Survive dieting month

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January is an awesome month for a couple of reasons. One, it's my birthday month, two it's the beginning of a new year and everyone is feeling good with that "fresh slate" feeling. People for the most part are a little bit more optamistic and upbeat as they strive in their own different ways to improve their life and wellbeing.

Unfortunately, some of these "improvements" that many people participate in are diets.  And January is basically known as dieting month. Everyone is now going to the gym hardcore, bringing salads for lunch, and telling everyone how they are cutting out this food, and how they "don't eat X anymore".

It's a hard month for anyone, but it can be especially trying if you are starting on your intuitive eating journey, because seeing everyone's dieting "success" and hearing the alluring pull of psuedo-science thast is passed on from dieter to dieter, it can be hard not to want to jump back on the dieting boat in the hope that this time, it will be different.

So I've put together a few tips on what you can do to make dieting month easier on you and your well being. I know they will come in handy, and if you want to share any of your own tips, I would love for you to let me know in the comments below!

1. CLEAN UP YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA FEED

This is the ultimate suggestion that I can give anyone. Social media is where the majority of us spend our time at any given moment and it can really affect how we see our world. So start by unfollowing pages, groups and people that promote weight loss, diets, and fat shaming.

On Facebook you can even have influence over the ADS that are shown to you in your news feed. Tired of seeing that weightloss ad for Medifast? Just click those useful dots in the right hand corner and tell Facebook that you do not want to see ads like that anymore!

Watch as stress melts away when you are actually seeing shit on your feed that you want to see, instead of being bombarded left and right about how you should lose weight, feel bad about what you are eating, or how you have #NOEXCUSES to not be exercising right now.

2. Make your social media feed body positive

Now that you have cleaned up your social media feeds, make them better by following body positive groups, pages, and folks.

A great place to start would be to follow The Militant Baker, BodyPosi Panda, and Fat Girl Flow (links are to their Facebook pages, but they do have profiles on Twitter and Instagram as well).

If you are looking to amp up your Instagram then check out this amazing master list by the Militant Baker for diversifying your Instagram feed.

3. Know your boundaries
Photo by Kai Pilger on Unsplash

At work, and even with some of your friends and loved ones, you may be hearing people talking about their diets, weight loss, or body shaming themselves. Often with words such as "gross", "disgusting", "cow", and *vomit noises*.

This is where knowing your personal boundaries and/or triggers will come into play.  If it is triggering to you to hear people discuss how they have lost "x" amount of weight, eat only "x" amount of calories, or how they completely don't eat a certain food group anymore, there are several optionst that you can take when they occur.

If you are comfortable with the speaker ask them to please respect your wishes to not discuss those topics with you.  If you are in a more formal setting, such as work, you may have to simply excuse yourself from the conversation for a few minutes.  Changing the subject can work as well, but I know not everyone would be comfortable with that.

4. Make time for yourself

With the extra stress that comes with the New Year, and having to listen to everyones diet plans, and seeing their before and after weight loss photos on the internet, it is imperative that you take intentional time for yourself.

Do something that honors your body as it is right now, while also making you feel good.  You can take a bath, paint your nails, read, watch a movie, taking a nap, gentle yoga, and meditation are all great options.

5. Get professional help

If the stress is getting difficult to handle on your own, or if you feel lost, hopeless, or worthless please  do not hesistate to reach out for help.

For resources on finding a health at every size pracitioner click here.

If you need resources on finding care for cheap or free check out here.

6. Remember this won't last forever

For the most part, the intenisty that is happening right now WILL die down.  Eventually people will go back to a more regular and balanced life and will have other things to discuss and share other than their body size, weight loss, or meal plan for the week.

Like most things in life, this moment is temporary and you will get through it.


If you want to start you intuitive eating journey then sign up for my free 7-day intuitive eating guide here!


How do you handle the New Year's dieting month?  Make sure to leave me a comment and let me know!

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