and how to maintain healthy habits that work for you. If you’re ready to stop trying to figure it all out on your own and stop wasting time on diets that prevent you from fully enjoying your food, you can take action to do that now.
Read more about incorporating habits and make changes that will fit with your lifestyle, read this article here!
Hi there! I’m Melissa, a Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist and Mindful Eating Coach.
I help women who are chronic dieters and struggle with emotional eating move away from restrictive habits that lead to vicious yo-yo weight cycles.
My approach to nutrition counseling is judgment-free. I help my clients by first determining the root cause of their eating habits, then addressing proper nutrition in order to create sustainable change. I incorporate mindful and intuitive eating practices in my sessions, and helps my clients get to a point of maintaining healthy habits consistently.
I practice in a small town called Milford in Connecticut, but since I primarily coach my clients online, I work with clients from all over the world.
When I’m not coaching, you can find me cooking, reading, and running outside — no matter what the weather.
