Non-Diet Approach
Eating concerns counseling is available to UNH students who have paid their mandatory health fee.
The Cold Truth About the Diet Industry in America¹
- Americans are dieting at the highest rate in history
- 20-24% of American men and 33-40% of American women are actively dieting to lose weight
- 57% of US women are now dieting according to a national telephone survey
- The diet industry is a multibillion dollar industry. Over the past twenty years, the diet industry has tripled it's gross annual income to approximately $60 billion
- Girls who diet frequently are 12 times as likely to binge as girls who don’t diet
- Over one-half of teenage girls and nearly one-third of teenage boys use unhealthy weight control behaviors (skipping meals, fasting, smoking cigarettes, vomiting and taking laxatives)
Current Diet Mentality of Americans…That is False
- It is impossible to be fit AND fat at the same time
- All large people MUST lose weight in order to improve their health and fitness level
- All large people are in poor health
- Everyone can lose weight IF they just follow the proper diet and regular exercise program
- The main reason people regain lost weight is THEIR failure to comply with prescribed diets or make long-term commitments to weight loss
Stopping the War on our Bodies: The Non-Diet Approach
The Non-Diet Approach shifts one from thinking about how much weight they need to lose to instead thinking more about how they can learn to love the body they have.
The Non-Diet Approach believes in:
- Total health enhancement and well-being, rather than weight loss or achieving a specific ideal weight
- Self-acceptance and respect for the diversity of healthy, beautiful bodies rather than the pursuit of an idealized weight at all costs
- The pleasure of eating well based on internal cues of hunger and satiety rather than on external food plans or diets
- The joy of movement, encouraging all physical activities rather than prescribing a specific exercise routine
Six Tenants of Health At Every Size
- Good health is a state of physical, mental and social well-being.
- Human beings come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
- There is no ideal body size, shape, BMI or body composition.
- Self-esteem and body image are strongly linked.
- Each person is responsible for taking care of his/her own body.
- Appearance stereotyping is wrong.
Shifting the Way We Think and Feel About our Bodies and Food
Weight |
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Diet Approach Achieving and maintaining ideal weight as close as possible, used as measure of success |
Non-Diet Approach Body will seek its natural weight as individual eats in response to physical cues of hunger and fullness as well as sense of well-being and pleasure |
Food |
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Diet Approach Moralized as good/bad, legal/illegal, should/shouldn't, on/off diet. Variety, quantity, calories, fat grams, etc. determined by external source such as the diet, health care provider, or a parent... |
Non-Diet Approach Neutralized. All food is acceptable. Quantity, quality, and frequency are determined by an individual exploring and responding to physical cues, sense of well-being, taste and medical values (glucose). It is self-regulated, internally cued and non-restrained. |
Exercise |
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Diet Approach Reaching and maintaining goal weight is dependent on exercise, which is often dropped when an individual falls off diet. It is seen as "have to" or "should," which commonly produces exercise resistance. |
Non-Diet Approach Physical activity, listening to body, seeking play, and natural movement are explored. Not connected to weight loss or change of body size or shape. |
Hunger |
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Diet Approach Suppress or ignore hunger. Transgressions associated with lack of will power or "giving in." Physical and emotional hunger confused. |
Non-Diet Approach Physical cues to eat are valued and relied upon. Responding to physical hunger and fullness will bring about natural weight. |
Self-esteem and Size Acceptance |
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Diet Approach Individual typically gains a false sense of power and control with weight loss, adherence to diet, and exercise plan. Self-esteem and body acceptance rarely improve. This goal is elusive as one can get thinner, more toned, or both. |
Non-Diet Approach Increase in self-esteem and personal power from self-determined eating style and movement. Bodies come in all sizes and are naturally beautiful. Cultural norms are recognized as hazardous; pursuit of these standards can interfere with quality of life. |
Trust/Distrust of Self and Body |
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Diet Approach An individual may come to distrust body and sense of judgment, especially with history of failure. Trust is placed primarily in diet or provider. |
Non-Diet Approach Trust develops in self and body by discerning physical cues and freely responding to them without judgment or criticism. |
Shift from Exercise to Joyful Movement |
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Diet Approach
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Non-Diet Approach
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Create an Environment that Supports the Non-Diet Approach
- Be aware of media messages and actively support positive media campaigns
- Encourage good self-care in yourself and others (sleep well, eat well, etc.)
- Believe in the 6 tenants of health at every size
- Focus on healthy lifestyles vs. weight/obesity
Non-Diet Approach Resources:
Books
The following books are available for check out in the Health Services Resource Library.
- The Obesity Myth by Paul Campos
- Big Fat Lies by Glenn Gaesser and Fawcett Columbine
- Moving Away From Diets by Karin Katrina, Nancy King, Dayle Hayes
- The Skinny on Fat by Shawna Vogel, W. H. Freeman and company
- Losing It, False Hopes and Fat Profits in the Diet Industry by Laura Fraser
- Beyond Dieting, Psychoeducational Interventions For Chronically Obese Women: A Non-Dieting Approach by Donna Ciliska, Brunner-Mazel
- Underage and Overweight: Our Childhood Obesity Crisis – What Every Family Needs to Know by Frances M. Berg
- Self-Esteem Comes in All Sizes: How to be Happy and Healthy at Your Natural Weight by Carol A. Johnson
- Live Large!: Affirmations for Living the Life You Want in the Body You Already Have by Cheri Erdman
- The Invisible Woman: Confronting Weight Prejudice in America by W. Charisse Goodman
- The Diet Survivor’s Handbook: 60 Lessons in Eating, Acceptance and Self Care by Judith Matz and Ellen Frankel
- Am I Hungry?: What to Do When Diets Don’t Work by Michelle May with Lisa Galper and Janet Carr
- If Not Dieting, Then What? by Rick Kausman
- Journey Toward Freedom: Rediscovering the Pleasure of Normal Eating by Kate Butitta and Marna M. Canterbury
Websites
- Promotion of positive body image
Aimed at boosting body image a any weight, BodyPositive looks at ways we can feel good in the bodies we have. - Healthy Weight Network
Weight and eating resources and information on Health At Every Size approach. - Adios Barbie
A body image site for every body. A one-stop body shop, where women and men of all cultures and sizes can learn about their bodies; feel proud and comfortable in their natural shapes, sizes, and colors; speak out against impossible beauty standards; and share their experiences. - National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance
This is a non-profit human rights organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for fat people. - International Size Acceptance Organization
Promotes Size Acceptance and fight Size Discrimination throughout the world by means of advocacy and visible, lawful actions. - Radiance Magazine
Radiance Magazine's purpose is to support women "all sizes of large" in living proud, full, active lives, at whatever weight, with self-love and self-respect. - Largesse, the Network for Size Esteem
Largesse, the Network for Size Esteem is an international clearinghouse for information on size diversity empowerment. - Size Wise
Size Wise provides you with information and resources designed to make your life healthier, more comfortable, and more complete.
Related Educational Information on Body Image
- Body Image
What is body image? What is normal body image? What is negative body image? What can you do to change the way you feel about your body? - Writing Positive Affirmations
An affirmation is a statement designed to bring about positive change in one’s self or one’s environment. - Becoming a Critical Media Viewer
Media messages about body shape and size will affect the way we feel about ourselves and our bodies, only if we let them. - Body Image Web Sites
Some of our favorite body image web sites. Print out, keep for yourself or give to a friend.
¹ Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2005) I'm Like, So Fat. New York: The Guilford Press, p 5.
Neumark-Sztainer D, Rock CL, Thornquist MD, et al. (2000) Weight control behaviors among adults and adolescents: Associations with dietary intake. Prev Med., 30, 381-391
Additional Resources:
- Bacon, L, Stern, J., Van Loan, M., Keim, N. (2005). Size acceptance and intuitive eating improve health for obese, female chronic dieters. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 105, 929-936.
- Bacon, L., Keim, N., Van Loan, M., et al. (2002) Evaluating a "non-diet" wellness intervention for improvement of metabolic fitness, psychological well-being and eating and activity behaviors. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders. 26, 854-65.
- Miller, W. (1999). How effective are traditional dietary and exercise interventions for weight loss? Med Sci Sports Exer. 31, 1129-1134.
- Gaesser G. (2003) Weight, weight loss, and Health: a closer look at the evidence. Healthy Weight J. 17, 8-11.
- "Reduction of dieting attitudes and practices after participation in a non-diet lifestyle program", (with Kathleen Harrison) Journal of the Canadian Dietetic Association, volume 56, no.2, Summer, 1995.
- "New Frontiers in non-diet counseling: Empowered clients make healthier choices", Healthy Weight Journal, January/February 1995.
- " A paradigm shift from weight loss to healthy living", vol 7, no 3, May/June 1993 for Obesity and Health Journal, published by Healthy Living Institute in North Dakota with a world wide subscription base of health professionals.
