I have an issue with diet culture; I truly despise it. I understand that a number on the scale does not signify nutrition or overall health and obsessing over calories and weight will do nothing but give me anxiety and an unattainable goal for myself. I actually think we have diet cultured ourselves into thinking that habits in the realm of eating disorders And that is why I’m changing my relationship with food and body.
When I say I’m changing my relationship with food I mean I’m not going to obsess over how many calories my meal has or if I ate two many chips yesterday. Why? Because it’s pointless, it will do nothing but make my obsessive and guilty when I slip up. My new goal is to be conscious of the food choices I make and why I’m making them. Am I eating because I’m hungry or because I’m hungry, am I choosing to eat this ice cream because I’m upset or because it’s a treat I’d just like to indulge in? This type of awareness when I make food choices makes me less obsessive, more inclined to make good choices, and less guilty about indulging in the food I enjoy occasionally.
When I say I’m changing my relationship with my body, this is about forgetting the scale. A (simple) number on the scale doesn’t tell me my muscle or body fat composition, my blood pressure, my insulin levels or really anything specific about my health and lifestyle that I need to change. A doctor could, paying attention to how my body feels could, my ability to do certain activities without feeling winded could, looking in the mirror and liking how I look could tell me, but not seeing 150 lbs instead of 175 lbs, it’s arbitrary in the grand scheme of things. This is why working out regularly is still a goal of mine, but obsessing about a scale is not.
I make this post to say as a society, I think we should reassess a lot of our values when it comes to health, weight, weight loss, diet, and exercise, because I think we all have been taught some unhealthy habits and been told that obsessing over numbers on scales and calorie crunching is good behavior, no matter how mad it is for us both emotionally and physically, I challenge you to reevaluate your body goals and the journey you take to get there, and let me know in the comments what you think and how you approach health, fitness, and body image, I’d love to hear from you!
12 thoughts on “I’m Changing My Relationship with Food and My Body”
I recently started the Keto diet. It has made me more aware of what I eat. Although I have always checked nutrition facts, I check it more now. It is still kind of hard because I love potatoes so I can’t eat fries and things like that, I have been going strong for 2 weeks. It’s still counting involved but I am eating better which was my goal for 2020
I recently had weight loss surgery and it has been the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. I battled with my relationship with food and my body for many years and decided that I needed a tool to help me. My relationship with food has changed and my body. I am no longer diabetic, my blood pressure is normal again, and I am eating much better. I have lost over 95 lbs which was one of my goals for the new year. Great post and a reminder to keep making conscious food choices!
Good on you for stopping any obsession about weight and food choices and choosing to focus on health. And I totally agree with the making conscious food choices: thinking before eating! May you be healthy and happy 🙂
I haven’t checked my weight in a very long time. I’m focusing more on what I eat and why now or why I need to. I used to count my calories before and that was exhausting and depressing.
I agree!
I have no specific goals when it comes to my health but I do want to stay more active and be mindful of the things I’m eating as I start to get older and learn about my family health issues
Great post!! Definitely made me want to throw my scale away and I think today might be a great day to do it!
Yup. I agree. While it is important to stay healthy obsessing over it is not. Sometimes, I like me a sweet treat and I get it regardless but I find the balance. I get sweet treats and detoxify with natural herbal teas, fruits, and veggies. I am not obssessed about the scale at all.
A friend of mine is a life coach that focuses on this area. It is a big need for today’s society with all the processed and prepackaged foods. Plus eating your emotions.
This post spoke to me. I feel like I’m the same way. Taking baby steps to break my bad habits was a struggle. I recently started doing the Intermittent Fasting. It has truly helped me a tone. Thanks for sharing .
I am having a hard time in gaining weight since I gave birth. I am trying to eat more especially carbs so that I can gain more but the more I think about gaining weight, the more stress and the more chance I can’t reach my goals. This year, I change my relationship with food too and hoping this time, it will work for me,
I spoke to McGrady about her experience with wedding diet-focused ads and it turned out even super models aren’t immune to people telling them exactly what they should do with their bodies before a wedding.