There’s something I want you to know: even if you are feeling unprepared or scared to give up dieting, you are still ready for Food Peace. I will be continuing to write on how to make these next steps and my hope is the writing provides some guardrails along the way.
A gentle heads up: as you move forward, be prepared for some emotional reactions.
First, you may feel different from most people. Dieting is normal eating these days. Connections are made over meal planning, fad diets, and boot camps. You may find giving up diets will make some relationships shift or feel strange.
I encourage you to surround yourself with as many non-dieting normal eaters as possible. If you can’t find them in real life, consider joining a support group whether live or virtually. Work with a counselor and dietitian to help you make these steps. Just be sure they ascribe to a Health at Every Size approach and trained to not focus on weight loss.
Eating according to your own body’s messages may feel odd, novel, or strange. It may sound exciting and scary. Soon after the excitement, most people I speak with grieve.
They grieve for all the years wasted on dieting and the seductive fantasy diets had in their life. Moving past this space can take time so I invite you to take all the time you need.
Notice the anger along with the sadness.
These feelings will be tough to sit with yet aid in your Food Peace journey. Notice them and welcome them in if you are ready.
I am here with you.
