At the heart of International No Diet Day is the celebration of body acceptance. In a society that is fixated on appearance and size, this day helps us refocus on what is truly important – a healthy lifestyle and self love.
In celebrating International No Diet Day, participants are encouraged to:
• Challenge the idea of one “right” body shape and embrace body diversity.
• Declare a day free of dieting and obsessions about weight and shape.
• Learn the facts about the diet industry and understand the inefficacy of commercial diets.
• Help end weight discrimination, sizeism and fat phobia.
In a world that is obsessed with losing weight and that celebrates excessive exercise and yoyo dieting, how do we change and challenge our current way of thinking? It all starts with YOU!
1) Have fun with food
Be adventurous and try cooking something you have always wanted to try, but never have before. Host a dinner party and plan a menu or organise a picnic with friends where you each bring a plate to share.
2) Be kind to your body
Organise a facial, massage or something you know will make you feel good. Light some candles and take a long bubble bath. Be in the moment and enjoy the time you have taken to let your body relax.
3) Ditch the diet!
Throw out the scales and stop evaluating yourself worth based on a number on a clothes’ label or a $10 plastic machine. Instead, embrace and celebrate your internal qualities; your strength, your kindness, your quirkiness, your uniqueness, etc.
4) Eat what you love
Give yourself permission to eat food just because it tastes good. Abandon the “good”, “bad”, “shoulds” and “shouldn’ts” and instead, eat what you truly want to eat.
5) Educate yourself about the pitfalls of dieting
Weight cycling and yoyo dieting cause more damage to the body than maintaining a heavier weight. It is also worth reminding ourself (and others) that if diets worked, there wouldn’t be any fat people.