At Shame Free Eating we are serious about an anti-diet approach! How serious? This Pledge will give you a clue.

Before beginning our programs participants take this Ditch the Diet pledge…

I solemnly swear to eat food. This includes, but is not limited to, carbs, sugar, fat, and other foods that make me feel warm, fuzzy, well-fed, and loved. I will not count calories and adjust my intake based on nebulous food rules. I will not berate myself, my body, or my food choices. I will not engage in good food/bad food conversations with myself or others. I will remember that diet culture has fostered a false narrative that I have been living by and it is not serving me. Dieting has contributed to the problem that it purports to solve, and this is not my fault.

Instead I will learn to listen to and trust my body and the internal cues that it provides. I will trust in the process of rejecting the diet culture, and the new ways of thinking about food and myself that come along with it. I will recognize that we all deserve to eat, and our cravings are not gluttonous acts of mutiny by our body, but rather natural mechanisms designed to keep us fed, healthy, and happy. And I will use positive affirmations to remind myself of my value regardless of what I choose to eat.

Being involved with Shame Free Eating and our Anti-Diet Initiative begins with:

Self-acceptance, mindfulness, allowing yourself to eat, and patience. Our history with dieting dictates that food selection and strict food rules are not an effective starting place on this journey.

For us to heal our mind and body of the consequences of repeat dieting we must create a solid foundation centering on how to eat. We also want to continue to remember that if our goals are to be healthy and to enjoy food, then diets do not provide us with either of those outcomes. Temporary weight loss is not equivalent to health or a good relationship with food.

I look forward to more conversations with each of you on this topic. Start a chat about it with me on Instagram @ShameFree_Eating_RD or Facebook, where you will find regular anti-diet inspiration and resolve!