The Diet Industry Ruins Your Holidays

The Diet Industry Ruins Your Holidays; this year, you’re not going to let it!

The Holiday Season

Thanksgiving has come and gone and we are now in the last month of the year; the month of celebrations for most of the world.  For almost all of us it is a time to reflect upon our year, the people we are thankful for, and my most favorite part:  we all seem to have more patience with each other during the holidays, don’t we?

This is most definitely my favorite time of the year, not only is the air filled with joy (most of the time!), but the delicious foods we are all excited to make and enjoy that seem to only come out our recipe books during the holidays.  For many of us that means nostalgia and wonderful memories of those we celebrate meals with.  The exact reasons that meals together have been a celebration for the entirety of human kind.

The Diet Industry Is Not Your Friend

There are so many great things about this time of year, but there are also lots of feelings of guilt about “surrendering to the joy” of the holidays.  What do I mean by that?  You love those Christmas cookies, and maybe you’ll even eat some or many, but is there also that pestering voice in the back of your head that whispers “not too many now…” or “go ahead and enjoy this because New Years Day is coming and you’re going to get back on track”?  You know the voice I am talking about.

Where does this voice come from?  When did shame become part of the holiday season?  Who is responsible for making us feel this way?  Sadly, it come from E-V-E-R-Y-where, but it stems from the Diet Industry and Diet Culture.

I know this mentality because I lived it for so long.  Not only when I was at my most heavy weight but I did it still when I was at my lowest.  It never ended.  I am embarrassed (but mostly angry!) to admit that the diet industry had me in its clutches.

It’s pervasive – have you noticed how weight loss and diet commercials are on practically every commercial break?  How often are you scrolling through social media and you’re bombarded with messages of “getting back on track after the holidays” and seeing workout ideas to help you “get through” the holidays so that you feel less guilty for having a cookie?  You are being told that you need to be doing some sort of damage-control before things get really out of hand.  Essentially, the message is that you have to pay for your food with workouts.  They also are right around every corner warning you of “all of the holiday weight gain” you’re going to have to lose.  It’s madness friends!

The essential problem with the “last supper” mentality (gotta eat ALL THE THINGS now because I won’t be able to have it after the new year!), is that you are training your brain to PRE-crave this thing that you are not going to be “allowed” to have in 3 weeks.  Physiologically, your body already wants more.  If you want to know more about this, check out this great historical study.

When did we allow someone else to tell us how we should enjoy our holidays…or ANY days for that matter?  Aren’t YOU the boss of you?  Don’t YOU know which foods bring you pleasure and which ones you detest?  Don’t YOU know which types of physical activity are enjoyable or not enjoyable?  Who cares more about YOU than YOU and your loved ones?

The diet industry does not care about you or your health; they want only your money.  To the tune of $66 billion in 2017.  This amount just increases.  Don’t you have more important things to spend your money on?  Spending this money is NOT investing in yourself, it is only supporting the efforts of the industry.  I’ll sing from the rooftops until I can no longer sing:  if ANY of the diets you’ve tried in the past have not worked, it is NOT because you didn’t work hard enough.  It is because they DO NOT work; they fail 99% of the time.  You wouldn’t waste your hard earned money on ANYthing that failed 99% of the time and yet…

Instead of allowing the diet industry to be a part of your holidays, my advice to you is this:  It wasn’t invited to your celebration so it’s time for it to BOUNCE.  Don’t allow it to ruin another holiday.

Remembering What’s Important

I wrote this post after listening to George W. Bush’s eulogy of his father, George H. W. Bush.  He broke down in tears as he recalled what a wonderful father he was, how he’d miss him, and how someday he’d see him again.  THIS is what life is about.  Restricting food or feeling guilt for enjoying life through food and enjoyable movement, or for practicing self-care is NOT what life is about.

Enjoy your holidays as they are meant to be enjoyed, for in the big scheme of this wonderful life, they are few.

Happy Holidays dear friends; may 2019 bring you only happiness, love and good health.