If you are anti-diet, are you against weight loss?
I am not against weight loss at all - having lost 4 stone myself I understand the pressure we are all under to look a certain way. I know from the compliments I received that quite often thinness is placed above health - society doesn’t really care about the struggle or unhealthy behaviours you have used to lose weight, just as long as you are thinner.
Personally, I didn’t feel much better about myself after the weight loss - the same body image issues remained. I wasn’t automatically happier and I didn’t suddenly start doing all the things I had put off before. I was stuck in a binge/restrict cycle as I had limited my calories for so long, I saw exercise solely as a method to burn calories and my negative self-talk was off the scale.
What I have realised is that instead of focussing on the scales, we should instead focus on adopting healthy habits such as joyful movement, gentle nutrition and intuitive eating. All whilst trying to reach a level of body acceptance, which can be a challenging journey for some (me included).
This quote from Lindo Bacon, PHD - author of ‘Health at Every Size’ and ‘Body Respect’ says it perfectly…
“Health at Every Size is not anti-weight loss. We understand that weight loss is a side effect that sometimes occurs when people adopt healthy habits – and we also recognise that many people who adopt healthy habits don’t lose weight. Our goal is to be weight neutral – to encourage the habits and attitudes which we know are valuable, and to let the weight settle where it may. And to support people in appreciating themselves no matter what the outcome. They don’t have to wait until they lose weight to feel good about themselves.”
Let’s imagine that you’ve had a great weekend - enjoyed a night out with friends on Saturday, danced madly then headed out for a bunch on Sunday followed by a lovely walk and an ice cream. A whole weekend focussed on you and your mental health, doing things that are good for the soul. Then you step on the scales on Monday, see that you have gained a pound or two. You suddenly start regretting your amazing weekend, was it worth it? You won’t do it again for fear of putting on weight, or you’ll regulate your behaviour to limit the ‘damage’. We don’t have weekends like that all the time, when they do come around we should enjoy them as much as we can. When we are older, these are the memories we will cherish, not the fact that you were able to maintain your weight perfectly.
My advice would be to throw away the scales - they don’t add anything to your experience, they only take away from your enjoyment of life.
If you would like to do any further reading on this subject then take a look at the following;
Weight Science: Evaluating the Evidence for a Paradigm Shift
The Health at Every Size Manifesto
Health at Every Size - The Surprising Truth About Your Weight (Lindo Bacon)