I’ve never liked my body, and I remember as far back as high school, dreading the locker room. I was scared of what the other girls would think of me. I feared losing friends, being picked on, and being unpopular. Because I knew shame around my body at such a young age, I’ve spent most of my life trying to control my food through dieting.
Over time, chronic dieting led to guilt, shame, binges, sneaking food when nobody was looking, daily weigh-ins, bi-weekly photos, starving myself, ruined social situations, lots of tears, workout injuries, and endless internal chatter about my weight.
And today, 20+ years later, I’m over dieting. I’ve realized there’s more to life than chasing the perfect body. I knew it was time to live differently when I found myself in a heap of tears, crying on my the floor because I had yet again, cheated on my diet. This was when I realized; I just couldn’t do it anymore. I knew there had to be a better way to live.
What’s your story? Have you ever been on a diet, started losing weight, and you felt amazing? But when the scale froze, you were angry and confused?
Frustrating right?
Why the heck do we keep torturing our bodies only to end up either at the same weight or higher (aka yo-yo dieting). Could there possibly be a better way to live than in a constant state of dieting? The answer is absolutely!
Firstly, it helps to understand the definitions so let’s talk about what dieting means. The definition of dieting or diet mentality is, an attempt to alter your body weight or a mindset in which, control, rules, etc. are put on food.
Unfortunately, dieting has become a societal norm, and most people feel they have to diet. If someone isn’t on a diet, they are called “lucky” – especially if they are thin. Additionally, non-dieters are “normal” eaters. And we’d give anything to be a normal eater – right?
The question then becomes, why diet?
Why do so many people try Adkins, low carb, high fat, south beach, weight watchers, Jenny Craig, eating “clean,” etc. or use apps to count calories? Ultimately, the reason is due to body image issues.
Say whaaaaatttt???? Yep, you read it right. Body image issues. People are uncomfortable with the way they look (for lots of different reasons).
I know there’ll be disagreement on this. “No, I don’t have body image issues, I just want to be healthy.” is usually the sentiment. So, dieting and losing 10 pounds will miraculously make you healthier?
Why do we equate dieting with health?
Here’s the thing. Yo-yoing is unhealthy. Plus, what typically happens on a diet? You “lose control” because cravings take over and with, a restrictive mindset, this leads to binging. Before you know it, you’ve eaten ten scoops of peanut butter when your meal plan called for a teaspoon. And it’s a binge because you feel what? You feel GUILTY. Thoughts like, whyyyyyyyyyyy can’t I just eat what I was told to eat. It’s all right there, in plain English. And I just CAN’T stick to it!”. So besides the research suggesting dieting is bad for your body, it’s also mentally stressful. LORD knows we do not need more stress because stress is, in and of itself, unhealthy.
The point? If you are dieting and in a constant state of wanting to look different, you may want to consider asking yourself what’s going on.
Does it make you happy to be in a constant state of diet, body hate, self-loathing, fear, or stress around food? Do you avoid social situations? Do you say, “I’m waiting to lose another 25 pounds before I can confidently play with my kids at the beach?” Or how about, “I’m not going shopping for clothes until I’m a size 4, 6, 8,?”
My question is, why wait? Why not live a great life NOW?
Life passes by fast; it’s too short to wait for the perfect number on the scale.
If you’ve struggled your whole life with weight and tried tons of diets only to feel frustrated, there’s likely more going on.
The good news, this can change. As I mentioned, I no longer diet, and I live my life without worrying about food. The only time I think about it is when I’m hungry. I don’t feel guilty after eating, and I’m confident my body looks beautiful just the way it is. I’m not scared of food being in my house, and I buy clothes that make me feel good. I don’t tell myself I can’t do something until I’m a certain weight. I do whatever I want now. And most importantly, I know I don’t have to diet.
If you are anything like me, you’re finished with the dieting nonsense. You want to find a way to live without always feeling frustrated. You have a “feeling” there’s got to be a better way – and you’re right! To find out more, visit my page www.melissacoloton.com and request my free guide on how to live free and never diet again.
And if you’d like to talk more about how to live life happy and confident just the way you are, without dieting, I’d love to chat with you. Go to my website melissacoloton.com and schedule some time with me. Hope to talk to you soon!
xoxo
Melissa
PS – If someone you know would benefit from reading this, please share! It’s my goal to help women avoid letting the number on the scale be the driver of their life.