Excerpt from December 2019 Newsletter
Is this your first holiday season not dieting??
The holidays can be a tough time even for well-seasoned non-dieters, but is often overwhelming or at least confusing and awkward for those new at intuitive eating. Once you've become aware of diet culture, you see it everywhere, and you might catch yourself having diet-minded thoughts popping up too. That will happen! Diet culture is so pernicious, it's not surprising that thoughts will still arise. It's okay - notice them with curiosity and kindness, and if the thought is not serving you, let it go or counter it with a new, more supportive thought. "I shouldn't eat these cookies" can be gently changed to: "It's the holidays and enjoying some cookies with my friends and family is normal, plus they remind me of my grandma/home country/etc and they taste so good!"
You may surprise and even disappoint people by not engaging in the diet talk as you may have in previous years. That's okay! You don't have to justify what you put on your plate to anyone, and you don't have to talk about the same old toxic diet and body talk. It might feel awkward, but be open and curious to something different this year. You don't have to explain what you're doing to anyone. Sometimes it's hard to talk about when you're still figuring it out yourself! You can stave people off by saying you're approaching food and eating differently and if and when you're ready, you'll talk about it with them (and that's only if you want to!). Make autonomy over your plate and conversations be a radical act of self-care and a move toward more peace with food and your body in the new year. ✨