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Hi all,
Recently, a handful of my friends and some family members have approached me to chat about diets. I'm all about being a listener and I enjoy food...a lot. But, diets to me are about restricting food and calories to achieve a goal. I've been there, done that, and almost died. So, to say I'm against dieting is an understatement, to put it lightly. I think the majority of people who struggle with their weight have either 1) a medical issue that has caused a disruption in their metabolism or 2) a terrible relationship with food that has caused emotions to be attached to it ("I'm happy...", "I need to celebrate...", "I just need to unwind...", "I had a bad day and deserve...").
Now, don't get me wrong, I love food and see it as more than just fuel, but my first thought when something goes great or very wrong isn't that I should eat. It doesn't make me feel better. Guess what? That isn't weird. That's totally normal! Food doesn't equate to comfort, acceptance, pleasure, etc. Backstory to explain why I don't do diets: in the spring of 2003, when I was 13, I decided that I should start dieting, after hitting a growth spurt and appearing thinner. I had always been an overweight kid and feeling this new normal was weird and I liked it. So, naturally, continuing it only seemed right. First, I started by eating healthier foods. I replaced chips with soy nuts, juice with water, etc. I was an athlete, so during those first few months, I lost weight easily. 5'6" and 135 became 120 lbs. by the time summer started. I was still physically healthy, but mentally, I was a mess. Over time, carbs became a no-no. I had 5 pieces of cereal each morning, but having bread or crackers or sweets was forbidden. While I didn't count calories, my estimation is that I probably consumed about 500 per day while exercising for 2-4 hours on the eliptical. I also did 500-1000 sit-ups and push-ups each day. By that Christmas (which I don't remember), I weighed about 95 lbs. Long story short, I was destroying my body (stunted my growth, hormonal imbalance, bowel and gut issues, incredibly low blood sugar and blood pressure, etc.) in addition to starving. When this chapter of my life ended in March 2004, I was 5'6" and about 85 lbs. Since that time, my weight balanced out at 136 lbs., but during college, I got up to 155 lbs. and down to 119 lbs. My set weight right now is between 130 and 135 lbs. , although my current weight is around 124 lbs. right now. I have some work to do on myself, primarily physically, but almost mentally, so in posting this, I am in no way trying to show that I am superior. I am simply trying to say that eating disorders, whether anorexia, bulimia, orthorexia, exercise bulimia, binge eating, etc., affect a body and mind a lot and by not working on your mind, you will always struggle with your body. Diets are restrictive eating plans. They don't help the mind. They don't teach a person how to not learn to fear the foods/food groups they 'aren't allowed' to have on the diet. They don't teach the dieter how to function at family events without their diet. They teach the dieter that the number on the scale is imperative to their success... Sounds like a brand new, doctor-approved eating disorder, huh? To my loved ones: I love you and want you to succeed. If you go through/continue with whatever diet you're on, I will still support you 100%. I just wanted to explain my point of view and why I am not always gung-ho to hear about the latest and greatest diet. Until next time- xoxo