Ditch the diets and embrace your healthy curves
Jodi Davis
| 3 min read
It was almost as though I was listening to myself speak as I heard the familiar words coming from my television. I talk about “ditching the diet” whenever asked about successfully losing weight and keeping it off, which is why I immediately nodded my head in agreement when it was announced on NBC’s Today Show as well. “Yay!,” I thought. “We’re all finally getting it, diets don’t work. Living a healthy lifestyle does!”
It’s slowly happening, more adult Americans are saying no to dieting because they are too restrictive and as most of us know… diets are hard to keep.
The statistics show that in 1991, dieting adults reached an all-time high of 31 percent; today only 20 percent of adults have reported that they are on a diet. One of the women quoted in the story believes this trend is a result of, “a loss of will power and feelings of hopelessness when roller coaster dieting proves unsuccessful.” I have to agree with here since I am very familiar with those hopelessness feelings. They latched on and became part of my emotional baggage for 25 long years – the length of time I attempted dieting and ended up with the same results repeatedly: failure. Of course I became tired of all the dieting rules and restrictions. Not only were they unbearable but they never gave me any weight loss. Nope, diets just didn’t work!
For those reasons, living a healthy lifestyle sounded so much better to me. There wasn’t an imaginary sign over my head that said “DIETING” any longer, I ditched that thing! Using my common sense while making healthier choices at mealtime was much easier and there wasn’t any specific rule that needed to be followed. Instead of a bunch of dieting rules, I found a simple yet healthy way to eat and lost 162 pounds over a sixteen-month period of time! I’m not alone in weight-loss success.
We have taken a big step in this country as the population is coming to recognize that being beautiful comes from within. Call it a positive shift as many Americans finally understand that there are many beautiful body types and shapes in this nation; we no longer have a one-size-fits-all philosophy, particularly when it involves our “beauty-beliefs.” Maybe it’s safe to say that 2013 is the year to celebrate self-acceptance! We can relish every curve on our body and celebrate them, just like some of our favorite celebrities do. Lady Gaga, Christina Aguilera, Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez surely appear to like who they are, curves and all, taking every opportunity to celebrate their bodies. Guess what? We can too!
It’s okay if we’re not the size of a supermodel, we’ve learned over the years that healthier and thinner don’t always go together. Embracing the importance of adopting a healthier lifestyle and celebrating our inner beauty is in. A restrictive diet is out, so ditch it!
Photo credit: puuikibeach
