Diet culture

Published on 20 August 2020 at 14:31

As someone who was effortlessly skinny and gained weight in a stressful time I fell into the pitfall of dieting and created a loop that I would describe as disordered eating, maybe even an eating disorder. I tried crazy fasts, because they promised good health at a time that I was very ill. I ate raw vegan for over a month, before having my first ever serious binge. Dieting and excessive exercise brought my mind and body into a deep state of confusion that lasted for 5 years, and it was the very thing that kept me at a higher weight!

 

 

The Trap

Each diet or solution starts out the same, they promise you something you desire, it gives results at first, but because the diet is fucking unsustainable, and in my opinion unhealthy, your body will keep giving you stronger signals to eat more (balanced) until you overindulge, feel terrible about yourself and promise to do better next time. The sad reality is that most women will spend a part of their life in some kind of diet loop.

 

Choosing health

There are two times in my life that I dropped weight sustainably, both times started with giving up on dieting and accepting my body as she is. I listened to hunger cues, and ate till satiation. I gave myself sooo much permission to eat, this abundant mindset actually resulted in me eating less.Weight loss might not happen for everyone, but once you truly accept your body, you won't care if you become skinnier. From there you can start making choices that are actually healthy and good for your body. Some bodies are naturally bigger, and others smaller, female bodies tend to fluctuate between weights and you can be healthy at any size. Fighting your body, your biology, your nature is a battle you will lose every time. Both times I naturally lost weight also had to do with reduced stress in my life. Hormones regulate your body weight, especially female bodies are not compatible with most diet plans, because hormones are not taken into account. Cortisol (the stress hormone) will cause your body to store fat, and more so in female bodies. High intensity work-outs, stressing about weight and diet, constantly counting every calorie, being afraid to be left alone in a room with cookies, all these things raise cortisol levels. Studies even suggest that rather than achieving weight loss, most people who frequently diet end up gaining weight in the long term.With any diet, you should ask yourself “Can I eat this way FOREVER?” And for female bodies that have a cycle: keep asking yourself that question for an entire month (or the length of your cycle). If the answer is no. You are setting yourself up for another binge-restrict cycle.

 

What's the rush?!

If you want to eat more healthily make small changes! Don’t shock your body with sudden change, don’t overwhelm your mind with a list of 100 foods you can’t eat. Study your natural eating patterns first. See easy swaps you can make that are satiating and satisfy all your needs. Maybe include more organic foods. Go slowwww, listen and attune to your body. Come from a place of true love and acceptance. Anything motivated by fear or lack won’t work out in the long run.

 

Cultivating love for all bodies

I started a positive brainwash to reprogram all the unwanted narratives that had leaked into my subconscious.Something that helped me was to look at different bodies and acknowledge their unique beauty, instead of holding bodies up to an ideal created by mainstream media. Truth is most bodies don’t look like that!I started to challenge the limiting beliefs I had been programmed with by actively searching for examples of people who broke that mold. I focused more on the energy radiating from people, seeing souls behind eyes, feeling magnetic pulls and pushes that form connection and disconnection. Fully realizing there is so much more to attraction then body type.The deeper I felt connected to my soul and my mission. The more it fueled a passion to not be stuck in this loop forever! To instead live a life filled with love and contribution.

If you know someone who needs to hear this, feel free to share

 

Add comment

Comments

There are no comments yet.