01/01/2022
Christy Harrison is the author of the Anti-Diet Book. That book provided the statistics and science to my personal journey with Diet Culture. I most definitely recommend it!
When everyone around you starts going on “new year, new you” diets, it’s helpful to take the long view: Remember that although some people might have a few months (or even a few years) of seeming “success” on diets, it most likely won’t last & often causes harm in the long run. (For a deep dive into the research behind this, statistics, check out my book ANTI-DIET.)
That’s not a failure of “willpower,” but a failure of diets themselves. It doesn’t matter which diet (aka “lifestyle change,” aka “wellness plan”) a person is on; it simply is very unlikely to be sustainable or health-promoting over the long term. See if you can use this awareness not to gloat, debate, or burst anyone’s bubble, but simply to guide your own choices and strengthen your resolve—and maybe even to muster a bit of compassion for the people who are currently caught up in the diet cycle.
In next week’s edition of my newsletter, I answer a reader question about how to deal with the “diet evangelists” in your life and stay true to your recovery from at this time of year. Sign up to get it at christyharrison.com/newsletter (link in bio). It’ll arrive on Monday morning, and meanwhile you’ll get a special bonus edition right when you subscribe 💌
