If you read the title of this newsletter and thought oh no, Megan’s soul has been possessed by the spirit of Sylvester Graham, 19th Century diet guru and inventor of the wholewheat cracker, allow me to reassure you: there are lots of things that I don’t miss about diet culture in the slightest. To name a few:
It’s definitely hard to have to face your real life difficult problems the hard way rather than just living in the assumption that you will figure it all out once this next diet succeeds! Something I miss it honestly the community. I am a teacher and it’s all women. All everyone talks about is their eating or new diet and exercise program, and especially once I had kids the mom communities are just as deep into it. I feel left out a lot because I just have to smile and nod unless I want to get into a whole debate about why I don’t diet or why I think dieting is bad. I feel like so much female friendship is centered around hating your body so I’ve had to kind of adjust to that in my life. ❤️
Reading this was like a lightbulb moment for me. I often feel so conflicted and confused about yearning for something that only ever results in unhappiness and shame long term.
This speaks so much to me. I feel like that so often and then need to remind myself how beautiful and bright my life has become after leaving controlled/restricted eating behind.
What I really don't miss about diet culture is the all-or-nothing approach. That made me feel so crap constantly, cause in such a regime you can basically only fail. You've eaten that one "wrong" thing and now this whole day and your mood has to be shit. And I hate most about it, that this all-or-nothing idea took over so many other areas of my life and of my thinking. I started feeling crap if I didn't learn at least 8 hours a day for my degree or if I didn't REALLY crush the workout... And that's the best now: To be relaxed not only about food, but also to be happy about learning focused for 2 hours and then turn to something else without a feeling of guilt. To be happy to stop a workout half way through, cause I'm not feeling it anymore and rather lie on my yoga mat listening to music.
It’s definitely hard to have to face your real life difficult problems the hard way rather than just living in the assumption that you will figure it all out once this next diet succeeds! Something I miss it honestly the community. I am a teacher and it’s all women. All everyone talks about is their eating or new diet and exercise program, and especially once I had kids the mom communities are just as deep into it. I feel left out a lot because I just have to smile and nod unless I want to get into a whole debate about why I don’t diet or why I think dieting is bad. I feel like so much female friendship is centered around hating your body so I’ve had to kind of adjust to that in my life. ❤️
There you are, hitting the nail on the goddamn head again
Reading this was like a lightbulb moment for me. I often feel so conflicted and confused about yearning for something that only ever results in unhappiness and shame long term.
Thank you for this Megan 🧡
This speaks so much to me. I feel like that so often and then need to remind myself how beautiful and bright my life has become after leaving controlled/restricted eating behind.
What I really don't miss about diet culture is the all-or-nothing approach. That made me feel so crap constantly, cause in such a regime you can basically only fail. You've eaten that one "wrong" thing and now this whole day and your mood has to be shit. And I hate most about it, that this all-or-nothing idea took over so many other areas of my life and of my thinking. I started feeling crap if I didn't learn at least 8 hours a day for my degree or if I didn't REALLY crush the workout... And that's the best now: To be relaxed not only about food, but also to be happy about learning focused for 2 hours and then turn to something else without a feeling of guilt. To be happy to stop a workout half way through, cause I'm not feeling it anymore and rather lie on my yoga mat listening to music.