Navigating Diet Culture's New Year Hype
'Tis the season for family, friends, cinnamon, fireplaces, snow and.... DIET-CULTURE (insert sigh).
BUCKLE UP and brace yourself. With a new year approaching, a flood of ads and marketing messages about weight loss are just around the corner.
At the end of a year, people often feel extra motivated about making the upcoming year "better." And unfortunately, in our culture, “better” is often defined by being the most evolved, thin, and beautiful version of ourselves (no pressure).
If you spend 5 minutes scrolling on Instagram you’ll quickly find messages saying that this "highest version of yourself" is the one with no wrinkles, no cellulite, is 10 lbs lighter, is noticeably more toned, has silky smooth legs, and generally emanates sex, beauty, and youth.
Changing your body shape and jumping into a new diet* are not paths to enlightenment, lasting peace, or joy.
And they’re certainly not the way to set yourself up for an amazing new year or heal from whatever personal challenges you’ve faced in the past.
*When I say “diet,” I mean anything from restrictive eating programs to cleanses or fasting regimens.
The Importance of Setting Non-Diet New Year's Resolutions
Thankfully, there's another way!
You can have a reflective and introspective end of the year and set resolutions for the new year that aren't focused on your weight.
New Year’s resolutions that are focused on weight are harmful for a few reasons:
They perpetuate anti-fatness, whether it’s conscious or not.
They set you up for feeling like a failure because diets, statistically, don’t work for long-term health or happiness.
They prevent you from setting goals for more important things. Diet culture is the ultimate distraction. It keeps you focused on your body and food instead of your heart, your passions, and changing the world.
A new year is a natural time to look ahead with hopes and dreams for the future. Many of us want to leave behind the struggles of the past.
👉 But what if you also left behind diets, rigid food rules, body shame, fixation on appearance, and comparison?
👉 What if you set goals focused on mental health, self-compassion, and finding peace with food, rather than trying to change who you are, shrink your body, or adopt a new wellness plan that drains your energy, money, and joy?
Embracing the New Year: The three R's
This time of year is a cue to consciously turn inward.
A time to:
Reflect on how far you've come,
Re-align with your values, and
Re-ignite your hopes and dreams for your future.
What you choose to focus on during this time of reflection, is up to you.
Many people, especially the media and marketing, use the new year as an opportunity to buckle down on "shoulds."
Companies are convincing you that last year wasn’t good enough everywhere you turn.
That you didn’t try hard enough.
That you failed your goals.
That you slacked off.
That you didn't work enough hours or go to the gym often enough.
The implication is: If some things didn’t go well, it’s on YOU to do things differently this year…to ‘fix’ your shortcomings.
But this often results in resolutions like:
Finally sticking to a diet
Following through on your workout plan
Just “do the dang thing” (whatever that 'thing' is that you keep trying to life-hack your way into doing)
Reflect on past mistakes and vow to be different next time
Unfortunately, these types of goals are often rooted in one thing:
Guilt.
Entering into the new year with goals that are rooted in shame, and guilt, or beating yourself up aren't going to bring you closer to your highest self.
Take some time to:
Reflect on this past year (journal prompts provided below)
Re-align with your values. Where have you strayed? What's important to you and how can you prioritize those things?
Re-ignite your zest for life. If you are setting goals and intentions that are rooted in your values, passions, and joys, this will happen naturally. If you don't feel excited for the year ahead, check in with yourself and see if your goals are rooted in 'shoulds' or expectations from outside of yourself rather than your heart's yearnings.
Leave behind the guilt and “shoulds” this year
"Shoulds" are anything that:
Make you feel there’s a “right” or “wrong” way to live or be
You feel obligated to do
You do because it’s expected of you
Feels forced
You’re doing out of fear
As you set goals and intentions for the new year, I encourage you to check in with your body and your heart.
When you think about a goal, do you feel light or heavy?
Do you feel excited and motivated? Or intimidated and under pressure?
You might have a few standard New Year’s resolutions that you tend to recycle. You might even set the same goal every. single. year.
👉 If you've got the same goal on repeat, that goal isn't right for you.
If you've been trying to go to the gym 3 days a week for the past ten years and it's just not happening... that doesn't mean you failed.
It means you need to reevaluate the goal.
Ask yourself:
Do I even enjoy _____?
What’s my real motivation for doing this?
How will I feel if I achieve this goal? How will I feel if I don’t?
Are there other ways to get the same benefits that feel exciting or aligned with my values?
Consider using this time to reflect on the year, the challenges you’ve overcome, and the person you’re becoming rather than beating yourself up over the things you didn't accomplish and creating a strict, new plan for the future.
Setting New Year Resolutions without Diet Culture: Take action
Alright, it's time to pull out a pen and paper. Light some candles. Play some music. Take some deep breaths. And allow yourself to tap into your heart's deepest yearnings.
Take your time with these prompts—there’s no right or wrong way to answer them. Reflect at your own pace and allow whatever arises to surface.
Here are some reflection questions to help you reflect, re-align, and re-ignite for the year ahead:
Reflecting on the Past Year
What are you most proud of from this past year?
What challenges have you overcome?
Which moments and events made your heart light up the most?
Envisioning the Future
What does your dream life look like 1 year from now? 5 years from now? 10 years from now?
What small steps can you take today to bring that vision closer to reality?
Intentions for a New Year
What do you want to carry with you into this new year, and what would you like to leave behind?
How has diet culture shown up in your life this past year, and how can you take steps to mute or reject it going forward?
Your Relationship with Body and Food
What intentions do you want to set around your relationship with your body? With food?
What kind of support or accountability would help you in your journey of food and body healing?
Cultivating Joy, Boundaries, and Self-Compassion
How can you invite more love, joy, and self-compassion into your daily life?
What boundaries might you set to protect your energy and well-being this year?
Once you’ve answered these questions, look for any common themes that emerge.
Take your time and be gentle with yourself. Give yourself permission to pause, reset, and lean into the possibilities ahead.
As you step into this New Year, remember that the most meaningful resolutions come from a place of compassion, not obligation. It isn’t about fixing parts of yourself or doing more to feel “enough”—it’s about setting intentions that nurture who you are and who you’re becoming. Here’s to a New Year filled with intention, self-compassion, and all the joy you deserve. ✨
Let’s keep this journey going 👇