A couple years back, I wrote a blog post about why you don’t need to start a diet in January and if you haven’t read it, I would definitely recommend going back and searching for it! This year, I want to shift the focus slightly from “why dieting is unhelpful” to what happens if/when you actually decide to take the plunge and stop dieting. What would change? What would you lose? What would you gain? How would you feel?

First, let’s quickly define “dieting.” Dieting is any way of eating that dictates what, when and/or how much you eat. I’m not just talking about Atkins and South Beach (is it safe to say that most people have moved past these?), but also clean eating, cutting carbs, eliminating sugar and only eating “whole” foods. These are also ways of eating that dictate what, how much or when you eat. What would happen if you didn’t start the year by doing ANY of these things and you just ate what you wanted or what sounded good?

Well, it’s highly likely that the first stage of choosing not to diet includes feeling confused and overwhelmed. This happened to me and I see it with clients because when, in some sense, you take away the structure of a meal plan or way of eating, it can feel so overwhelming! What do you eat? How much do you eat? What if you only want cookies for 3 straight days? What if you can’t stop bingeing? What do you do without RULES? What if it doesn’t work?

Non-diet Dietitians can be very helpful in this stage as you navigate what intuitive eating will look like for you. If that’s not an option, please know that feeling a little confused and unsure about what to eat is completely normal at first! In this stage, you are re-learning what it looks like to trust yourself and your body again. Allowing yourself to eat whatever you want and giving yourself full permission is crucial in this process of re-building trust with yourself and continuing forward in the intuitive eating journey.

Don’t be surprised if you find yourself bingeing or eating what may feel like a lot of foods you didn’t allow yourself before. Keep pushing! This doesn’t mean intuitive eating isn’t for you or that you have failed! This is a normal response to the prior restriction you have experienced. Of course, if the bingeing feels out of control and/or you find yourself going through dramatic shifts between restriction and bingeing episodes, please don’t hesitate to reach out and ask for help.

One more thing that may arise as you quit dieting is feeling uncomfortable emotions. This could be anything from fear to anger to depression or anxiety. It may be things you didn’t even realize you were numbing with food or your manipulation of food. By slowly removing the numbing effect that food/dieting can have on our emotions, you are better able to actually address the emotions underneath. While this may be uncomfortable, it can lead to true healing.

I’m now realizing that giving up dieting may not sound too great, given what I just shared with you. However, like I’ve said before, the only way out is through. You are free to continue trying diet after diet or this cleanse or that supplement, but what would happen if you faced the dragon, did the hard work and healed your relationship with food? There is another way and dieting is NOT the answer.

And now for some exciting things that can happen as you give up dieting! In my opinion, the best part of ditching diets is total and complete food freedom. Knowing that you can eat absolutely anything you want, whenever you want. This brings food sanity… in other words, it allows you to not feel crazy around food because food no longer has power over you. YOU decide what, how much and when to eat. Not the diet or the meal plan.

You are free to tune in and ask yourself what feels good, what sounds good and how hungry you are. Lean into that. It can take time, but learning to trust your body is so freeing.

Other things that I find common when giving up dieting are more brain space and less guilt. All of the time, energy and planning you put into meal prep, counting calories or macros, worrying about what to eat etc. no longer takes up the majority of your day. Eating becomes easier and doesn’t come with a side of guilt or shame. You have permission. You have freedom. You can trust yourself. The guilt and shame that often come with eating tend to slowly dwindle and disappear as you give up dieting.

So, while you may feel like you’re floundering at the start of this new year without any specific diet plan to follow, remember that you are the expert of your own body. You don’t have to set New Year’s resolutions around changing your body or your diet. In fact, I challenge you not to. I challenge you to set intentions rather than rules. Here are a few of my favorites:

-I will buy clothes that fit my current body

-I will say goodbye to food guilt and shame

-I will not compare my body to strangers on Instagram

-I will avoid diet talk

-I will enjoy my food

-I will discover intuitive movement that I enjoy even if it never changes my body

-I will establish a self-care routine that works for me

-I will sleep at least 7-8 hours a night

-I will practice deep breathing when I am stressed and anxious