4 Steps to Help Fight Against Diet Culture

January 1st has come and gone. But one thing has not left: diet culture. Cue the scary thunder and lighting flashes.

That’s right people, diet season is here. Discounts on gym memberships, sales on craving reducing diet pills, and tons and tons of Weight Watchers ads.

Any other year I would have been hanging on their every word, searching for new recipes that claim to be under 100 calories but will also fill you up. But this year I vow to dismantle diet culture by not blindly following their directives and I invite you to join me. Here are the steps to follow: 

Step 1: You need to say to yourself nice and loud “I am enough! I don’t need less of me to be more.” I am serious, this is an important part. Do it.

Step 2: Laugh at the diet commercials.

They are made to make us feel bad for not following their weight loss program. They are made to brainwash us with before and after pictures stating that happiness is achieved by being skinny. Being skinny does not automatically make you a better, happier person. Being happy with yourself as you are, will.

Step 3: Go to the grocery store, sigh at the flavorless boxed protein bars, and grab what you really want.

I went years with not listening to my body and what it wanted. I denied my body the proper nutrients because I was following this new diet I found online. I ate gross “baked” cookie crisps, pretending they tasted like a real cookie as I looked up the calorie content.

Step 4: Be OK with how you are in this present moment.

I was a slave to the diet industry. They said “You’re fat,” and I said “You’re right.” I drank the detox Kool-Aid and did as they said. I became skinny, just what they advertised. I developed an eating disorder which was celebrated with all the praise of being thin. And guess what? I wasn’t happy. I was skinny and miserable.

But this year… this year I am larger and happier and proud of it.

If you follow these four simple steps, you can start to lose that self-hatred and gain all the happiness.

Happy slaying.

Follow this journey here.

If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, you can call the National Eating Disorders Association Helpline at 1-800-931-2237.

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Getty image via lekcej