4 Tips for Dealing with New Year Diet Talk
Written by Isabel Vasquez RD, LDN
Entering a new year means diet culture is out in full force. There’s lots of pressure to work towards health goals which is often code for appearance-related goals. Meanwhile, we know that diets don’t work. They are not sustainable and our bodies and metabolism are far more complex than just calories in, calories out. After initial weight loss, up to ⅔ of dieters regain more weight than was lost and end up in a cycle of guilt and self-blame. That being said, breaking out of diet culture is tough. Many of us have deeply ingrained messaging from childhood or young adulthood that has stuck with us. Perhaps this year is an opportunity to acknowledge that messaging and its harm to you so you can start moving away from diets and towards a more peaceful relationship with food and your body. If you’re ready, here are some tips to get started.
1. Notice what the diet culture messaging brings up within you
When you see your friend post about their new diet, or you see an ad for the latest “lifestyle change” or your family asks you to join their weight loss challenge, what comes up for you? Does it make you miss dieting? Does it feel lonely? Is it frustrating? Get curious! Don’t judge yourself if you are tempted to go back to dieting. It’s normal to feel that way and probably unrealistic to never entertain that thought. By getting curious about what’s coming up, you can begin to recognize why those thoughts are arising. You can notice if there are parts of dieting that you miss. Chances are, you can work towards those things without resuming the diet cycle.
2. Set boundaries
The only cleanse you need this year is a cleanse of your social media feed. If your friends or family are triggering and unfollowing them isn’t an option, mute them. Outside of the internet, set boundaries around weight or diet talk. Set boundaries around being weighed (with yourself and perhaps also with your doctor). Notice what other boundaries would support you in your anti-diet journey and take action.
3. Ground in why you decided to ditch diets
Given there’s arguably more temptation to return to diets at this time of year, come back to your why. Why did you choose to stop dieting? What did dieting take away from you? What might intuitive eating provide you? The diet wave can threaten to knock us off our feet. Find your grounding.
4. Build community
Ditching diets can be a lonely process, and one of the things I often hear people miss from dieting is the community. That’s why we created the Chula Club Nutrition Coaching Membership, a raucous, body positive community especially for Latinas who are ready to swap out the shame and isolation of chronic dieting for the luscious fun and joyful support of our uproarious community. Join the Chula Club today to have a community of other Latinas with you on this journey.
