Who would we be without dieting?
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Who would we be without dieting?
Many people would be shocked at the high levels of hidden sugar in our diets – if you look, sugar is added to everything – processed vegetables, fruit juices, cereals, bread ... a seemingly endless list.
Sugar self-experimenter Damon Gameau[i] noticed that he was tired, grumpy, edgy and delirious after consuming only the amount of sugar many people normally consume daily. He concluded that without sugar he is happier, kinder and a better person. He reflected that most people have never experienced who they are without sugar.
This sugar reaction sounded a lot like life on a diet and made me wonder ...
Who would we be without diets?
- We’re taught to count calories and monitor energy intake and energy output with breathtaking mathematical precision, but what about keeping track of the hidden ‘emotional sugar’ we are taking in and outputting?
- Like the rush or high our body experiences with doses of anger, frustration, desperation, will power and the ideal body image underneath every mouthful and exercise move?
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What if we kept track of these hidden energies just as Damon kept track of the hidden sugar in his diet?
- Have you noticed how you are, as you travel through your day on the dieting misery-go-round?
You start with a moment of relief because the scale read-out is ‘good’, your clothes feel loose and you look okay in the mirror – all this registers for a second before we return to the misery of the unrelenting push and tension of dieting to keep looking a certain way.
Can we even allow ourselves to imagine life without dieting?
We are at the stage where we cannot even imagine a day without dieting because we are trapped by beliefs that tell us:
- A day without dieting? Wouldn’t I become fat if I did that?
- A day without counting calories? Wouldn’t I eat too much ... and get fat?
- A day without rigorous exercise? Won’t I look fat?
- A day without jumping on the scales? Won’t I lose track?
- A day without counting the exercise out and calories in? Won’t I get fat?
What if a life without dieting is a life where food is chosen for nourishment – to feel vital, content and clear – not in the hope that it will keep us slim?
Who would we be without diets?
Could we begin to live by not fighting against the body, but by living with it and attending to its simple energy needs:
- food
- water
- play
- movement
- work
- rest
- tenderness
and enjoy its energy output of clarity, contentment and sustained vitality?
Is this who we would be without diets?
Or could we be even more – could we be joyful every day?
It is possible to fine-tune our awareness to what our body truly needs ...
It is possible to let go of always eating to be slim ...
It IS possible to live without diets!
References:
Filed under
Diets, Sugar, Fat, Sugar Free
