Wishing you a Non-Diet New Year

As the year draws to a close we’re encouraged to reflect on the past, and to contemplate changes we'd like to make for the year ahead. This time of year is ‘peak-season’ for the diet industry, and we’re exposed to a plethora of messages telling us that the problems in our lives can be solved through weight loss – which is of course a very long way from the truth.

This year we encourage you to break free from diet culture, and to focus on positive and sustainable goals which can contribute to positive well-being. Here are some strategies to consider:

1. Unplug from Negative Influences

Social media has become an integral part of our lives, but its impact on mental well-being is often underestimated. Take a close look at your social media accounts and unfollow any content which triggers negative thoughts or feelings about your body or lifestyle. Instead, curate your feed with accounts that inspire and uplift you, fostering a positive online environment. More puppies and kittens, less wellness influencers!

2. Break Free from Food Rules

‘Food rules’ are beliefs or vales which can dictate when, how, and what we eat. Challenge these rules to embrace a more intuitive approach to eating, paying attention to what you really want to eat (as opposed to what you think you ‘should’ have). Remember that food is not inherently good or bad; it's a source of nourishment and enjoyment. Shift your mindset by using neutral and non-judgemental terms to describe the food you consume.

3. Cultivate Self-Compassion

While we may be adept at showing kindness to others, extending the same compassion to ourselves can be challenging. Building self-compassion is an important step toward fostering resilience and self-care. Even if your thoughts are not yet self-compassionate, take actionable steps to be kind to yourself. Schedule self-care and self-nurturing activities in the day, week and year ahead.

4. Prioritise Quality Sleep

Our sleep patterns impact so many aspects of our lives and have a powerful influence on our physical and mental health and wellbeing. Establishing a good night-time routine can significantly assist your sleep patterns. Create a conducive sleep environment by limiting screen time before bed, maintaining consistent sleep and wake times, eating nourishing foods across the day, and engaging in relaxation or meditation strategies.

5. Engage in Joyful Movement

If incorporating more movement into your routine is a goal, focus on activities you genuinely enjoy. Instead of seeing exercise as a chore or punishment, see it as a celebration of what your body can do. Think about physical activities you’ve enjoyed at different times in your life, and explore all kinds of different forms of movement. Pay attention to how each activity makes your body feel, and let joy be your guide.

Happy New Year, from the team at Mind Body Well

International No-Diet Day 2023

May 6th is International No-Diet Day (INDD) – an important occasion to reflect on the potential harms caused by weight loss dieting. INDD was initiated by feminist groups in the UK in 1992 led by Mary Evans Young, and the day provides a reminder for us all to:

• Challenge cultural ideals about body shape and size

• Raise awareness about weight discrimination and fat phobia

• Challenge diet culture and companies who profit from encouraging body dissatisfaction

• Focus on body freedom and liberation for everyone

As we consider INDD this year, we’re reflecting on the bigger picture - the context in which diet culture (the pervasiveness of dieting norms and the perceived value of weight loss dieting) manifests in our society. It’s clear to us from the anecdotal evidence of so many clients we have worked with over the years (and this is backed up in the science) that weight loss dieting causes significant harm to many people – here’s a summary of just some of the ways weight loss dieting can cause harm:

• Weight loss dieting is a significant risk factor for the development of an eating disorder

• Weight loss dieting can compromise nutritional adequacy and have multiple adverse health effects

• Weight loss dieting can be socially isolating – causing people to exclude themselves from social occasions

• Weight loss dieting exacerbates body dissatisfaction and distress, which has a cause-and-effect relationship with poor mental health outcomes such as depression and anxiety

• Weight loss dieting teaches us to be at war with and to disconnect from our bodies - which has multiple adverse physical and psychological implications

• Weight loss dieting perpetuates weight stigma and weight bias

• Weight loss dieting has significant financial costs *

We also know however that weight loss dieting is a strategy used by many people in an attempt to feel some control in an area of their lives which can otherwise feel overwhelming, distressing, and downright confusing – given the many conflicting messages we’re exposed to about diet and nutrition every day. It’s not enough to simply suggest that people ‘stop dieting’ – what most people need is an alternative. To borrow a phrase from one of the pioneers in the non-diet field in Australia Dr Rick Kausman… ‘If Not Dieting, Then What?’ (which is the title of Ricks book first published in 2004). We need alternatives which recognise the reality of body diversity, and which focus on wellbeing rather than weight loss.

If we zoom out to the broader cultural context in which weight loss dieting exists (and is considered the norm), we see that diet culture thrives in a context of weight stigma, weight bias, and a focus on weight-normativity. Here’s a breakdown of these concepts:

• Weight bias – negative assumptions and judgements about people in larger bodies

• Weight stigma – social devaluation and discrimination based on weight and shape

• Weight-normativity - emphasises weight and weight loss as central to defining health and wellbeing (ie. Assumes health based on weight)

• Weight-inclusivity – emphasises health and wellbeing as multifaceted and related to many aspects of a persons life (ie. Recognises social, emotional, physical and spiritual aspects, the importance of the whole person and the context in which they live)

It’s not enough to merely recommend to someone that they stop dieting… when we live in a weight-normative culture which tells us that thinner is better, and that we’re ‘wrong’ for existing in bodies which are anything other than the cultural ideal. Assumptions about weight and size need to be continually challenged and addressed, recognising that for many people, weight loss dieting makes sense as a response to the culture they exist within. It’s not enough to put the pressure on someone to change – it’s the culture that needs to change, to make it safe for people to exist in a diverse range of bodies, and to be valued and treated with respect without any expectation of a need to shrink their body in order to be OK.

Zooming back in again to the individual level, we’d offer the following suggestions for some potential alternatives to weight loss dieting. These are just suggestions though, think about what works for you, and how you can ‘opt-out’ of diet culture… even if just for today:

• Focus on taking care of your body, nourishing and nurturing it in ways that feel good for you. Go for a walk in nature, lay under a tree, have a long bath…

• Explore your relationship with food, try to understand all the different motivations you have for eating, and bring self-compassionate awareness to those motivations

• Eat for both pleasure and nourishment – consider the importance of nourishing yourself both physically and emotionally in many different ways

• Celebrate and enjoy a wide range and variety of foods – allow yourself to really dive into the sensory pleasure which comes from fully experiencing food

• Spend time with people who value and recognise you for who you are, seek out communities in which you feel safe

• Expose yourself to diverse messages about bodies – do a social media audit and be ready to unfollow any accounts which perpetuate the ‘thin is best’ ideal, especially those which suggest there is any right’or wrong way of eating

• If this is a particularly tricky issue for you seek out a Psychologist, Dietitian, or other health professional who can assist you to untangle and address the ways weight stigma and weight bias effects you, and who can help you explore alternatives to diet culture

Very importantly… recognise messages of weight bias and stigma that occur around you and chose not to perpetuate them… opt out. If you have the energy to challenge, then by all means do so - be a social justice campaigner and advocate for respect and inclusion for all people, regardless of the body they show up in.

All bodies are worthy of care and respect.

(* The global weight loss and weight management market value in 2021 was USD $224 billion USD, and by 2030 is predicted to be $405 billion USD (Source – Global News Wire February 9, 2023). This ‘market value’ is being paid for by the people who are driven by body dissatisfaction and distress to purchase products and methods they’re sold under the guise they will make them thinner, and happier. And this is just referring to the direct costs associated with dieting. It’s impossible to put a price on the costs of poor nutrition caused by restrictive eating, eating disorders triggered or exacerbated by the pursuit of thinness and body dissatisfaction which the diet industry profits from, and other mental health challenges exacerbated by weight stigma and weight bias.)

Related past articles:

• Wellness program or diet in disguise?

• What does it mean to be a ‘Non-Diet Dietitian’?

• Breaking up with weight loss

• What is Intuitive Eating?

• About mindful eating

• What is the ‘non-diet approach’?

• Love your body

About Mindful Eating

January is World Mindful Eating Month. So what’s ‘Mindful Eating’ all about?

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to the present moment in a non-judgemental, accepting and self-compassionate way. Mindfulness is not just about our thoughts, it also includes embodied awareness – experiencing our body from the inside out. We can do this by focusing on the information the body sends to the mind through the senses – what we see, hear, feel, smell and taste. In the context of eating, this can mean being aware of how we’re feeling before, during and after a meal. This includes how our body feels physically, as well as the thoughts and feelings we’re experiencing about eating.

Why eat mindfully?

Mindful eating is an approach which is often recommended to help us be more engaged in the process of eating. It’s also a way to pay more attention to our bodies signals of hunger and fullness, and to assist with appetite regulation – the ability to know what the body is telling us about the need for food, or when it’s had enough.

It is important to note however that it’s not inherently ‘better’ to eat mindfully - it’s perfectly natural to also have times when we eat with less mindfulness – like while watching television or at the computer. This less mindful eating though is more likely to cause a sense of disconnection from the experience of eating, and to confuse our hunger and fullness signals, also resulting in less pleasure or satisfaction from our food – which may cause us to keep seeking more.

Mindful eating and Diet Culture

Unfortunately Mindful Eating is yet another of the potentially helpful strategies which has been co-opted by the diet industry as a method of food restriction and impulse control. It is important to keep in mind the central premises of self-compassion and non-judgement which mindfulness is based on – and not to let this become yet another way to moralise and punish ourselves for what and how we’re eating.

When we can bring that spirit of self-compassion to mindful eating, it can be a way to enhance our connection with our body and our relationship with food, to build intuitive eating skills, and to allow ourselves more joy and freedom with eating.

How do I eat mindfully?

If you’ve never practiced mindfulness before, try starting with a general introduction – i.e. learn mindfulness skills in other (less ‘loaded’) areas first, then practice transferring those skills to eating. You can gradually learn to be more mindful by regularly bringing awareness to your breath, to the sensations in your body or the things happening around you. If you’re in therapy, you could ask your therapist for strategies, or experiment with some of the great app’s which teach mindfulness practices (we like Calm, Smiling Mind, and Headpsace).

Once you’ve become familiar with the practice of mindfulness, you can begin to transfer this awareness to eating - try sitting down to eat with no distractions, and bring non-judemtnal awareness to the experience of eating. Pay attention to the sight and aroma of the food. As you eat, pay attention to taste and texture. Chew slowly and notice how these change over time, notice how the taste changes as you eat. Notice if you feel a change in your hunger and fullness cues as you eat. Keep coming back to self-compassion and non-judement as you do this, and start slowly – maybe just for the first few bites of your meal, and begin with foods that feel more comfortable and less threatening for you.

When Mindful Eating is difficult

If you’re experiencing an eating disorder, working on mindful eating might not be appropriate for you right now. Sometimes paying too much attention to the experience of eating can be unhelpful – especially for those who may already be obsessing about eating, and feeling really uncomfortable in their bodies when they eat. In this case you may need to rely on some deliberate distraction rather than mindfulness – use strategies such as reading, music, games or conversation to enable you to eat without increasing anxiety may be more appropriate for now. Like all strategies, mindful eating isn’t a panacea, and isn’t the only tool in the eating disorder recovery toolkit. If you’re not sure whether mindful eating is appropriate for you, discuss this with your therapist, and ask them for alternatives, or practice working toward mindful eating over time.

Would you like to learn more? Enrol in our upcoming Mindful Embodiment online program.

'Wellness' Program or Diet in Disguise?

Intuitive eating and non-diet approaches to weight and nutrition have been gaining popularity as many people elect to step off the dieting treadmill and change their relationship with their body, and their eating attitudes and behaviours. As these approaches have gained momentum however, many diet programs, companies and influencers have begun to co-opt the language of ‘non-dieting’ to mislead people back into the diet cycle. A number of established weight loss companies have re-branded, and new ‘wellness’ programs have emerged, with strong marketing messages about supporting people to make ‘sustainable lifestyle changes’ rather than focusing on weight loss.

However, when you really look at many of these programs it’s clear that they have not really changed their focus, but have instead become traditional diets in disguise – the new breed of diet industry companies. These so called ‘wellness’ programs continue to promote restrictive eating behaviours, encourage people to monitor their weight, and hold at their core the false idea that thinness equates to health - only now with an added side-serve of ‘wellbeing’.

So how can you tell the difference between an actual non-diet approach and a wolf in sheep’s clothing? One of the main differences between dieting and intuitive eating is the focus on weight loss and changes to body shape which are integral to dieting programs. Intuitive eating however is weight neutral, and focused on healing your relationship with food and your body. Intuitive eating is not about weight loss, it won’t ask you to eliminate any foods from your diet, or to label foods as ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Intuitive eating is a not a hunger-and-fullness diet but rather is about unconditional permission to eat all foods, building body trust and eating foods which feel satisfying and enjoyable. Another main difference between intuitive eating and dieting is that intuitive eating has a strong evidence base supporting its effectiveness, compared to traditional diets which are shown to be ineffective for 95% of people (especially in the medium to long term).

This re-branding of weight loss dieting to ‘wellness’ is dangerous and confusing for so many people. This new generation of diets aims to differentiate themselves from traditional diets by claiming that they are not ‘fad diets,’ that they value ‘wellness over weight loss,’ and some even use the language of eating disorder recovery as part of their marketing campaigns. Yet most of these programs continue to focus on food restriction, monitoring or logging what you eat, and weight monitoring. These programs now commonly offer self-care activities ‘on the side’, and may market themselves with health buzzwords or topics such as gut heath or inflammation. They offer a simplistic view of health and wellness, and a narrow assumption that weight loss equals health.

Studies show that weight loss dieting is one of the biggest risk factors for the development of eating disorders and disordered eating. Yo-yo dieting which is characterised by the cyclic nature of losing and re-gaining weight has been shown to have negative effects on physical health and how you feel about your body. Dieting also promotes the development of maladaptive eating behaviours. When our food intake is restricted, food often becomes our focus, which can cause obsessive thinking about food, and can result in either further food restriction, or episodes of reactive binge eating – where the body tries to gain back some of the energy which has become depleted from restrictive eating.

So how can you tell the difference – how can you differentiate a diet in disguise from an approach which is truly focused on enhancing health and wellbeing?

An approach may be a ‘diet in disguise’ if it:

• Encourages you to disconnect from your body by ignoring body signals (including hunger and fullness)

• Is focused on changing your body - weight loss or body shape/size

• Asks you to count points, macros, or uses approaches like a traffic light system

• Uses negative language around ‘good’ and ‘bad’ foods, classifying certain foods as inflammatory, detoxifying, guilt-free, or clean

• Recommends that you restrict or eliminate certain foods or food groups

• Acknowledges that diets don’t work followed by a BUT… (insert dieting behaviour here)

• Causes you to feel preoccupied with food and weight loss

• Recommends you buy expensive supplements or unusual foods

As an alternative to diet industry programs we recommend an individualised and therapeutic approach to understanding your nutritional needs, and changing your relationship with your body. If you’re ready to make this change, the team of Psychologists and Dietitians at Mind Body Well can assist.

If you’d like to find out more about Intuitive Eating, check out our pre-recorded online program (click the image below).

Other relevant Blog posts:

• What is Intuitive Eating?

• Let’s set some perspective on ‘Food Addiction’

• What does it mean to be a Non-Diet Dietitian?

• Breaking up with weight loss