Why ‘Diet starts tomorrow’ is problematic
We’ve all heard it… Hell, we’ve all done it! The infamous “diet starts tomorrow” proclamation where you vow to be “better” starting tomorrow. I chatted about this on Instagram this week and want to take a minute to break it down a little further with you.
When we tell ourselves that the Diet Starts Tomorrow we’re doing a couple of toxic things.
To start, we’re introducing a cycle of binging and restricting food that can lead to disordered eating. When we make rules around food or tell ourselves we can’t have certain foods because they’re bad it encourages you to over-eat or over-indulge because that food is going away.
“I can’t have sugar starting tomorrow so I’m gonna eat it all now so it’s out of the house and I’m not tempted”
^ How many times has this been you?
When we share the belief that foods are good and bad we’re telling ourselves that we are good or bad as a direct result of what we consumed. How many times have you cheated on a diet and felt like shit after because you “failed”?
This is not the energy or emotion we want to hold on to! Instead here are some things you can do instead to ditch the diet while still improving your health and wellness.
Ask yourself WHY you want to start a diet.
Is it to lose weight? Okay, no problem.
Why do you want to lose weight? What does that symbolize for you? Is it to feel stronger? Awesome.
What does feeling stronger mean to you? Is it not going through the day feeling tired? Maybe it’s playing with your kids without getting winded.
Whatever it is— what are some things you can start doing every day to show up as that person aside from restricting food?
Can you start small and add on from there? How about…
-Drinking more water
-Adding in vegetables at dinner
-Moving your body for 10 minutes everyday
It may seem small and insignificant but we don’t need HUGE lifestyle overhauls in order to see meaningful change my friend. Little habits stack up over time to big changes. And sure, it may take longer to see results than a diet promises. But what means more to you, sustainable lifestyle changes or 30 day “resets” that leave you worse off 60 days from now?
I’m rooting for you.
