Ditch the Diet Part 2

My last blog on Ditch the Diet focussed on why it is good to stop dieting but if you have been dieting on and off for years it is probably not an easy concept to get your head around. Ditching the diet is the first step in the non-diet approach to health and although first it may be one you have to keep coming back to as you address the other areas in the non-diet approach.  Diet Culture is everywhere from every form of media, medical professions and to top it all it is often a huge topic of conversation around the lunch table.   None of the steps you take with ditching the diet are easy to begin with until you really let go of the dieting mentality and start to see it for what it really is and this can take time. Within this article I hope to give you some ideas on ditching the diet and possible stumbling blocks however once you get started you will probably discover more for yourself and ways to change.

Some steps to consider include:-

Give your weighing scales to your local charity shop don’t just put them on top of your wardrobe or in a cupboard because you might just bring them out in a weak moment.

Deciding not to go back to your local slimming group class even this can be difficult as a lot of friendships are made here with and the shared goal of getting into smaller clothes is a difficult to break. Perhaps you need to look for other groups to join perhaps a hobby or a fun exercise class like line dancing or salsa.

Stop counting calories, points, sins, and units.  Choose food because you like it and don’t fool yourself into always going for the low fat or low carbohydrate option and pretend it’s about health and not weight.   The focus on healthy nutrition has to come after you have been able to stop dieting and eat mainly for hunger and fullness and satisfaction. This is to make sure you are doing it for the right reasons and not just another weight loss diet.

Look at the ways you are getting dieting information is it in magazines or on the Television or is it all over your social media. Initially stop buying the magazines or watching the programmes and don’t like or follow  the new diet ideas on social media as they will try and lure you back with the last diet you will need as it will be so easy and flexible!!!. It’s just another diet and if you have tried a lot then don’t be dragged in again.

You can’t ban your friends from talking about their latest diets but try and change the topic so as not to get dragged in to how well they are doing and how well you might do.
If you get stuck, review all the times you have been on diet. Look at how long they lasted and how the weight returned again each time and how often you felt it was your fault and perhaps think about what you might have been doing instead.
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It can help to join a group with likeminded people to get support or to see a dietitian who specialises in this approach.  If interested why not check out the services I offer and if not sure contact me to find out if this approach may help you.