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As we enter 2017, millions of people will think not of the wonderful accomplishments of the past year, but of the improvements they hope to make in the year to come. Rather than gratitude and appreciation for all that we have, we see the New Year as a time to “start fresh” and chase fantasies of the life that we believe we should be living; the thinner happier life that awaits us just around the bend.
As in years past, one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions will be to lose weight. New Year, New You has become the mantra echoed by manufacturers of various plans and potions all promising to reveal the YOU 2.0 currently hidden under layers of fat. Powerful advertising campaigns intensify our insecurities and convince us that the answer to all of our problems is weight loss. One of the reasons that weight loss is such a popular New Years resolution is because we associate it with all kind of other things. Do you want improved health, happiness, a better job, better relationships, a better life? Just lose weight. And we are convinced that this is such a simple task—all it takes is the right mixture of willpower, deprivation, and a little magical eating. Despite the fact that diets fail us time and time again, we blindly irrationally insist: this diet will be the one. For 2017, I’m making a different type of resolution. This year, I resolve NOT to diet. I hope you’ll join me.
Here are some reasons why NOT to diet in 2017:
1. Dieting will NOT make you happy
We watch the weight loss advertisements on television and we see images of happy joyous thin people enjoying all that life has to offer. The media convinces us that dieting leads to happiness. But when has dieting ever lead to happiness? Can you recall any experiences when you joyously counted points and euphorically abstained from tempting chocolate cake? I’ll let your own past experiences speak for themselves on this one. But research does show that, rather than leading to happiness, dieting has a negative impact on psychological wellbeing.
2. Dieting will NOT make you healthy
Eating delicious foods in ways that are mindfully attuned to your body and engaging in enjoyable forms of physical movement are fundamental to health. Our body has an internal compass that can guide us towards good health. Diets only serve to distract us from what our body is trying to tell us. When we are dieting, we ignore our body’s natural signals, trying to override our natural physiology, following instead the advice of some diet guru.
3. Dieting will NOT improve your self-confidence
Dieting is based on the assumption that we are not good enough as we currently are. Therefore, we need to deprive ourselves to atone for our sins of overindulgence. Dieting keeps us focused on our perceived flaws, somehow convincing us that self-criticism will serve as motivation for weight loss. This does not work. Harsh internal judgments take a toll on our self-esteem making us feel sad, inferior, hopeless, and all around lousy.
4. Dieting will NOT lead to weight loss
Research study after research study shows us that dieting is simply not an effective means of achieving meaningful long-term sustainable weight loss. In fact, the most consistent predictable outcome of dieting is weight gain. Some people will temporarily lose weight on a diet but almost all will regain the weight—plus a few extra pounds—in the long term. This is because diets don’t work, NOT because you aren’t doing the diet correctly.
Are you ready to resolve NOT to diet in 2017? If so, take the No Dieting Pledge below. If you want to take the pledge, please print, sign, and hang somewhere prominent (I suggest using the pledge to plaster over the "motivation" images currently hung on your refrigerator).
In 2017, I resolve NOT to diet. I will NOT spend my valuable time, money, and emotional resources to fund the over $60 billion weight loss industry that feeds off of my low self-worth. I will NO LONGER be convinced that I am a failure because my diet has failed me. I recognize that diets DO NOT work. The most predictable outcomes of dieting are weight gain, disordered eating, and emotional distress. I will NOT judge my self-worth by the number on a scale but by the quality of my person, the things that I do, and the way in which I live my life.
In 2017, I WILL strive to accept my body in its current shape and size. Because this is the body that I am living in and no amount of hating myself will change that fact. From acceptance comes nurturance and from nurturance comes health and healing. I recognize that healthy bodies come in a diverse range of shapes and sizes. Health is NOT determined by weight, but by how we nourish our body through self-care, nutrition, and physical movement. In 2017, I WILL strive to honor and care for this body that I was given to the best of my ability by listening, trusting, and respecting my body.
Dr. Alexis Conason is a clinical psychologist in private practice in New York City specializing in body image and overeating disorders. To learn more about Dr. Conason's practice and mindful eating, please visit www.drconason.com, like her on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter.
