I have something to say!

You aren’t a bad person for eating ice cream.  And you aren’t a good person for eating kale.  And if you’re rolling your eyes saying that it’s not about good and bad, but simply about health, I’ll even go this far.  You aren’t unhealthy for eating ice cream.  And you aren’t healthy for eating kale.

Last year I started a tradition during the new year.  I call it the Anti-Diet Challenge.  And this year is no exception!

Yep.

No diets.  No body-shaming.  No worrying about detoxing.  No fretting about 5 “holiday pounds”.  No buying into the idea that I am not enough, until I fit a certain body mold.

In my world, January is a fabulous time to instead focus on positive change.  To feel a fresh start, embrace who I am today, and stretch a little into who I want to become.  And a fabulous time to reject the message that I am not enough until I am slimmer, that I am not enough until I match a certain body type, that I am not enough unless I starve myself to an appropriate size.

So what does the Anti-Diet Challenge look like?

Eating enough food to support my activity level.  Eating a balance of whole foods, treats, and anything I like.  Getting enough sleep by honoring the first wave of sleepiness I feel after the sun goes down.

This time of year is when gyms and nutrition companies try to ply you with motivations to eat less and work out more.  I have news for you.  It’s better to eat more and work out more.  That’s my secret!  And that’s why I eat 3,000 calories a day and I am either losing or maintaining my weight for the last 9 months or so.

So starting this coming Monday, January 6, 2014, we are going to embark on an anti-diet together.  Again!

See the details of the Anti-Diet Challenge 2014 here.

There will be pie.  There will be casseroles.  There will be paninis.  There will be candy.  Because eating food is about calories, not about moral virtue.  Food is just food.  Enjoy it!

There will be sugars and starches.  There will be naps.  There will be weight-lifting, hiking, dancing, and playing.  Because you have energy and want to move.  

 

The point of eating is to give your body sustenance.  It’s to give you energy so you can move, joyously, happily, to do what you choose.  It’s to

It’s essential to have at least one of the following: Diet Recovery, Eat for Heat, or Taking Up Space.  These are the books that I base my body, nutrition, and health perspectives on.

What body-hatred?

I know that you have learned from magazine covers and pop culture and girlfriends that you are a healthy person if you have concerns about the 3-5 pounds you “gained” over the holidays, but here is another reality check: your weight fluctuates all the time.  Chances are that you didn’t gain much of anything, but are simply experiencing the natural pounds that we gain in colder weather.  It’s healthy, and nothing to fight against.

If you found that this holiday season caused you to gain a considerable amount of weight, like say 10+ pounds, then here is yet another reality check: it’s not from the Christmas cookies.  At least, it’s not from big bad Sugar, Gluten, and White Flour.  It’s probably from stress.

Instead of throwing your delicious cookies under the bus, take some inventory of how your sleep patterns and stress levels were over the holidays.  Did you take care of yourself?  Did you enjoy the time you spent with family and friends?  Did you make sure to get plenty of sleep?  Did you eat plenty of starchy foods and carbs to make sure your hands and feet were warm and toasty?

Join me.  Take care of yourself.  Don’t buy into the self-hating food deprivation perspective.  Instead, honor the strong body that you have.  Feed it.  Work it’s muscles.  Give it sleep.  And love yourself 🙂

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