5 Steps to Reject the Diet Mentality

The first principle of Intuitive Eating, Reject the Diet Mentality, encourages us to say no to diet culture, to acknowledge the behind-the-scenes truths, and to get angry at the lies that have been told to us, making us feel as though we’ve failed. By actively choosing to reject the diet mentality, we create the start of our Intuitive Eating journey. By leaving diet culture behind, and freeing up the mental and emotional space we dedicate to food, eating, and our body image, we create the space to unlearn all we have been told: that the smaller the body, the better. Rejecting the diet mentality rids us of the shame and guilt that is often associated with diet culture, and instead welcomes using our innate intuition to trust our bodies to guide us towards food and movement that feels good and nourishes our body, without worrying about a lower number on the scale or a smaller jeans size. 

Now that we’re familiar with this principle, it’s time to take action. Before reading further, take a moment to reflect on how diet culture has influenced you. From social media to trends to fad diets, we constantly (and unfairly) see and hear that dieting gives us value. During this reflection, allow yourself to think deeply, without any judgment, guilt, or shame. Once those few moments are up, think about how you would feel without worrying about food, being scared of “failing” a diet, or without waiting the entire week for a ‘cheat day’. Then, apply a few of the following to truly put all of these thoughts into action. 

Step 1: Fearless Fear Foods 

Do you find yourself eating the same, or similar, meals day after day? This could be for various reasons: convenience, ease, comfort, and stability. However, have you ever felt restricted to these meals, almost as if you would feel uneasy if you didn’t abide by them. For example, let’s say you have a salad for lunch every day. But, on this specific day, you’re in the mood for a delicious sandwich. Do you have the sandwich, or do you stick to the salad because of the ‘fear’ that may accompany straying from routine? Intuitive eating is a restriction-free lifestyle, meaning that we should trust our bodies to tell us what we feel like eating that day. By switching up our regimented eating, we invite spontaneity into our lives and challenge ourselves (and just to be clear, this is healthy! Variety in our diets is key for optimal health). Try cooking a new dinner recipe when eating at home, or ordering something you’ve never had before at a restaurant. Mixing up our food choices will create new experiences for our palette and our mind. Eat without distraction, and notice what feelings come up. You never know; maybe you will discover your new favorite food! 

Step 2: There’s No Such Thing as a Cheat Day 

Much like looking forward to the weekend during a hectic work week, many of us yearn for the work-free weekend to indulge in our favorite foods. However, when we restrict ourselves from any foods, we actually increase our desire for them. Let’s look at an example: say you are really craving a warm chocolate chip cookie on a Tuesday night. But, your inner voice talks to you saying, ‘It’s Tuesday, and we only eat those on Saturdays’. When Saturday comes around, you’ll have been wanting that cookie for days, and one cookie won’t be satisfactory. Instead, maybe you have four or five cookies and end up with a tummy ache, on top of feeling guilty for over-indulging. Instead, when we look at foods as neutral, we take away their power to be “good” or “bad”, and give ourselves the permission to eat any food, whenever we want. A ‘cheat day’ is a diet rule, but when we are truly intuitively eating, there is nothing to cheat on! By taking away the notion of a cheat day, we create a balanced baseline for all foods, and take away the yearning for our “guilty” pleasures. Food is food. No judgment or shame is needed! 

Step 3: One Size Doesn’t Fit All 

Mainstream media has taught many of us that one serving size is a portion size, no matter how hungry or full we are. In actuality, a serving size, by law, must be based on the average how much food people consume, not what people should eat. In other words, the serving sizes listed on the Nutrition Facts label are not recommended serving sizes! Interestingly, there is less negativity associated with eating less than a serving size, and much more judgement associated with eating two or three servings. But, everybody’s body has different intake requirements; this doesn’t mean one person’s consumption is better than another. It simply means that even if two people ate the exact same, they would look and feel totally different. The same goes for serving sizes. Instead of following a label on the back of a package, take a moment to honor your hunger cues before beginning a meal or snack. Keep a mental note during mealtime of how full you feel, remembering to eat without distraction and making sure to chew your meals thoroughly. If you feel full, and this means eating less than the serving size, great! Your body is now nourished. If you are still feeling hungry, go ahead and have more! Our bodies will tell us when we’re full, and if we listen closely, we’ll be able to follow its cues. 

Step 4: Take Away the Social Media Triggers 

By now, we’re all familiar with the pros and cons of social media. Although it can be informative, creative, and expressive, too much social media can lead us into a self-conscious spiral. Even further, many of us aren’t even aware of the harm our mindless scrolls causes. Seeing bikini-clad women with ‘perfect’ bodies, what I eat in a day, videos, and individuals claiming to know the secret to fat loss can deeply trigger us to feel lesser than when it comes to our own food and lifestyle choices. Instead, we challenge you to a social media cleanse. Take 10 minutes to filter out the posts you see when you go online. It’s okay to admit that someone’s page is triggering; it actually shows tremendous growth! When we block out the noise of diet culture, we diminish its ability to control what we eat, how we feel, and how negatively we speak to ourselves. 

Pro tip: Instagram just released a feature which enables users to remove weight loss and weight control ads from their feeds. The topic of body weight control is the latest to be included on a list of topics that can be filtered out, enabling users to have more control of the content they are consuming. If you find these types of posts to be triggering, go ahead and use this feature. 

Step 5: Work With Us! 

The intuitive eating journey can be challenging, but also incredibly rewarding. While our blog posts and other content can serve as jumping off points, intuitive eating is an individualized and personalized way of incorporating food and movement in order to feel like the best version of yourself. At Happy Strong Healthy, we provide 1:1 coaching with our Registered Dietitians, where you can discover your inner thoughts about food and diet culture and work together to break free of them. We also offer group sessions, during which women come together to offer support and encouragement, two key pieces in keeping you motivated and on the right track. Our new self-paced course walks you through the science behind why intuititve eating is so powerful and how to start. It challenges you to make small changes during each module. Take the course at your own pace and track your small changes; they’ll all add up and before you know it, you’ll be an intuitive eating pro. We’d love to help you reflect and learn how to be able to eat all foods, without judgement or guilt. Are you feeling ready to get started?!

SIGN UP HERE!

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Written by Serena Pratt

Hi, I’m Serena! I’m a first year grad student at Columbia University studying Nutrition. I’m a former figure skater for Team USA, and because of that, I’ve had my own struggles relating to my complex relationship with food. Learning about nutrition has helped me to understand more about my personal journey, but has also led me to wanting to help others who may feel the same way! I’ve since learned how to listen to my body, can enjoy foods again, and am excited to share with and guide others in doing the same. 

Learn more about me and the HSH offerings here.