[BuffyInSunnydale]

I have been thinking about this a lot and i would love to hear back from other people to see what their view is on this topic. For me the word diet means restriction and i never use the word now. Instead i use healthy eating, lifestyle change or on plan. As soon i say i am dieting there is some switch in my brain that makes me want to rebel. Also and now this just seems crazy to me, dieting food. Food i used to consider to be dieting food that i would not eat off plan. All salad, some vegetables, fruit and yoghurt. The thing is i love some of these foods, especially banana's, grapes, yoghurt, most veg and salad. But when i was off plan i never touched them! This just sounds crazy to me now, why i would not touch them is baffling. But the word diet i can't use it without feeling like i want to reach for the nearest sugary fix.
So i wanted to see what other people thought on this subject, is the word diet taboo for you?

[betsy2013]

I use them both. Right now I'm seriously trying to lose weight. Healthy eating is certainly a part of it -- a really, really major part -- but my focus is on losing the weight. So I'm calling it dieting for right now. Once I go into maintenance, I think then I'll refer to it as healthy eating. Right now after finally seeing the scale go down after what feels like an eternally long plateau, I might be calling it a miracle.

[JenteIsving]

Originally Posted by betsy2013

Right now after finally seeing the scale go down after what feels like an eternally long plateau, I might be calling it a miracle.

Love that. And I'm so with you on this.

[JenteIsving]

Hmmm, I wouldn't call the word "diet" a taboo, not per se, but I wouldn't exactly burst out crying if I never heard it again either; at least not on this journey.

I'm not sure if it's a language barrier thing or if it's just me - I've got a feeling it might very well be the latter - but to me "diet" is one of my skinny friends or relatives who wants to lose those five pesky pounds before bikini season is upon us. So in my mind "diet" somehow always equals "short term", and believe me, there is nothing remotely "short term" about this current journey of mine (coincidentally it's 15 months to the day today that I took this first step towards "the very bearable lightness of being"). It took me a while to understand that if I want to lose um half of me actually (wow! ) and, to top it off, keep the weight gone, some drastic and, especially, permanent changes would have to take place.
So... hmm... I don't know, calling this endeavor a "diet" kind of feels like... hmm, I don't know "belittling" my efforts, maybe? Weirdly enough, I don't mind if someone else refers to my journey as a diet, as in "Oh, you know, now that Jente is on a diet..." - it's just that I don't feel comfortable using this word myself. Not when it comes to my own journey at least.
(Partly also because I have a history of belittling my work, my efforts, my achievements in virtually every area of my life. And when I finally set out on this journey, I thought to myself, well, it's better to travel light, right? So why not leave some emotional and mental baggage behind as well?
Oversharing again, huh? Sorry for that!)

What's maybe even more important - apart from that "short term" deal - I'm too much of a rebel and especially too much of a wussy to "go on a diet" (what a combination, huh? ). I can't help it, but, for me, this word never comes alone, it always brings some friends like... oh, "restriction" and "depriving oneself of aaall pleasures" (yeah, right ). Dark times, Dark Ages, almost
Now combine this mental image with the realization that, at my weight, I'll still have to diet for quite some time, even longer if I want to maintain later on, like... ah, the rest of my life, give or take, and... excuse me, you'll find me in the corner over there, crying and rocking myself
And of course at some point that stubborn streak of mine will kick in, you know the one that will make me want to rebel. To sabotage. Because, like, why do I have to restrict? And for soooo loooong? That's totally not fair!
Makes this whole endeavor seem so... impossible. (Even though I should know by now that it isn't.)
Like you said, this word is like a switch for me too: as soon as I tell myself I'm "on a diet", it's like someone turns off the light. Darkness all around. Every glimmer of hope... gone, just gone.

So, yeah, I prefer to not think of this journey as a "diet"
I usually just call it "lifestyle changes" (this feels like the most appropriate term as I also strive to change some other things in my life, along with the weight. Oh, yeah, right, oversharing. Sorry.) or "being on plan".


(Oh my. Sorry for this long and half-baked posting! This is what happens when I'm procrastinating and some interesting topic comes up )

[kaplods]

With my fibromyalgia, cognitive flares often manifests as an inability to access the "right" words. I've learned not to get too hung up on finding the right or best words and am just grateful to be able to communicate.

The word "diet" doesn't bother me, and I don't associate it with either deprivation or short term efforts. I tend to avoid the word "lifestyle change" because (at least where I live) it tends to be used condescendingly or smugly - as if simply using the words guarantees success and makes one morally superior as well to anyone so ignorant as to use an obsolete word like diet.

Sometimes I think the term lifestyle change can also seem intimidating. Not every change I try is going to be a permanent addition. I'm not committing to "forever" (which lifestyle change can imply). I don't try anything I can't see myself doing indefinitely, but I' m more comfortable seeing my changes in food and activity as experimenting with a variety of healthy habits.

Sometimes I call what I'm doing "diet and exercise" sometimes "lifestyle changes" and sometimes just "stuff I'm doing or trying to do for now."

As a philosophy, I do try to focus on adding rather than taking away - pampering the weight off rather than using food and exercise as ways to punish myself.

I don't think the word choice that matters as much as whether a person sees making the changes as ways to punish or pamper oneself. I can use either term as ways to punish myself or to feel morally superior for my choices, or I can use either to focus on the positives and pamper my amazing self with amazingly healthy food and fun ways to move my body.

[BuffyInSunnydale]

Thank you for the replies, it's really interesting to read your views on this subject.

Sam xxx

[jessien]

Howdy Buffy,

God, it feels like it's been ages since I last posted on 3FC and I'm sure it's only been a few days :-P Life has a funny way of throwing curve balls at you. Anyway, back to the topic at hand!

I think "dieting" to most people does symbolize constraint and loss. Now this loss is something that's purely mentalized, it's nothing with an emotional tie. We all go back to when we were a child, wanting a sweet from the grocery and our mothers (or fathers!) telling us "No". It's practically the same thing - only we are the parents and our mentality the child. We get into the mind set of "No, No, No and No" or "I can't have [xx]". In some cases this is true - we can't (or rather, shouldn't) have specific things. However, in most cases - we just need to moderate what we take in on a responsible level. At the end of the day, I think more people find comfort in food than they realize. Simply because when we come home from a long day, we want something that's going to satisfy us and take little effort on our part to prepare and comfort us after a stressful day. We don't want to worry about portion control or moderation, just a finished product we can enjoy. After all, our entire day is based on strict self control and moderation; usually because of a job/career - we must always maintain a level of professionalism. And when we get home - all those hats come off, sometimes. :-P

I think "On Plan" or "Lifestyle Change" being a powerful tool in changing a mindset from the "No, No, No" we're instilled because of dieting. This allows us to understand on a subconscious level that we're in moderation and not refusal/denial. While we have to learn to keep the responsible and moderation cap on, it will eventually become a second nature to us- having to think about what we can/can't or should/shouldn't have won't be necessary because it's become an important part of our life and routine. In doing so, we see our rewards daily; small or large.. they're there.

Personally, I prefer the Lifestyle Change "label" myself. I can't imagine returning to the way I did things before. I'm amazed that I even did them to begin with and feel a bit shameful/embarrassed about them now. Doing it this way proves to me (and others) that I can manage this, myself and my life. I can take control and make a positive impact on my life despite any knock downs that come my way. It has given me a sense of accomplishment and a bit more pride in myself. I think these are good things and should be encouraged any way possible.

My apologies for the long rant! I'll hop off my soapbox now :-D

I hope you guys and gals have a great day!

~Jessie

[Soon2BHealthyGirl]

When I think of diet I think of it as a noun, not a verb. I think of it as the food I put into my body or nourishment.

I know that many others use it as a verb and that's okay. I just watch my wording when I speak to people. Like instead of "my diet consists of eating healthy (foods)" I try to just not use it so that other people do not think that I am using it as a verb.

Hope that makes sense.