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Compassion For Dieters

  1. kathleenbee says:

    Thank you! This is a big struggle for me since I’ve stopped the diet mentality.

  2. Lauri Stewart says:

    Agreed! My mom is 71 and still lives and breathes WW. I was counting points and binging so much making me yo-yo even worse. She says we are like alcoholics and when we get a bit of sugar, we won’t be able to stop. Yes. When sugar is being restricted! I have been working in this “non-dieting” thing since September and I was scared to death. Scared to stop tracking my food. Scared to stop weighing. I am not 100% but since I have stopped restricting, the binges have slowed down greatly!! Thank you for your guidance but I agree, you cannot judge others b/c they haven’t found the correct road yet. Some people don’t even know his road exists!

    Lauri Stewart

    • GlenysO says:

      Congratulations on taking the non-diet plunge! Yes, it can be very scary at first, especially as weights and appetites fluctuate while your body finds its way back to its natural cues. Keep up the good work!

  3. hannahkenway says:

    Since I have (very recently) become interested in intuitive eating I find myself getting caught up in feeling the scale of the tragedy that our slavery to the diet world has created. The wasted years, the time that has been spent pointlessly obsessing which could have been spent creating a wonderful life. I look at the young people around me and like some kind of religious evangelist I want to tell them the good news – but of course you’re right, it doesn’t work like that, so making some kind of attempt to model a different way of living is as far as I get!

    • GlenysO says:

      Haha yes! I have to hold myself back. I hear myself saying in my head “Have you heard the good news?!” and then I cringe a bit. Thank you for sharing!

    • RobVK says:

      When you find something that works for you it’s hard to stop yourself from becoming preachy about it – after all it works so well for you, why don’t they all do it? But then you remember that, like Glenys says everyone is doing their best, and trying to do something that works for them.
      I’m personally in the dieting camp. No let me rephrase that, I’m in the camp of trying to make more informed choices to keep my weight within a bracket that our local health service considers “healthy” and reduces weight related health risks. It really works for me, but I see people around me struggle with the same plan.
      But I think regardless of what weight you are, or are aiming for, the message on this blog of just “being happy with the weight you are” is a really important and healthy one. The health benefits of being happy with yourself probably far outweigh any health risks of being clinically overweight. And you’ll live a much happier and more fulfilling life as a result. Bonus! 🙂

      • hannahkenway says:

        Yes, there is no one sized fits all approach to life and saying”I’m right” tends to inherently suggest “you’re wrong”. That kind of black and white thinking is just what we’re trying to avoid and paints the intuitive eating approach as just another diet philosophy rather than a balanced approach to food and health.

  4. Jennifer H. says:

    As a recent “convert” and reforming diet junky, I do want to share “the good news.” But stop short because I have nothing to back me up. I am still obese, just no longer obsessing about food and my body. My family would probably laugh and say no thanks. They would rather not look like me, even if it means freedom from diets. In this visual world, we look to the “fit” for our inspiration. And what is equally sad is, when I hear a “fit” person talking about heath at every size, my own bias is exposed because I immediately think, “what do they know about being fat and fit.” Lots of work to be done for me there! Thank you for your wonderful blog.

    • GlenysO says:

      I totally hear where you’re coming from. I often joke that no one asks the fat dietitian how she/he eats! LOL. But I remind myself that I’m here for me and others like me if they want that help. Your experience is valuable to you and that’s the most important thing!

  5. Glenys! I really needed this today. There are days where I get so riled up when I see friends (or patients) talking diets and weight! I completely agree that if we are going to be angry, we should be angry at this weight and food obsessed society – Not at it’s victims. Thank you for this important perspective!

    • GlenysO says:

      Glad it helped you! I know the frustration…but then I just remind myself people feel very safe in the status quo.

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