The promises are already showing up in my feed and in commercials on tv. New diets + workout plans that promise you happily ever after if you just eat fruit all day for all meals, or get rid of all carbs. And you know what? They will work, for a short time. When you restrict, weight does fall off, but most of these diets are meant to fail us. We aren’t meant to live on just fruit or one type of food. We aren’t meant to exercise hard for only 6 weeks at a time.
I promise you, after the holidays when we are feeling a little bloated and off, you don’t need to buy into the promise that in the New Year you have to be a NEW YOU. You don’t have to buy into the promise that you aren’t worthy right now, as is, even if you don’t feel the best.
Here’s what I know: it always takes me at least two weeks after a vacation/hliday/etc to feel like ME again. In those two weeks I give myself grace. Each day I take the steps that I know make me feel well emotionally. I slowly start to drink more water. I move my body gently doing what feels good. I eat some meals that fill me up and I don’t restrict anything. I just ask, ‘what sounds good today?” And you know that, after a week or so, maybe a smoothie sounds good again, or maybe I want to do a pilates video? Or maybe I want to enjoy that delicious trifle I made?
I do know this, restricting + going all out on crazy exercise regimes on January 1st never lasts. We aren’t meant to have a lifetime of willpower. We are meant to eat intuitively and move our bodies for joy. Diet culture tells us we will be happier when we get THERE, but I promise you that is not true. Can you be happy here, even if it isn’t where you want to be? Can you move your body in a way that you could do it forever? Can you eat in a way that you can sustain forever, so when you die you know you didn’t spend your whole life worried about 20 unwanted pounds? I know I don’t.
We deserve better, and diet culture isn’t it.
