What is a Non-Diet Approach? (And how to get there!)

A non-diet approach can mean freedom from:

… food rules.

… an obsession with weight and body measurements.

… grueling workouts you hate.

… guilt and shame around what you choose to eat.

Sounds pretty good, right?! Our bodies are so much more than calories in/calories out. Even if you worked out and ate the exact same as your friend, you both would still look and feel different. In fact, a non-diet approach acknowledges that every person’s body is different and there is no one-size-fits-all way of eating or looking (the opposite of what diet culture wants you to think!).

A non-diet approach believes that every person is unique and that your body knows what it best for it—this goes for eating and movement. You might have come across terminology like “intuitive eating” or “mindful movement”, which is just a way of saying that you turn inwards to be aware of your own needs and bodily cues. For example, your cravings could reveal vitamin deficiencies or you might find certain movement helps you sleep better.

As an emotional eater you might be thinking that this approach to eating is impossible when what and how much you eat is dictated by strong feelings. While it can take time to accept your body size or incorporate foods you have a habit of restricting, there are steps you can take to begin working towards your own non-diet approach:

1. Get curious! The first thing to do is to bring awareness to how you feel when you eat certain foods. You know how after a big holiday meal you feel overfull and in need of a nap? That is great feedback that tells you you’ve overeaten. You’re just allowing yourself to become aware that action A led to feeling B.
2. Don’t judge. Now that you’re becoming aware of the feedback your body is giving you, try and not judge the feelings that come up. So, you overate at Thanksgiving, you know that it isn’t an everyday occurrence because you don’t feel your best being overfull. Now that you know how it feels to eat those foods, in that quantity, you can…
3. Take action. Now that you’ve seen a pattern, understand the cause/effect, you have the power to make changes or decide to overeat if you want—because, food is delicious and comforting! You might still decide to eat emotionally, but the awareness is your body demonstrating that you need comfort in that moment. 

This is just one example, but you can apply these principals to exercise, people in your life, and activities. If something doesn’t serve you, bring that new awareness to how you feel about it and then decide how you want to manage it.

The best part of this non-diet approach is that, unlike a rigid diet you’d see online or in a magazine, there is no on the wagon/off the wagon. Everything is just feedback for you to make more informed decisions.

It might feel scary at first to trust yourself and let go of the rules you’ve been using to monitor and restrict your eating—this is 100% normal—so be gentle with yourself as you bring awareness to your actions.

💛 Your peace awaits.