I cringe when I hear people talking about “dieting” or “going on a diet”, especially in front if my children.
That’s why when I found out about the Cheerios “A World Without Dieting – Take the Oath” campaign, I knew that this would be up my alley.
Those who know me on a personal level know that I don’t believe in “diets” – i.e. fad diets, cutting out food groups, etc.
While I am by no means an expert, it has always been my feeling that where food intake is concerned, it is important to have healthy eating habits which for me, means being sure to eat healthy portions of fruits, veggies, protein, milk & grains and even healthy fats, which are the habits I instilled in my children from a very young age.
The Canada Food Guide is a exactly that – a GUIDE to what constitutes a healthy and balanced diet.
I also think that decades of fad diets that have come & gone have proven that “dieting” does not work and as a result, often makes the people who have been unsuccessful in their “dieting” efforts feel like them have somehow failed, doing a number on their self-esteem.
I am very well-aware that there are many of us who may need to lose weight for health reasons. That said, there are healthy ways to do it, and fad diets are certainly not it.
I do believe in Weight Watchers as a weight loss program for those who need it – and I don’t consider the program a “diet”. Much like the Food Guide, Weight Watchers provides guidance and tools to make one aware of what goes into our bodies.
When I am on Weight Watchers, I am not “dieting”, I am aware of what I am eating and as such making healthier, more informed decisions about what will or will not go into my body. In fact on Weight Watchers, if I don’t eat enough, I am not following the program as I should be.
All of this to say:
We cannot pretend that noone ever needs to lose weight, that’s simply not true, BUT we can control our mindset about food intake as well as weight control and weight loss, and as such model the appropriate behaviour and communicate the appropriate messages to our children.
I have not ever, nor will I begin to, “diet”, but I do believe in establishing healthy eating habits and a healthy lifestyle.
I will do my best to model both to my children ( although I need to work on the workaholic aspect!)
I will not use vocabulary that encourages the ‘dieting’ mindset & behaviour.
And therefore taking the oath was easy. The hardest part was saying that I have already given too much power to the word…because the truth is that I have always felt uneasy about it and so I am proud to have NOT given it power in my home.
Thank you Cheerios for finally saying it. The word ‘dieting’ does NOT belong in our vocabulary, and that’s why I chose to take the oath. For my kids.
Would you like to take the oath, too? You can find it by clicking here.
What are your experiences with the vocabulary surrounding weight loss? How has it impacted the way you speak about healthy food intake in your home and with your own kids? I’d love to hear from you…
Wishing you a balanced day 
Tanya
