How Anti-Diet Culture can do more Harm than Good

Anti-diet culture is the latest, and sneakiest, diet of all. Whether it is going 'all in', rebelling against all 'fitness influencers', or leaving behind parts of you to join this movement to find solace in your decision to change...I believe anti-diet culture can be doing more harm than good


This is not to say I am pro-diet, or can't recognize the positive intentions behind the anti-diet movement...but I want to make it clear that blanket statements about the diet being the problem or the fitness industry being the problem or bodybuilding or sports etc is the problem is really halting the potential for inner growth and peace that the people who tend to fall into the anti-diet culture movement truly need


If you read each of my bullet points outlined in the infographic, I hope that you can see the core of my argument is not that we should tell everyone to diet, but rather we should ask the real important questions


I honestly think we are living in a world that promotes seeking to place blame faster than seeking personal responsibility


This is a shame because as humans, we gain so much more from feeling our emotions, reflecting on their lessons, and applying them moving forward but instead, cancel culture tells us that if we can silence it then it no longer exists...


Unfortunately, especially with eating, this is far from the truth


Eating is rarely just about food, or at least that's something anti-diet culture and I can agree on...


Anti-diet culture suggests that diets are bad because they tell you to be more desirable or worthy then you must diet...I agree with them that this is wrong!!!


But where we have a disconnect is in the stand against this idea


Why can't someone be...
-anti-diet and pro-structure?
-anti-diet and pro-health?
-anti-diet and pro-pursuit of challenges and fulfillment through striving for more?


Sure, you can leave the terrible fitness, bodybuilding, and pro-diet movements but then what? You join a cult that tells you how horrible you were before, how science is fake, how weight does not have any impact on health, how your nutrition should be about what you feel like rather than what you need??


NO, the fitness and bodybuilding industry is not perfect (hello, that is what I am trying to change) BUT do we need to be so black or white all the time?! Is this not what what contributed to the problem in the first place??? good v bad, worthy v unworthy, fat v fit...?? and if you can't / won't be happy when you lose 10lbs what makes them think you will be happy when you gain them??


It frustrates me when positive messages get clouded with surface level solutions


Anti-diet in itself seems to be a diet with the intention of supporting your mental health but sneaky in that it strips you of all you knew to shove a new pill down your throat that says the only way is this way...


As harsh as I may sound, I just get so fired up about the way anti-diet culture is promoted with so much negative energy that seems to be backed by justifications, blame, and resentment


I am here to tell you you can achieve your goals AND be at peace with food and your body


Blaming diet culture for someone's problems is very behavior-based in nature, and if behavior only therapy is not proven to be as beneficial as therapies which also consider cognition, then why are we only addressing the behavior??


I could continue, but I will leave it to you now, what do you think about this topic?


If you want to read more about my thoughts on this I put together an article, that features experiences of many other women from various walks of life, which you can read here: https://www.elephantjournal.com/2020/07/how-i-healed-my-relationship-with-food-you-can-too/