Five Benefits of
Ditching the Diet
If you've had enough counting calories or points, tracking everything you eat, here are five benefits of ditching the diet which will improve your wellbeing.
One - Happiness
Throughout the whole time I was on the treadmill of dieting, I only felt truly happy when the scales were telling me I'd lost weight.
I remember feeling like I was walking on air, jubilant that I had lost a pound or three.
This would have set my day ahead to be a great day.
The thing is, if the scales had shown I'd stayed the same or put a pound or two on, my day would have been terrible.
My inner critic would be having a field day putting me down and berating me until I couldn't stand it any longer and I'd have stuffed my feelings down with a large bar of chocolate and crisps.
I thankfully no longer rely on the scales to determine how my day will go.
I look within.
I feel the joy and happiness of living.
Of having a body that is able to do everything I need her to do to live the life I love.
I no longer pass judgement or beat myself up when I've enjoyed any of the food groups I wasn't allowed to eat before. I enjoy and saviour every mouthful.
My thoughts and emotions are also calmer these days.
My happiness is super important to me and I know the process of dieting did not make me happy at all.
Two - Listening to Body Wisdom
What is body wisdom?
It's your body telling you what she needs, wants and desires ie a drink of water, the toilet, to put a jumper on when cold.
When dieting we follow plans, programs, count points, restrict food groups.
This generally switches off body wisdom because you're eating when and what you are told.
You're eating based on your thoughts rather than your body's natural cues.
So, the benefits of eating tuning into your body are eating foods that she wants, desires and needs.
By taking out the self judgement, guilt and shame and eating your body's desire, you are truly nourishing, not only your body, but your mind as well.
Hi! I'm Arlene Cullens
Loving life in Scotland with my husband and boys.
I love walking in nature beside the sea or river, board games with my boys, building lego, reading and jigsaws!
My mission is to empower at least 1,000 women to break free from the cycle of binge and emotional eating while taking their power back around food.
In this free resource, I'll show you 3 Steps to Bin Bingeing that will transform your relationship with food.
This is for motivated, entrepreneurial woman who are ready to take action now to live a life 100% in control of food.
CLICK on the resource above
Three - Long Term Mental Health
Do you want to be fretting and worrying about what your weight is or what you're eating in your 70's or 80's?
Because the question is, at what age do you stop dieting and trying every quick fix to lose weight?
Deep down, I knew my food, diet, weight obsessions were having an impact on my mental health but I didn't know any other way to do food which left me stuck in the diet cycle.
When I started working on my food stuff through 1:1 coaching, I suddenly realised just how deep I was in.
How desperate I had become.
How fixated I was.
How unhappy I was.
All because of food.
All because the thousands of thoughts that swirled in my head all day, every day
- putting myself down if I slipped up,
- finding another diet or quick fit to get the weight off faster,
- tracking what I was eating,
- figuring out ways to eat less points through the week to save for the weekend.
The list was endless.
My life (and that of my family) revolved around every diet or detox I participated in.
No longer having obsessiveness over food has freed up so much brain space.
My every thought is no longer about food.
Everything has calmed down.
I'm kinder and more compassionate to self which is huge for me.
I know my mental health is in a far more peaceful and content place today.
Four - Ditch the Scales
When diet and weight obsessed, reading the number on the scales determines so much more and weighs your mental health down
- how you'll feel about yourself,
- how your day (or even week) will go,
- your mood,
- your thoughts,
- your next steps on whatever diet you're on.
I'd like to remind you, the number on the scales is NOT your worth.
It's really is only a number.
Being a stone lighter or heavier isn't going to change the things you don't like about your life.
And I get that all the diet marketing show women super happy that they're thin.
In reality, and my life experience, this isn't the case at all.
My happiness at reaching my target weight was always short lived because I treated myself to food I had restricted on the diet which led to a binge episode.
Then it all started again.
Whatever the scales say, it's not going to change how much you are loved by your family and friends.
They love you for being you.
Not for your body weight, size or shape.
It really is nothing to do with the number on the scales.
I don't remember the last time I stood on scales and it's liberating.
I also now realise how much influence the numbers had on my thoughts, my self worth and confidence. Not anymore.
My advice, the best place for a set of scales is the bin!
Go on, I dare you!
You are a strong, powerful, beautiful woman.
Five - Life is for Living
There are so many times I put off doing something or said no to an invite because of my body and weight.
One of my biggest regrets is not having more professional photographs taken as a family.
When my eldest was 3, we had a photoshoot and I wanted to capture the same age for my youngest when he was 3.
Unfortunately, at that point, I was in the depths of my disordered eating and body negativity. I kept putting it off so it never happened.
Whilst living in Dubai, there were so many invites to pools, beaches, boat trips turned down, all because I couldn't bare my body in a swim suit.
It's really sad that my family and I missed out on so many wonderful opportunities because of my own self hate.
The reality is, I wasn't being invited for the size of my body - I was being invited for being me. I couldn't see that at the time.
I was so focussed on how my body looked.
I continue to push myself out of my comfort zone around body image.
Self belief and confidence take time to reset and I'm getting there.
I've thankfully realised that life is definitely for living in the here and now not until I feel beach body ready (whatever that is!)
So go and have that photo shoot, go to the beach, run around the park, wear a dress.
Do whatever lights you up, you are worthy of the fun and enjoyment it will bring you.
Your next step:
Book a 45-Minute Rewrite Your Food Story with Arlene!
If you've been on the diet bandwagon or are a binge and/or emotional eater then come and have a chat.
In this 45-minute session,
- We'll have a chat about where your relationship with food is right now.
- We'll chat about how you feel about this relationship.
- We'll then chat about what you'd like your relationship with food to look like.
- Finally, we'll develop an action plan that will get you going on your journey to food freedom so you can feel the results.
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