From Dieting to Thriving: Redefining Wellness Beyond Diet Culture
Written by: Jen Mannarelli
I broke up with Diet Culture!
It was the best decision I ever made.
I found a new love and I’m never going back.
Why? Because…
"Diet Culture" convinced me that it’s all about external motivation and how I looked… I had to be skinny, and have 6 pack abs with toned arms and legs.
"Diet Culture" had convinced me that if I didn’t look a certain way, I wouldn’t be acceptable or good enough, creating body shame and body image issues.
"Diet Culture" convinced me that I must go to all the extremes… extreme restrictions, extreme expectations and extreme plans/programs.
"Diet Culture" also wanted to keep me on a crazy rollercoaster of yo-yo dieting because it was not sustainable. So a cycle of restricting and then indulging came about.
“Diet Culture” recommended a magic pill or potion that truly wasn’t even good for my overall health, had unnecessary side effects and who knows what type of long term issues!
“Diet Culture” wanted me to buy all their fancy products that guaranteed quick results and instant gratification.
“Diet Culture” wanted me to believe there was NO other way!
Soooo, how did I break up with "Diet Culture" and take a sustainable approach to my health and wellness goals?
First, I had to realize that “Diet Culture” wasn’t serving me and I needed to stop trying the next latest and greatest thing.
Second, I had to undo the damage of the diet relationship and identify all the limiting beliefs that stemmed from diet culture (see above, lol).
This led to shifting my fixed mindset around dieting to a growth mindset around a sustainable health and wellness approach.
3 Tips to Help You Break Up with Dieting and Change Your Health Mindset
Baby Steps instead of extremes.
Diet Culture led me to believe that the only way to achieve my goals was with extremes.
The diet had to be full of restrictions and had to be followed perfectly. The exercise plan had to be extreme, “no pain, no gain” if you wanted results. If you weren’t miserable, feeling totally restricted and missing out on all social gatherings, you must not be doing it right and thus you will never reach your goals. This, of course, led to failure every time and created a cycle of yo-yo dieting and a belief that I would never be able to achieve my goals (fixed mindset)!
I now believe that baby steps are a much better option. Focusing on consistency with one small baby step at a time is key to achieving your goals.
For example:
Instead of setting a goal of eating veggies at every meal, start with one meal a day. Crush that for 2-3 weeks, then add veggies to another meal.
Want to exercise 5 days/week? Start with 2 days/week. Crush that for 2-3 weeks then add more intensity, frequency, or increased duration.
Want to meditate for 10 minutes/day? Start with 1 minute/day. Master that for 2-3 weeks, then add a minute each week.
This approach taught me that I am capable of reaching my goals in a sustainable way. Every time you practice this, you build confidence and trust in yourself. You build evidence that you are capable and you find ways to reach your goals (growth mindset).
2. Step away from All-or-Nothing Thinking, also known as dichotomous thinking.
Another limiting belief I had about dieting (and exercising) was that if you can’t do it all, you may as well not even bother and just do nothing.
If I chose to go “off plan” on a Friday evening when out with friends, I would go off the rails for the entire weekend and start again on Monday.
Or if I had planned to do four workouts in a week and I missed the very first one, I would throw in the towel and not even bother with the others.
Another belief was that I had to have the perfect diet, the most rigorous workout plan, drink all the water, get eight hours of sleep, manage my stress, and do it all perfectly. If I couldn’t, then I may as well not do any of it because there would be no benefit!
I truly believed that if I couldn’t do it all, then doing nothing was the obvious choice (fixed mindset).
I no longer let all-or-nothing thinking dictate my actions and behaviors.
I can now find the benefit in getting 3 out of 4 workouts in a week.
I can make less healthy choices and immediately get back on track with my nutrition goals.
I can focus on stress management, sleep and hydration even if I can’t get my workouts in this week.
I can focus on my workouts, meditation and journaling even if I can’t meal plan and prep this week.
I now understand that the gains from my efforts far outweigh the losses of missing a workout or eating an unhealthy meal from time to time (growth mindset).
3. Gift vs Chore
I used to punish myself with extreme workouts, especially when I ate unhealthy food. And I believed that only eating healthy options was a major restriction and there was little joy in it. Drinking water, journaling, taking supplements, etc - what a pain, who wants to do that?!
Changing your mindset about all of these actions by seeing them as a gift vs a chore can be a huge game changer. It was for me:
Instead of focusing on your exercise/workout as something you don't want to do (chore) - focus on how good you feel when you finish that workout and how much more energy you have for the rest of the day when you do it (gift).
Instead of focusing on meal prep as a hassle (chore) - focus on how spending a few hours one day frees up not only time every evening, but also reduces the temptation to grab something unhealthy when you are at the end of your day (gift).
Instead of focusing on skipping the caffeinated/sugary drinks and having more water (chore) - think about how good your skin feels and overall how much better you feel when you do drink more water (gift).
Instead of seeing an early bedtime as punishment or lack of freedom (chore) - focus on how much better you perform at work, at home, and how much easier relationships flow when you're not always exhausted (gift).
Instead of seeing eating healthy options as boring and restrictive (chore) - think of the long term effects those choices have on your health (gift).
Evaluate Your Mindset
Now it’s your turn to evaluate your mindset around diet and exercise.
Do you have a fixed mindset or a growth mindset around your health and wellness?
How can you make shifts toward a growth mindset vs a fixed mindset around your health and wellness journey?
What is working? What’s not working? What do you need to let go of? What can you celebrate?
My 2 cents…
Stop dieting!
Stop looking for quick fixes, easy solutions, magic pills and instant gratification.
Stop starting over and giving up again.
Stop restricting yourself to the point of misery or working your body to the point of physical exhaustion.
Stop believing all the “Diet Culture” claims and then beating yourself up when they don’t work.
Let go of your limiting beliefs and stop doing what isn’t serving you.
It starts with your health mindset, not with the next diet!
Catch up with Coach Jen for a different take on health and wellness!
Image of author, Jen Mannarelli.
Jen is a Certified Health, Nutrition & Mindset Coach and has spent over 26 years in the Health & Fitness industry. Her goal is to help women get off of the Diet Rollercoaster and break up with dieting! She wants every woman to truly gain more life, confidence, balance, control, food freedom & energy, while losing excuses, bad habits, poor nutrition & weight... without extreme diets!
Through one on one coaching, Jen guides her clients through her four pillars: nutrition, activity, mindset & accountability, helping them to make true lifestyle change and end yo-yo dieting. She is launching a new group program, Diet Breakup: 4 Weeks to Reshape Your Diet Mindset, so she can reach more women.
You can connect with Coach Jen at coachjen@jenmannarelli.com or www.jenmannarelli.com
Socials: https://linktr.ee/coachjenmann
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