Happy International No Diet Day!

May 6, 2008 by Holly in body image, random acts of activism  

International No Diet Day Today is International No Diet Day, which I think is a fabulous day to celebrate!

I believe that women should not be seen purely as sex symbols and that there is no such thing as a “perfect weight.” So often, when women are trying to reach their “perfect” weight by going on a diet, they become obsessed with weight loss and diets in general to the point where their perfect weight keeps getting lower and you fall victim to the evil life of anorexia or bulimia. People so often forget that there are physical and mental health risks when going on a crash diet that at first you swear is temporary.

The diet industry manipulates people into believing that they will never be seen as attractive or sexy unless they are a size two which is not only disgusting, but something that the diet industry should be of ashamed of themselves for. However, they do not feel ashamed or sorry for the amount of lives that they have ruined while reinforcing the idea of being the perfect size, specifically to women. Making billions of dollars per year, the industry understands the minds of women; they understand that if they make women believe that they aren’t skinny enough or that they aren’t beautiful, that they can ultimately cash in on other people’s self loathing and that is both terrifying and disgusting.

So today, in celebration of International Diet Day, I am urging people out there not only to break away from their diets today, but for good. It has been proven that diets do not work and if you lose weight at first, weight management is a bitch and more often than not, people not only gain their weight back, but they put on more weight from binge eating after starving themselves or not allowing their bodies the necessary nutrients that it needs to live.

If you are dieting to lose weight for health reasons, it is always wise to get the facts about diets or to consult your doctor and stress that you will not be taking pills, drinking weight loss beverages and etcetera and see if they have any other ideas as to how you can effectively lose weight and maintain your health.

Today would be a great day to strip down, maybe take a nice bubble bath, drink some wine and then afterward, look at yourself in the mirror–Yes, completely naked. While some may not like what they see, you must realize that your body is solely yours and putting it through hell will not make you feel better and ultimately will not make you look better. You are beautiful just the way you are and no one else has any right to tell you or lead you to believe any differently.

You may also want to check out a fabulous, fabulous post, A public service announcement from your body and also check out some fat acceptance blogs, such as the Big Fat Blog, Shapely Prose, or some others that are listed ideally on the Shapely Prose blog.

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  • Stefanie
    I think it is great advice to look at yourself in the mirror naked, and when you do, you should think to yourself the things you do like about your body. It can help boost your self image and make you feel like you really are pretty.

    It's not just heavier women (and men!) who have the moments when they feel insecure about their bodies. I know! I'm pretty skinny, but sometimes even I feel like my body just isn't right. That's when I put on something I think I look really good in, and it always helps to boost my confidence.
  • Ditto times a million. This actually made me feel really good!

    Also, I'm celebrating No Diet Day with cupcakes.
  • Kids Face Painting
    No-Diet-Day is a start but I'm with you...we should celebrate No-Diet-Life! I don't believe in diets - they don't work. I learned about intuitive eating a while ago and now that's what I do to keep myself happy with my body image and healthy. I eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm full, I don't weigh myself, and I treat all foods equally - there are no "good" and "bad" foods. I listen to my body and eat what I feel like eating. I rarely overeat this way because there is no restriction - human nature is such that when you tell yourself you can't have something, you want it even more. I can eat anything I want, any time I want, and so there is no bingeing. This is the way our bodies are meant to be nourished. I have found a great deal of peace and satisfaction with my body this way.
  • It is basically pointless for me. Also... everyone is on a diet. "No diet day" in itself is a diet plan. Its all the fault of not having enough easy food when we were cavemen types. We don't hunt for food daily and expend basically no calories. When will our evolution occur and stop our bodies from wanting to store so much fat? Perhaps the Asians are a tad more evolved. They seem to all be basically thin. I also get the feeling they may evolve into what we describe as aliens. And are from the future coming back to get us.
  • I think everyone can look good if they find the right type of clothes that fits their body. The truth is we all have differently shaped bodies, and there are no standard bodies in reality although the media is forcing these standards on us. It is the clothing companies that make us feel bad about our bodies by producing clothing lines that only fit models with certain proportions.
    Happy International No Diet Day!
  • international no diet day? what a cool idea. sorry i missed it; would have been perfect for my blog ...
  • We all need this day, to take a break and remember that we can be loved for who we are, and not what we look like.. I LOVE IT
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