It’s time to ditch the diet! And when I say diet I don’t mean restrictions that are necessary for religious/moral beliefs or medical conditions. I mean the mentality that certain foods should be labeled as bad and vehemently avoided. This is the year to make peace with your body and not purse weight loss.
Maybe that sounds wrong coming from a medical professional but the honest truth is that diets don’t work long term for weight loss. Decades of scientific evidence support that weight loss from dieting has a short lifespan. Most people go on to gain the weight back, often times putting on additional weight.
Also, it’s important to consider that losing weight does not automatically improve your health. Often times lab values, outcomes, or medical conditions improve from the healthy changes you’ve made (exercising, eating more vegetables) not from the actual weight loss itself. Remember association does not equal causation.
Diets and weight loss often times becomes very negative. By creating a fear of certain foods and restrictions you can actually lead yourself to unhealthy mentality surrounding food. Eating a wide variety of foods is actually bests for our health- this includes the cookies you enjoyed over this holiday season. The restriction of certain foods and following the latest diet fad is actually more detrimental to your health than being overweight. Feeling guilty or shamed about your weight or something you ate is not positive for your mental health and can lead to an eating disorder. There can also be serious physical consequences to weight loss and nutrient restriction.
I’m here to help you make peace with your body and diet the diets in 2019. I work with clients that are struggling with a poor body image or are tired of dieting to meet their goals. Nutrition is not one size fits all. There is more to life than pursing weight loss so let’s work together and build a healthier relationship with food.
I’m currently offering 50% off for new clients this month. You can reach me at dietitianjessnutrition@gmail.com
