4 Ways To Finally Ditch The Diet Mentality

Hola amigos! Welcome back!

Ever been on a diet? How did that work out for you? Ever wonder about an alternative to dieting to achieve your goals? Tune in for this episode to help you ditch the diet mentality.

Highlights of this episode:

• Thought experiment about the diet mentality
• Yo-yo weight changes
• Intuitive eating
• 4 ways to ditch diet mentality
• Blue zones

Announcements:

David’s book, One Small Bite, is open for pre-sales, now!

Episode Show Notes: 

[00:59] One Small Bite and Orozco Nutrition

The podcast and Orozco Nutrition dietitians all focus on doing one small thing that will build into meaningful changes. Curious? Book a free 15-minute discovery call here.

 [01:57] The Diet Mentality Thought Experiment 

Go through this thought experiment, no matter what age you are. Think about the first time you tried to lose weight. You may have said something like, “I need to do something to get back in shape.” So, you do all the things in the program you joined. And then life happens. Things change and your routine is thrown off. A few years go by, and you may have seen that weight come back. So, you start seeking another weight loss routine or go back to the one before. Maybe you listen to a friend about the diet they are on. And since your friend looks great, you give it a go. And you go back to the gym. After a while, your cheat days turn into cheat weeks and life responsibilities keep getting in the way of your weight loss regimen. 

Life keeps changing and shifting. You may find lack of time for the “right” meals, or you are sick of salads for lunch, or you don’t eat with people as often, or you miss certain foods. Time goes by and you feel defeated achieving that weight loss or healthy lifestyle. So, you try the Noom app, which claims to have cognitive behavior therapy through a coach. Yes, claims, not actually. Listen to Episode 120 for debunking Noom. After a few weeks, you find Noom less appealing, but you may not know why.

Then, it’s time to go to the doctor for a check-up. You have higher blood pressure and maybe another condition. The doctor recommends that you lose weight. Now the frustration comes in. Like you haven’t been trying to do just that.

[09:51] Diet Mentality Creates Yo-Yo Weight Changes

Think back to the first time you started a diet. Think about the X-Y axis graph. Maybe you gained a bit of weight, and so you diet and exercise to lose weight. The weight goes, and then, over time, the weight comes back. And then you go on another diet, lose weight, and then the weight comes back. Over time, you may have even more weight regained than the initial weight gain. In weight regulation studies, the single biggest predictor of weight gain, is weight loss.

The graph of yo-yo weight changes:

You have gained weight because the body responds from the threat of weight loss. Due to our HPA axis, the stress hormones kick in, creating an imbalance in your body.

Even if you have not followed a specific diet plan, if you have food rules that are running the day-to-day with eating, you are dieting. Dieting is a form of starvation, whether that is time restrictive or eliminating food groups. The body can react through the HPA axis to retain body weight. The yo-yo weight changes can also be called a hamster wheel, spinning in circles. Eventually you think, there has to be a better way!

[12:41] Intuitive Eating Helps Ditch the Diet Mentality and Helps People Change

Intuitive eating (IE) is not just about cancelling diet culture and somehow that leads to feeling better. It’s a more nuanced and it does take practice to become attuned with your body again. This is called interoceptive awareness. However, it is not meant to be a secret to weight loss. Intuitive eating is about finding satisfaction with your food. Your body may or may not change, yet people who practice eating intuitively are honoring their health through meeting their individual physical and psychological needs.

David has seen the intuitive eating process impact his clients in positive ways.

Angela is a mother of three and running her own business. Angela was in a weight plateau when she started working with David. Frustrated with diets, she started her radical self-acceptance journey.

Jeff, who was in his 40’s, had a dead-end job, lived alone, and had no kids. He tried to lose weight and find a diet to help. Nothing worked and he even considered bariatric surgery. After working with David, he started finding joyful movement and felt better in his body.

Nathaniel was worried about having a great body to get back the girl. Despite his good looks, he never felt good enough. He found the HAES and IE approach, and embraced radial self-love.

Isabelle had an unwavering commitment to make a difference in her life. She was searching for the diet that would work for her. Isabelle found a true mindset shift in Intuitive Eating. After all the years of fasting, she discovered breakfast really helped her.

Anita was interested in consistent energy. She started paying attention to her energy levels and making time for herself. She had a hard time saying no to others, which left no time for her. She started saying no and yes to herself more often. By slowing down, she avoided burnout and had less fatigue.

Joel was super driven by his career and a very picky eater. His body knew he had to accept more foods. By working with David, he slowly expanded what he ate.

Behavior change is about unlearning and learning something new. It takes a while to do and the payoff is worth it. David’s 4 C’s: curiosity, compassion, commitment, consistency, are the pillars for true behavior change. Einstein said, “I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.”

A note about the diet mentality. Many of us think we want to identify with the thin ideal and young ideal because that is what our society seems to value. And the diet industry is there to take your money to fulfil empty promises. This is making us more unhappy and sick.

There is an alternative. The One Small Bite is about real people, heroes of their own story through curiosity, compassion, commitment, consistency.

[26:47] Ditch the Diet for a Blue Zone Mentality

Blue zones are regions in the world that have more centenarians, a person who is 100 years old or more, and their population has a longer life expectancy compared to other parts of the world. Even though they are older, they are able-bodied and comparatively, physically healthier. What are they doing? The Power 9 refers to “ingredients” to this healthy longevity. None of them extreme. Things like moving naturally, slowing down and manage stress, enjoying food in moderation, belonging to their community, eating plants (and some meat), enjoying small amounts of alcohol, and having a purpose. Some have created diet plans around this concept, and yet, lessons from the Power of 9, is not about dieting. It’s about focusing on what’s important and doing something small and doable. One small bite.

Important Dates for David’s book, One Small Bite

March 8^th – presales on Amazon.com

April 12 – book available on Kindle

April 19 – book available in hardback and paperback

Bottom Line: 4 Ways To Finally Ditch The Diet Mentality

• Curiosity
• Compassion
• Commitment
• Consistency

Where do I go from here?

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Once again, I greatly appreciate you for listening and supporting my show. Remember, it really only takes One Small Bite to start transforming your life.

Chop the diet mentality; Fuel Your Body; and Nourish Your Soul!