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A Path to Healing for Chronic Dieters

We have all fallen victim to diet culture, food rules, and fad diet buzzwords like “detox”, “clean eating,” and “metabolism boosting.” Diet culture has infiltrated the media, marketing, and our minds! I am here to tell you, you don’t have to continue down this guilt-ridden path. There is a way to heal your relationship with food, in order to not feel shame or dread when thinking about the meal you just had or the meal you’ll have next. To change course and heal your relationship with food, intuitive eating principles are best practice. 

Good news! Intuitive eating is not a diet. When it is viewed or treated as such, it will not work. Intuitive eating is a food freedom approach that listens to your body and allows yourself to fulfill cravings, honor hunger cues, and eat guilt-free. Easier said than done, right? But here’s how it works: once you let go of food rules, you will find yourself thinking about food less and enjoying life more. A concept that could never exist following a fad diet. And this is why intuitive eating principles are sustainable. 

All diets have the same structure with a focus on what can be eliminated. Typically a diet will eliminate an entire food group. We then categorize foods as “good” or “bad” based on whether they are allowed on the diet or not, assigning morality to the food. Then, we begin to constantly think about food. 

When we restrict certain food groups, our body begins to crave them. Not only because we may no longer be enjoying foods that bring us satisfaction, but because our body needs a variety of nutrients. If we are eliminating an entire food group, our body will tell us we need to reincorporate it. This process creates a lot of food noise. One may find themself doing well following their restrictive diet during the day. In the evening, the body responds to being undernourished and the food thoughts get loud. What will my next meal be? Will the party have foods that I can’t have? Why can’t I stop thinking about the snack in my bag? With all these food thoughts, we naturally cannot sustain a restrictive diet. We then are filled with guilt and shame when we are no longer able to restrict “bad” food items. This is the vicious cycle that is dieting, an unsustainable and guilt-ridden experience. 

So how can we break free from the diet mentality and heal our relationship with food? It starts by rejecting diet culture. We are all born intuitive eaters. Overtime, diet culture, food rules, and unrealistic body standards drive our desire to fit into a box. We must begin to demoralize food by focusing on listening to our body’s cues. Start to honor hunger instead of ignoring it because someone once said, “you’ll spoil your dinner.” Listen to what your body is in the mood for and satisfy that craving. The more you give yourself unconditional permission to eat the foods you enjoy, the quieter food noise will be. Allow yourself to enjoy foods, guilt free! Food is not just fuel, it is an experience, a celebration, and delicious. We want food to enhance our life, not cause us shame and frustration. Trust your body and eat food freely.

Some may feel doubtful they are able to eat freely and honor their cravings. They are fearful that food freedom will lead them to overeating and exponential weight gain. With true freedom from the diet mentality, you have complete peace with food. If you are only allowing pseudo-permission to eat, you are not trusting food will always be available, which causes the urge to overeat. Once true food freedom is achieved, your satiety cues will tell you when to stop eating. 

When beginning the intuitive eating journey, remember to give yourself grace. The path to intuitive eating is not linear. There will be tough days. It is important to remind yourself that you are doing so much unlearning. Diet culture is everywhere, at first, it may be difficult to notice. Start by listening to your food rules. If you are feeling guilty during or after a meal, ask yourself why? What is the food rule I just broke? Where did I hear this food rule? Is it from a credible source? At the end of the day, all food rules can be debunked!

Now you have the first few steps to beginning your intuitive eating journey. Honor your hunger cues and create peace with food. Reject the diet mentality! Trust your body and it’s innate ability to tell you when you are satisfied. As you build trust and allow yourself full permission to eat what you want, when you want, you will be on the path to food freedom. You got this!

Sam Totsky is a registered dietitian, accepting new clients, at Elle. She is hosting a new Intuitive Eating Group beginning June 12th where she brings community together and puts intuition at the center of healthy eating. Get to know Sam and reach out to us if you are interested in working with her.