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Writer's pictureChelsea Hester-Bradt

"Am I enough?" How to challenge diet-culture's messages

Updated: Jun 3




Deep within each of us is the question "Am I enough?"


And the diet & wellness industries know this.


Like many businesses, the diet & wellness industries are driven by profit. This means they create products, advice, and programs promising to make you "good enough" and "fix" all your blemishes, directly targeting your insecurities and core fears...


Because this sells.


The diet industry is perpetuated by and profits off of your fear.


Fear of weight gain.

Fear of aging.

Fear of judgment.

Fear of not being accepted.

Fear of eating too much.

Fear of eating too little.

Fear of not getting enough nutrients.

Fear of not getting enough variety.

Fear of not being up-to-date with the latest trends.

Fear of being unlovable.

Fear of not being sexy.

Fear of not being beautiful.

Fear of being seen.

Fear of being too big.

Fear of taking up space.

Fear of being forgotten.

Fear of being inadequate.


The list could go on and on.


Targeting your fears SELLS.

 



 

When you're surrounded by fear-based marketing, how do you find another way?


How do you cultivate a relationship with yourself that's rooted in something different?


By cultivating thoughts and choosing actions rooted in kindness, mercy, grace, compassion, acceptance, non-judgment, trust. Aka - choosing love.


When distilled down to their root, every thought and action can be traced back to either fear or love.


You might not literally think "I'm afraid of..." or "I love...." at the beginning of every thought. But if you pause and ask yourself "What's underneath this thought? and what's underneath that? and that?" - you will ultimately arrive at either love or fear.



marianne williamson, diet culture, weight loss, love, fear, body positive, body image, intuitive eating, exercise

 

Chances are, you experience a number of fearful thoughts every day. We all do.

Becoming aware of these thoughts is the first step.

Choosing to reframe the thought through the eyes of love is the next.


Consider your thoughts about food and your body:

Fear might show up as restriction, guilt, punishment, compensation, critical thoughts, comparison, jealousy and 'shoulds'


Love might show up as compassion, nuance, acceptance, flexibility, understanding, attunement, and respect for your body


Which do you relate to more?


👉Do your decisions about what to eat stem from fear or love?

👉Do your thoughts about your body stem from fear or love?



My wish for you:
marianne williamson, love, fear, diet culture, body positive, body image, diet culture, diets, intuitive eating, weight loss

Let love be your guide when you:

  • See your reflection in the mirror

  • Find yourself debating whether to skip a meal or not

  • Admire your friends' beautiful qualities and the gift they are to this world


Let love be your guide when you:

  • Feel too tired to workout after a day in the office

  • Feel overwhelmed in the grocery store

  • Go bathing suit shopping


Let love be your guide when you:

  • Don't fit into last year's jeans

  • Eat beyond fullness

  • Begin to show signs of aging


In each of these moments, you have a choice to make.

You can choose to feed the voice of fear or the voice of love.


Until your love muscle is built and strong, fear will creep in. Fear may even be your default. That’s okay.

You’ve been taught to fear the world from the day you were born. Undoing this and rewiring your automatic settings is a lifelong journey.


Some call this journey a spiritual practice.


Whatever you call it, I believe it to be an integral part of your healing journey with food and your relationship with your body.


I'm here to support you every step of the way and this mindset shift, alongside practical tips, tricks, and action steps, is what I explore with my 1:1 coaching clients. I'd love to get to know you! 💗










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