My client and I started our session today with a celebration of her wins from the week - and there were a lot! She hasn’t binged since we started working together, she felt confident ordering food at a restaurant, she’s beginning to let go of calorie counting, and she even decided to give her fitness watch a break. Win win win!
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When it came time to reflect on struggles from the past week, she mentioned that it felt like she was surrounded by talk of diets, cleanses, and detoxes. It IS January after all.
Unfortunately, January is the month when all of the diet companies ramp up their marketing in hopes of preying on women who are feeling vulnerable and unsure about their bodies and have set health resolutions for the new year.
(However, it’s also the month that I’m hosting a free workshop on 3 Ways to Stop Restricting & FInally Heal Your Relationship with Food! Grab your seat before it fills up!)
While I fully support any heart-centered intention that my clients may have (even if it’s weight loss related!), I know how hard it can be to tune out the noise and focus on your truth - especially when your truth is intuitive eating in a world that’s still controlled by diet culture.
January can be especially challenging, but this honestly happens year round! In February, it’s about looking hot for your Valentine. In March, it’s about prepping your spring break body. In April, it’s about spring events/graduations/baby showers etc. May through August is bikini season - enough said. In September, it’s about preparing for the fall season and “getting back on track”. You’ve gotta look hot October’s Halloween costume. In November, it’s about looking good for the extended family you’re going to see for the holidays. And December is preparing you for those New Year’s Resolutions!
So although January will come and go, diet culture is (sadly) here to stay. That’s why you need to be equipped with the tools to help you stick to your food freedom journey, even when it feels like everyone else is on a diet.
Below I’ve outlined 3 helpful tools to keep in your toolbox all year long to ensure that you’re making progress towards your food freedom goals!
Remember why you chose the path of healing. Likely, you chose to work on your relationship with food because you finally realized that diets don’t work! (And I’m so happy that you came to that realization!) When you’re tempted to follow the trends and try that new skinny tea, remember your truth. Remember why you chose healing. Remember the long game. In the end, diets will always fail, and the process of dieting will always be cyclical. It takes strength to see the long term goals when shiny new diets are trending, but staying true to your why and your intentions will always serve you in the long run.
Find support and accountability. If you’re constantly surrounded by diet culture, find new energy to surround yourself with. Signing up for a food freedom workshop, following a food freedom social media account, or simply confiding in a friend about your goals are amazing ways to empower yourself with accountability and community. That’s why our community in the Food Freedom Collective is so powerful and important. When you surround yourself with proper guidance and tools, you’ll be setting yourself up for success. You get to choose who and what you surround yourself with, so choose wisely!
Set boundaries. If a certain fitness instructor always motivates the class with promises to help you “burn off the holiday food”, stop going to their class! If a certain social media account always posts What I Eat In A Day videos, unfollow them! If a certain friend is always talking about her newest cleanse or detox, stop spending so much time with her! You are responsible for protecting your energy and setting the tone for how you want to live your life. If you’re not satisfied with the diet culture energy around you, do something about it! Standing up for yourself will only ever make you happier and stronger.
My mission is to empower you to unlock your food and life freedom! That’s why I am so passionate about the work I do and sharing this knowledge with you! My upcoming January workshop - 3 Ways to Stop Restricting & Finally Heal Your Relationship with Food - is going to blow your mind and help you to escape the cycle of restricting, dieting, and feeling guilty around food so that food can be easy, intuitive, and peaceful again. Make sure to reserve your free spot now before they all fill up!