10 Years of Living a Non-Diet Life
This week I turn 30 which means that I’ve been living a non-diet life for just about 10 years now. The story of how I came to my non-diet life is unique in that I was introduced to it as an undergrad. That’s sort of like growing up in a healthy Christian home. In other words, I was blessed to have been introduced to these concepts early on, before adulthood really set in.
I would like to think that I avoided a lot of yo-yo dieting and potential eating disorders, but I also believe that I eliminated any potential harm that I may have caused my clients by not leading them down a path of dieting. I’m also a lot less likely to screw up my kids when it comes to their relationship with food. In honor of 10 years of living a non-diet life I am going to give you 10 lessons I’ve learned in that time.
1. Get rid of your scale.
Just throw it out. I wouldn’t even consider donating it at the risk of it getting into the wrong hands. I totally underestimate how much freedom that I’ve lived with for 10 years because of this simple idea. It’s never there to taunt me or dictate my mood for the day.
2. Consider blind weights.
I am at a place where I have enough peace with food and my body that I won’t get triggered when I go in for a weight at my annual physical with my doctor, but some people will and maybe they are 20 years into their non-diet journey and that is ok!
I do, however, do blind weights when I am pregnant. The reason I’ve chosen to do this is because I don’t want to have an internal competition in my head when I hear people talk about how much weight they gained or didn’t gain when they were pregnant. If I don’t know, it’s impossible for me to play that game.
When they ask me to step on the scale, I just step on with my back facing the scale. They usually understand and don’t even tell me the weight. If I am with a new medical assistant I might say “I am going to be doing blind weights.” They are typically extremely understanding of this. This is also something they can add to your medical record and you can ask them to do so.
3. Keep a variety of your favorite treats in your home.
You heard me correct – KEEP them in your home. By doing this they will lose their “power” over you. In our house we always have a variety of cookies, candy, ice cream, chips, etc. and you know what? We hardly ever finish them. They will sometimes last for weeks or months before we throw them away.
Treats aren’t a big deal to us; it’s just like any other food. Therefore, we eat them like any other food. Sometimes we forget they’re even there, and other times we eat them more often, but it only takes a few to satisfy that craving, and we’re on to the next thing. It’s only by the grace of God and my exposure to non-diet living that this is possible, and I will be forever grateful.
4. Have grace for yourself during seasons when you can’t cook as much.
I love to cook, but man, quarantine really has taken a lot of joy out of cooking for me. If you have a healthy relationship with food, you won’t feel stressed when seasons like this happen and you resort to more take-out or prepared meals. You won’t feel stressed because you’ll trust yourself to self-regulate in those times because your body was brilliantly designed to do just that. In other words, if you end up eating a heavier-than-usual take-home meal from your favorite restaurant, you probably won’t be hungry for a while, and you may even crave something a little lighter when it’s time to eat again.
5. Be in the habit of constantly getting rid of clothes.
When I became a Mom, I got rid of so many clothes I owned because it either didn’t fit me anymore, it wasn’t practical anymore or it just didn’t fit who I was as a person anymore. It was freeing for me to get rid of clothes because I was evolving into a different person and as a byproduct, so was my body.
By hanging onto old clothes we might be longing for a part of ourselves that God is trying to take us out of. Embrace the new evolving you and get rid of your clothes. Middle age includes a little weight gain each year, naturally, as your body’s metabolism starts to slow down.
You could be eating intuitively, and staying physically active, and your clothes will naturally start to feel a little tighter each year despite no changes in your habits. These naturally occurring body changes are part of God’s design to protect us from frailty as we move into old age. I swear! There’s research to support it (Google the Obesity Paradox if you’re curious). It’s all good, because it’s all God.
6. Do your favorite movement – but without the watch.
I ran cross-country and track in college, and I used to be obsessed with keeping my pace and running the exact number of miles that I needed to. Now I’ve found that there is so much freedom in running without a watch. I have no idea how fast or slow I am running and that gives me the opportunity to truly listen to my body instead of relying on my watch. Plus, even though this wasn’t a big thing when I was in college, so many watches are now programed with calorie counters which can be a trigger for someone who is trying to move away from diet culture. Forget minutes, or calories burned, and aim for pleasure and enjoyment with movement.
7. Go for the special beverage.
Another thing that being a college athlete meant for me was that I couldn’t drink soda or carbonated beverages. It just gave me the worst stomach pain when I would try to run afterwards. I also had let diet culture scare me about the dangers or having sugar-sweetened beverages or sodas.
Now, before you come at me with how bad soda is for you, I am completely aware of the research of soda, but hear me out – every so often there is nothing else that will hit the spot quite like a Coke or a Sprite. I also believe if someone is truly listening to their bodies then they will allow themselves to have these beverages in a healthy, balanced way without the potentially harmful side effects.
8. Unfollow people who trigger you.
Even if they are your friends. Even if they have a beautiful house. Even if they have a really cute dog. Just unfollow them. Diet culture has a way of luring you back in and one of the main ways it does that is through social media.
It seems like everyone’s life is together, their house always looks beautiful and then you go down a dangerous path of “they don’t have the same problems as me because they have a perfect body” or “I would have a life like them if I was on their diet” no. no. no, no, no. Unfollow! The comparison game is a lie!
9. Have really good boundaries and rebuttals to diet culture.
I swear I should contact Cloud and Townsend and co-author “Boundaries from Diet Culture.” I am just like the rest of you, I still live in the same diet obsessed world as you do. I still have friends and family members on diets. People still talk to me about their diets and companies market weight loss and diets to me. All. The. Time. I am not immune to it just because I am a non-diet dietitian.
One of my favorite quotes by the brilliant Brené Brown is, “I am not as sweet as I used to be, but I am far more loving.” Ya’ll! This is Jesus. Being sweet is going along with something that is not ok but trying to make people around you comfortable. Being loving is confronting injustices and harmful practices head on and not being afraid to ruffle feathers and say something that is counterculture.
And can we be honest? Sometimes when I read the Bible, I think to myself “Wow Jesus, that was pretty honest.” I’m not perfect and there are times where I pretend I didn’t hear something or I just walk away, and honestly sometimes we need to do that because it might not be worth the fight. But I have a few rebuttals of what I say when a weight-obsessed or diet-obsessed comment comes in for the kill. Be ready and armed, my friends.
10. It’s not all about loving your body.
Contrary to what the body positive movement wants you to believe, you don’t need to love your body. I know, I know how that sounds, but where in the Bible did Jesus say, “love your body?” The goal isn’t to love your body; the goal is to spend the least amount of time thinking about your body as possible to free you up to do more important work – the work He is calling you to do for His kingdom.
Want more?
Food Freedom Bible Study is now available for individuals and Registered Dietitians who want to earn CEU’s. It’s a simple, online, gospel-centered program for breaking the bondage of food, exercise and body issues.
Nicole resides in the East Bay Area where she works in private practice as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. She is a Mom of two and serves alongside her beloved husband in their local church. Most recently she's devoted her time to cleft and craniofacial awareness, education and interventions when her second daughter was unexpectedly diagnosed with a cleft palate at one week old. She completed both her bachelor's degree and her dietetic internship at California State University, Chico, where she was also a NCAA cross country and track athlete. Through those experiences, God prompted her to help people of all shapes and sizes discover health, body peace and acceptance through the unconditional love of Jesus. Nicole most enjoys spending time around a table and eating delicious food with the people she loves.
