“Excuse me? Do you have any gluten free, vegan, low salt, paleo, low in fat, kosher, low carb, vegetarian, low calorie, no sugar menu options that is worth less than 2 weight watcher points?“
Yes! We call it water. But how am I supposed to eat that?
The answer is you don’t. In case you can’t see it, putting unnecessary constraints like this on food that is privileged enough to enter your body (unless you will die or have an allergic reaction from it) actually is creating an obsession.
Anyone can claim to have “the ultimate newly discovered diet” that let’s you shed as much weight as you want, in the areas you want, while you still get to eat what you want. And although these diets may work for some extremely determined people, it’s a lie. I know because like everyone else I’ve been surrounded by it and sometimes even included in these “miracle” diets.
I have lost 40 lbs on a fad diet and let me tell you I looked remarkable. Remarkable in the sense that I was of a healthy BMI for my height but yet could show you every rib, and you could see my spine through my shirts. Ill let you in on my little secret too, I still had a belly, (no washboard abs as promised) I had arm pit fat, fat on my arms, fat on my thighs, and of course my butt still clung to every calorie I consumed. After months of starving and countless hours at the gym. I still looked nothing like the pictures on magazines or the women on TV.
It wasn’t long after I achieved my “goal weight” that I realized I was still me. The only thing that changed was no one could stand me. I was constantly criticizing myself and others on what they ate or how they worked out. My friends and family couldn’t even talk to me unless I had just scarfed down my ballerina meal. Meanwhile my weight loss coaches at the fad diet house we’re telling me I was still not eating right. And if I could just eat less of this and none of that, I would be “healthy and beautiful.”
Although my body went through some incredibly drastic changes on “my diet” all I saw was the same person standing there in the mirror who looked nothing like my favorite movie stars and models. And yet I had a food and workout diary that could attest to my perfect diet and exercise program.
The thing is, no one can actually make you look like that celebrity or model because you aren’t them. All of our “fitness goals” are constantly derived from images of other people. Every human being is different from the next, even if it’s just ever so slightly. That’s what makes us special. The biggest (and first) step in having a healthy diet and exercise routine, is understanding that you cannot change who you are. You can’t reform your body into a different type. No pear will ever be a strawberry and no hourglass will ever be an apple. Although we are not fruit (or sand I suppose), and that is possibly the worst stereotypical categorizing of human body types, the first step is to accept your body because it is you.
So take it from a girl who’s been there, done that, and wrote about it in a blog, that fad diet needs you, you don’t need it. Now don’t get me wrong, your going to eat what you want to eat, I do too. What I’m trying to say is don’t let other people tell you what you can and can’t eat. Enjoy your food, let your meal time be just that. Lose the electronics, noises, and other people’s personal opinions and actually think about how good the food is that your eating. You’ll be surprised at how easy it is to stop eating when your satisfied as opposed to when your full. The secret to a good diet is not obsessing over your food, but enjoying it. Eating smaller portions of balanced meals constantly rather then restricting yourself and splurging sporadically will make you feel healthier and fuller all day. And for heavens sake treat yourself every once in a blue moon.
Food is the gift of life, so get over your obsessions and eat it.
Fad diets have created a multimillion dollar industry, so I know I’m not alone with my experience.
I would love to here you’re comments, questions and experiences regarding fad diets, including how they have/haven’t worked for you, how challenging it was, what type of support you received, or how it made you feel about yourself.
The Odd Body Out
The Odd Body Out 