By: Catherine Sangi, LPC
We all have those friends, family members, coworkers, or random strangers that throw out the unhelpful diet talk remarks.
“Today’s my cheat day.”
“I’ll have to be at the gym for hours to burn off all these calories.”
“Are you going to eat all of that?”
“I feel so fat!”
“I don’t need dessert.”
“Did you lose weight?”
Most people are guilty of either starting diet talk or engaging in diet talk conversations. How does diet talk negatively impact our mental health? Diet talk can both normalize eating disorders and be a catalyst for them. If you are working to improve boundaries with others with regards to diet talk, below are 6 helpful places to start.
- “I’ve been working really hard at accepting my body, and this is unhelpful. Let’s talk about something else- have you seen any good movies lately?”
- “What’s wrong with being fat?”
- “How many diets have you been on? How many of those diets led to the long-term results you were hoping for?”
- “Diet talk reminds me of high school.”
- “I don’t participate in food shaming.”
- “I love food and won’t feel guilty for enjoying it.”
In 2019 the weight loss industry was worth $72 billion. People and corporations are actively making money from individuals hating their bodies and constantly searching for ways to change. Setting boundaries with ourselves and others is not only good for our mental health, but also our wallet.
If you are worried that being surrounded by diet talk has negatively impacted your mental health, The National Eating Disorders Association has released a screening tool to see if it’s time to seek professional help. In addition, seeking out a therapist that you trust can help you work through painful experiences that have negatively impacted the way you view yourself, and start the journey of self-love.