The Anti-Diet Diet

Have I told you about the Anti-diet diet? It's honestly been a complete game changer for my health, my waistline and my self-esteem. You may have even heard of it before, it's called Intuitive Eating.

Intuitive Eating is making food choices without the associated guilt, emotional response or restricting/punishing behavior associated with our food. Instead, it’s CHOOSING to honor your body with how your fuel it and respecting your body’s response to it (i.e. learning to listen to your hunger cues). It’s enjoying food responsibly.

We live in a day and age where the “food police” are everywhere. Count macros for a banging body. Go Vegan to cure diabetes. Eliminate all carbs to lose your belly fat. Intermittent fasting for the win. Drink apple cider vinegar every morning to get perfect skin. Want great poops, eat yogurt with every meal. And on and on and on….

In this process we’ve created Diet Culture, where we are a generation of adults that began thinking about dieting before we even hit puberty. In fact, the average person has tried OVER 55 diets in their lifetime.

We jump from one diet to the next and in that process we start to associate an emotional response to the foods we eat. Cake is bad. Kale is good. But why is this? Why is food now an emotional stigma instead of something essential to nourish our bodies? It’s the beginning of disordered eating. And we need to BREAK that CYCLE.

Here’s the first steps to Intuitive Eating.

1. Reject the Diet Mentality. If the meal plan you’re trying isn’t sustainable long term then it’s not meant to be used short term.

2. Make PEACE with FOOD. There is NO SUCH THING as bad food. There is only food. Some foods may be more nourishing for your body, but nevertheless, food is FOOD.

3. Hunger is NORMAL. Respect it. Learn to identify it. And NEVER punish yourself for it.

4. Learn YOUR CUES to hunger. Eat when you’re hungry, and stop when you’re full. Don’t eat because you’re angry, sad or lonely. Don’t eat just because there are a few bites left on the plate. Listen to your body.

5. Acknowledge your emotions. Address them. Accept them. Embrace them. And move on with your life. But DON'T HIDE THEM in FOOD.

6. Live Actively. Go for a walk or a run. Take your kids to the playground (and play with them). Joyfully move your body.

7. Practice Self-Love. You are so beautiful exactly how and who you are in this very moment. Work on accepting yourself for who you are in this very moment.

And there you have it. The Anti-Diet Diet.

This is my way to live Extraordinary in a very Ordinary way.

xoxo - Lisa

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