Do you ever think back to something you believed or clung to ten, fifteen, twenty years ago that—at the time—made perfect sense? Maybe it kept you on track with some goal, but now you realize that those beliefs don’t serve you anymore?
Recently I’ve been texting with a friend about the nature of impermanence and the Buddhist teachings of attachment and how we can know that clinging causes suffering, but still we hold tightly to the things we love, want, and believe. Our conversation led to me review some of my Lynn’s Weigh posts from 2007-2010, and while I was genuine and sincere about everything I wrote, if I were to encounter similar posts today, I wouldn’t read them.
My participation in diet culture was not only time-consuming, but mind-consuming, making letting go of the beliefs inherent in diet culture difficult. I felt untethered, like if I stopped weighing myself every day, working out to exhaustion, or tracking everything that passed through my lips, I would fall into some bottomless crevice or worse, become irrelevant.
I can’t say I’ve completely divorced myself from diet culture. Old habits die hard, as do long-held beliefs. But I am 61 now and have adopted a different relationship to food than when I was in my 40s.
For instance, I still make my own salad dressings, but I no longer obsess about how much olive oil is in a recipe. I know that might sound silly, but I was a product of the low-fat mania of the 80s (SnackWells, anyone? Olestra?). Fat=Evil. That’s been a hard belief to let go of.
I no longer feel compelled to buy mixed greens, and I don’t make myself eat kale anymore because I think kale is blech. I prefer bibb lettuce to spinach. Not the greenest of greens, but I like it. No other reason needed to buy it.
Perhaps you remember the “rule” about limiting tropical fruits? Well guess what? I love bananas, and if that’s the only fruit I consume in a day, the Fruit Police aren’t going to arrest me.
I drink juice.
Sometimes I eat Cheez-Its and Corn Nuts.
Cereal is often what’s for dinner.
At 61, I don’t have the appetite I used to, and there are certain foods I have to eat in moderation if at all (gut health and all that). To avoid “suffering,” I gladly renounce them.
I regret nothing about my 40s weight-loss journey. I learned a lot about myself, and I wouldn’t have “met” many of you reading today. But things change. They always do.
By letting go of diet culture (or at least in loosening my grip), I can bow to the person I was and high-five the person I am now; the one who no longer labels foods as good or bad, and is not afraid of what the scale will say the next day if a slice of cake or a scoop of ice cream was enjoyed the day before.
*** One of my favorite short stories related to diet culture is “The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted” by Elizabeth Berg. If the link works, you can read it in full here.
Lynn Haraldson, Author and Writing Mentor 
This is such a powerful post! Letting go of diet culture is a journey that many of us need to take. It’s so refreshing to see someone speak openly about the challenges and freedom that come with embracing your body as it is. Thank you for sharing your experience and encouraging others to rethink their relationship with food and self-image. This message is truly inspiring!
I grew up with the diet culture too. I stopped weighing myself a long time ago. This is something my mother was compulsive about. When she came to visit for a week or two, many of her conversations were about how much weight she’d lost. What kind of diet she was on. And the latest diet solutions. She too was very much a product of the environment she grew up in. I don’t think things have changed much. I just ignor it all, including the red carpet photos that parade women actors as commodities.
My mother was a diet guru, too, even though she was not even 100 pounds and 5’4″ tall. When she hit menopause and started gaining weight, she flipped out and was constantly dieting. It was sad, really. I’m glad to hear you ignore the diet culture now.
Working on it…
Glad to hear you have a better relationship with food and that it’s freed up space in your head and your life. But it is how we “met”, so I’m grateful for that part of it.
emmaclaire
It’s never one and done, tho, right? One day I’m in the market throwing a bag of spinach in the cart (best intentions) and the next it’s thrown in the compost, so to speak. Better relationship, yes, most definitely. I just wish body image would catch up! LOL I’m so glad you’ve stuck with me all these years. You’re virtual friendship has given me more than I could ever express.
❤️❤️❤️❤️