Such a season has come again this year! The dreaded time when everyone will be discussing weight loss goals, “bad” things about the holidays, and plans for repentance comes on January 1st.
Diet culture is exhausting, and as weight loss and fitness conglomerates rub their hands together in anticipation of annual sales increases, we’re taking a different approach: mind and body in this Diet Palooza. Prepare to face fearlessly. Temptation.
Now every weight loss company is trying to hone in on your insecurities and make sure you buy their products. That way, when Weight Watchers knock on your door, you can give them the middle finger (0 points).
5 Tips for Dealing with Diet Culture in the New Year
Anti-Diet Culture Tip #1.read fat positive books
Reading (or listening to) a fat positive book is a complete game changer! Over the past decade, the fat-positive book market has boomed in the best possible way.
Looking for sweet and steamy nonfiction?check out There’s something about Sweetie by Sandhya Menon. Also Notable things about Kate Stayman London.
Need confidence and reminders that your body is perfect the way it is? Read Things no one says to a fat girl Jess Baker; The body is not an apology by Sonya Renee TaylorAlso The Other F Word: Fat & Fierce Festival.
Watching and reading about fat people living their own lives, going on adventures and finding love is very inspiring and a reminder that you can do all of that without losing pounds. I will give it to you.
Anti-Diet Culture Tip #2.Organize your social media
Raise your hand if you spend more time on social media 👋 Me too. But I’m not going to tell you to delete apps or cut back on screen time. Social media is a great tool for curating a personal feed of inspirational people and ideas.
But if that feed makes you feel unworthy, unattractive, or jealous, it’s time to make a change. .
If you see someone’s before/after photos and question your body, mute or unfollow them. Find and follow people with similar body shapes and styles. Find and follow people spreading ideas that fit your values. The social feed affects him most of his day, so make sure everything is in good spirits.
Anti-Diet Culture Tip #3. Create health goals that aren’t weight-focused
If you want to improve your mental and physical health, now! Many of us are out of balance, so the beginning of the year is a great place to check in on yourself and make positive changes.
Health goals that you can add to your resolution list include:
- Better sleep hygiene practices
- Add daily meditation to your routine
- Get in touch with nature once a week
- find a trusted therapist
- Intuitive Eating Practice
- Find a form of movement that brings you joy
Anti-Diet Culture Tip #4.devote yourself to moving your body out of love
The idea of losing weight and becoming more “acceptable” is tempting. But of course, weight loss becomes much less appealing once you realize that 95% of his weight loss attempts fail in the long run.
Yet we all, at some point, sign up for the gym or buy some equipment that we think will help us slim down. Because even though we screamed, we were still moving our bodies out of hatred.
Here is a challenge for you: Move your body from love next year. If you lace up your sneakers, are you going for a run because it looks fun? Or are you running because you need to punish yourself for eating an extra cookie last night?
Intention is important because the energy you bring into an exercise session not only affects your attitude, but also your likelihood of engaging in exercise again. If you move your body out of dislike, you will hate moving your body.
If you’re ready to move your body out of love, check out my book Weightlessness: How to Eliminate Guilt and Heal Your Relationship with Exercise.
This eBook is a guided journey for intuitive movement and full of resources for doing it the healthy way.Also, for some accessible motion videos, check out joina free app made by fat people for fat people!
How are you preparing for the impending diet culture/dietpalooza?
As editors of The Curvy Fashionista, we write about what we love. We often have affiliate partnerships so we may receive a portion of the proceeds from your purchases.