Have you hit diet-rock-bottom?
The first time I heard of the term ‘diet rock bottom’ was from Evelyn Tribole, while studying to become an intuitive eating coach. While I had safely moved away from it by that point, I can vividly remember when I had hit diet rock bottom in my own life.
What is diet rock bottom? Nina Mills, intuitive eating counsellor in Australia defines it as:
“That intersection where know you cannot go on another diet ever again, but you still wish your body would change, AND you are grieving the time, money, energy and happiness you have given over to diet culture in the past”
That, is diet rock bottom, and yep, it’s not a nice place to be.
It’s basically that place where you are still unhappy with your body but can’t fathom going on another diet. Even when you try, it becomes harder and harder to stick to the plan, which leaves you in a chronic cycle of guilt and ‘goodness’.
You might find yourself burned out over restricting all your favourite food (or eliminating them altogether). Or you’re exhausted over worrying about every little bit of food you put in your mouth.
All that time spent scrutinising menus. All that money wasted on the latest diet trends and fancy foods. Especially when all the weight you lost on that supposed ‘metabolic reset’ has crept back on.
Maybe you’ve found yourself in that never-ending cycle of the more you restricted, the more intense the binging and self-loathing intensifies.
You may find yourself at a point where you ‘just don’t know what to eat anymore’ and the negativity over your body and your lack of willpower has only intensified.
I’ve been there, it really really sucks.
Having started the diet cycle while just a young teen, it wasn’t until I was in my late 30s that I realised I had hit diet rock bottom. For me, I go to the point where I was just over it. My body rebelled at the thought of another detox plan, or macro counting programme. I had an actual physical reaction at the thought of low carb bread alternatives or cauliflower pizza (I still can’t do it).
I was over it. Over worrying about everything I put in my mouth and the intense fear of weight gain (fuelled by being bulled over my weight as a child). I actually can’t believe I lasted as long as I did, but I never knew that there was an alternative until I started learning about intuitive eating and the non-diet approach.
But as they say, once you see diet culture – you can’t “unsee” it.
Though it was terribly unpleasant, hitting rock bottom was exactly what I needed. Not just for myself but for the countless other women who have also hit diet-rock bottom and are looking for an alternative.
Sometimes we need to hit rock bottom before we can change – you may have experienced that in your own life? A phoenix is born from the ashes right Harry Potter fans?
So, what is the alternative?
Removing the shackles that dieting has locked you up with. By tuning out the noise online, in magazines and in family circles and tuning in, learning to listen to our bodies again and rebelling against a billion dollar industry that has only made you miserable in the long run.
Get angry at diet culture, not yourself. Diet’s don’t work, and that’s NOT your fault. You’re walking evidence that it doesn’t work as are all the other people you pass on the street or know personally who have been on more than one diet throughout their lives. Each time, the diet gets harder and the weight comes back on. Every woman who has ever stepped into my office has been through this – and so no, it’s not your fault, nor are you alone.
That’s why I’ve made it my mission to support all of us who have hit diet rock bottom. All of us who are ready to flip the bird to diet culture and begin to eat and move in a way that feels good without restriction, without the binging, without the intense cravings and without diving in and out of the “I’ll start again on Monday’ cycle.
So if you’re ready to un-learn years of diet culture, and completely reprogram your relationship with food and your body. That’s what we’re here for.