Hey there. When I first heard about the anti-diet movement, I was excited. It seemed like a direct pushback against an industry that thrives on marketing to our insecurities. The fitness and beauty industries, in particular, have built their success on making us feel like we're never quite enough. So, the idea of a movement rejecting all of that? It felt refreshing.
But as I dug deeper, I started to notice something. The loudest voices in the anti-diet movement were, understandably, the most extreme. That’s how social media works. Being loud and absolute gets attention. Their stance was positioned as the complete opposite of diet culture. The problem? It became just another form of absolutes, another rigid framework that didn’t leave room for individual context.
If we look at diet culture, it operates on strict rules. Eat this, don’t eat that, follow these steps, achieve this result. It’s been around forever, reinforcing a cycle of guilt and shame around food and exercise. But the anti-diet movement, at least in some corners, has become just as rigid, rejecting anything that even remotely resembles structured eating or intentional weight loss.
The reality is, neither extreme is helpful. If the issue with diet culture is its rigid, all-or-nothing mentality, then flipping to the opposite extreme doesn’t actually solve the problem, it just shifts the narrative. The real answer? It’s somewhere in the middle.
What works for each of us is highly personal. Instead of following an absolute stance, the key is to develop an approach that fits your preferences, abilities, and lifestyle. Your health and fitness journey should be built around your needs—not societal expectations, not industry standards, and not extreme movements.
This process takes time. You have to unlearn a lot of the messaging that’s been drilled into us for years. You have to start trusting yourself; your body, your intuition, and your ability to make decisions that support your long-term well-being.
When you move away from absolutes and build a sustainable lifestyle based on what actually works for you, everything changes. You no longer rely on willpower alone. You stop white-knuckling your way through every new diet trend. Instead, you create a flexible, evolving approach that you can maintain for life.
So, if you're tired of bouncing between extremes and want to find a sustainable way to approach food and fitness, I invite you to join The YLF Experience. It's all about creating a lasting, active lifestyle that works for you. Sign up here!! 💪🏻🦥