Diets, dieting, DYING.
If you haven’t tried a diet in your lifetime, congratulations. You’re probably a small percentage of the population that hasn’t. I have tried more diets than I like to admit. And all with one goal, to lose weight. But then that became an obsession. I was so hung up on the number on my scale and the size of my clothes that I didn’t realize that these diets were literally killing me. Mentally, physically, emotionally. What do I mean by this? Well, let’s dive into some diets that I tried.
Weight Watchers: Food is categorized into a point system. You’re given a certain number of points per day. It worked in helping me to lose weight, but it didn’t teach me proper nutrition. What I took away from this was that higher point foods are bad, so I shouldn’t eat them. I became “afraid” of foods and felt like I couldn’t eat unless I knew how many points something was, EVEN after I completed my subscription with WW. If I could go back in time and calculate how many calories I was actually consuming in a day, I bet I’d be shocked.
Vegan: Some might do this for ethical reasons, while others solely for the purpose of losing weight. I did the latter. However, I learned I was eating a lot of processed foods as well as not getting enough nutrients. I became obsessed with it because I was becoming so slim. Did I feel any better? No. I still dealt with fatigue, brain fog, and just an overall lack of energy. But man, was I shrinking.
Those were the two “diets” that I focused heavily on to keep me thin. These diets were literally killing me. They were killing my spirit. They were killing my self-worth. They were depriving me of proper nutrition. And all because I became obsessed with weight and how to maintain a thin physique, but not a healthy body OR mind.
Why am I writing about this? The diet industry is killing us. It’s telling us to do things that are actually detrimental to our bodies. It’s not teaching us proper nutrition or how to nourish our bodies for our specific needs. It’s a one size fits all mentality, but all humans are SO diverse and different that different things fuel their needs, while others can cause many issues. I hope that one day, anyone who is struggling with constant dieting takes a deep look into their nutrition. I hope that they become more aware of their bodies and notice subtle things like, “my heart races when I eat blank…”, “I often find myself drinking tons of coffee in the afternoon because I feel like I’ve hit a brick wall…” “I often get so bloated and have digestive issues after I consume blank…” and take those cues and connect them with the foods they are putting into their bodies. I also hope that one day, if you are struggling like I did, you find freedom. You learn to balance it out and truly learn to live your life freely and fulfilled without worrying how many calories something is, if you’ll gain weight because you ate the pasta, or make you feel like your worth is solely based on the size of your clothes and the number on the scale. Learn to fuel your body with the proper nutrients it needs. Learn to balance your meals. Learn to not constantly struggle with food.
