Tag Archives: diet talk

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It’s New Years, which means that people close to you – family, friends, co-workers etc. – will very likely be going on diets. For those of us who have managed to get ourselves off the diet roller coaster, this can be an especially tough time. Not only are we being bombarded with ads to try…

via How to Deal When Your Friends Go On Diets — Dances With Fat

How to Deal When Your Friends Go On Diets — Dances With Fat

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Dear Diet Talk, PLEASE GO AWAY AND NEVER RETURN.

There is has been a lot of diet talk happening among my co-workers. I just needed to remind myself of the importance of continuing to resist the pull of diet culture no matter how many people around me are proclaiming their devotion to it.

It starts like this “I don’t diet. I am flowing the “X” eating plan/lifestyle.” As though saying you don’t diet or just not calling it a diet somehow makes the diet you are following not a diet.

picard-facepalm

The idea that diet culture and diet talk is built on a foundation of shame seems to be an alien idea to so many of the people I interact with daily.  Actually, it may be to nearly all of them.

My co-workers and friends excuse or accept the food and body shaming hidden within diet culture by saying “I am just trying to be healthy”. When I use the phrases like “fat phobia”, “thin privilege”, and “diet culture is a culture of body hate & shame” they look at me like I have three heads and am speaking in tongues. I find this both sad and terrifying.

I went in search of articles that define what diet culture is and how to fight it to make myself feel better. I found some good ones:

What is Diet Culture: https://christyharrison.com/blog/what-is-diet-culture

Breaking up with Diet Culture: Lets talk about Fat Phobia  https://www.nourishmovethrive.ca/blog/2019/04/16/breaking-up-with-diet-culture-lets-talk-about-fatp/

Resources for Health at Every Size (HAES): https://lindabacon.org/_resources/resources-health-every-size-advocates/