Auld Lang Syne! Times long past…

It’s “Quitters’ Day”¹. According to research conducted by Strava, a social athlete’s network, the second Friday in January is the day most people will give up on their New Year’s resolutions.

Change is hard. But what are you trying to change?

Are you wanting to improve your self-worth? Are you interested in finding ways of moving your body that feel good? Maybe, you are curious about learning how to honor and respect your body’s hunger-fullness cues?

Does this sound familiar? No?

Do your resolutions sound more like this: “I want to lose 15 lbs", “This is the year, I’ll learn to love the gym”, “I am going to try that diet where you cut out all sugar, fat, carbs, protein….”

While the start of the calendar year brings new beginnings, fresh starts, and tax season, it also brings societal pressures to lose weight, get fit, and be a totally different person. Diet culture is "trendy" all year round, but it is especially "hot" in January. With the alarming number of diets, diet-focused apps, and weight-loss programs available, we are in no short-demand of the messages designed by diet culture to make us feel bad about our bodies.  

Ditch the diet culture, not the resolutions

Resolution literally means to “loosen, undo, release”². Release the urge to engage in restrictive dieting, loosen up on those pressures to conform, and undo all the damaging self-messages about your body. 

It may be "Quitter's Day", but if your New Year's resolutions are based on diet culture, maybe it is a good idea to quit those today. Instead, re-evaluate what is really important to you. Perhaps it is feeling at peace with your body, practicing self-acceptance or engaging in behaviours that are healthy for you like finding nutritious recipes rather than calorie-counting or restricting a food group.

How do you begin to challenge such strong societal messaging?

Diet culture is a systemic issue. Naming that is important.  MeHealing is still hopeful we can challenge diet culture. It starts with you. Be realistic in your resolutions and resolve for self-growth rather than self-deprecation.  

One research study³ on New Year's resolutions suggested that being confident and ready for change are traits that help people succeed in their resolutions. Do you feel ready to reject diet culture? Can you trust that diet culture is more damaging then motivating? 

What helps people feel confident and ready?

From the research study noted above, the successful resolvers implemented such strategies as:

Self-liberation (freeing yourself from oppressive thinking)  Instead of telling yourself you want to lose weight, focus on what you want your body to do for you (within reason) such as "I want to be able to climb stairs without feeling winded", "I want to take up a new sport" "I want to find enjoyable ways of moving my body."

Stimulus control (keep things around you to remind you not to give into the problem) Set a daily alarm to remind you to practice mindfulness or look at inspirational quotes/pictures from a Health at Every Size (HAES-friendly) Instagram page.

Avoidance strategies (avoid situations associated with the problem behaviour) Stop reading dieting magazines, avoid weight loss programs that promote restriction and deprivation, or take a break from the people who refuse to stop commenting about your size.

What doesn't help?

The non-successful resolvers in the research study tried the following strategies, which proved to be less helpful in creating change:

Self-blame (criticizing or blaming yourself) I did this to myself. If I make myself feel badly enough, maybe that will motivate me...

Engaged in wishful thinking (wishing the problem would go away) I just wish it would be easier...

Minimized the threat (make light of the problem; refused to get too serious about it) Diet culture isn't that bad. Those damaging messages I heard about my body aren't affecting me today...

Change is hard and it is possible!

Although the information above is based on just one research study, this information may still be helpful for you in creating change. To summarize, use the strategies demonstrated to be helpful for resolvers like self-liberation, stimulus control and avoidance strategies while also reframing from self-blame, wishful thinking and minimization.

If you are interested in learning more about establishing a healthier relationship with your body, check out our free download, Introduction to Healing a Negative Body Image (e-book).

Have a Happy New Year!

References:

1. Barr, S. (2018, January 12). Today is the day people are most likely to quit their New Year's resolutions. Retrieved from https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/quitters-day-new-years-resolutions-give-up-fail-today-a8155386.html

2. https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/resolution

3. Norcross, J. C., Mrykalo, M. S., & Blagys, M. D. (2002). Auld lang Syne: Success predictors, change processes, and self-reported outcomes of New Years resolvers and nonresolvers. Journal of Clinical Psychology,58(4), 397-405. doi:10.1002/jclp.1151