My Rant on Why You Should Stop Buying Into Diet Culture

I have 15 things on my “to do” list right now. In between preheating the oven to cook for my family of five, and mailing out an envelope for my small business, I glance at my phone and see a Facebook “friend” is doing a live video. She is selling her latest cleanse, but I’m not buying it. Instead I feel a rant building up inside of me.

I love seeing my friends in person and online. So this is not a personal attack on this one particular friend. It’s her video in the name “health” that made me stop in my tracks to write out this rant.

The result is this message to all of the people who are blasting out their sales pitches in the name of “health”. This is for all the diet culture messages on my Facebook feed disguised as ways to “help” me.

My rant

No, I do not want to try your new secret smoothie, nor do I want to hear you preach to me in the name of health.

I don’t want your magic cream that will some how defy the laws of nature and prevent me from aging. As a 47 year old sleep deprived woman with three children, I don’t believe in magic. At least not that kind.

Also, I am NOT interested in how you lost those last ten pounds, or your new superfood. And while we are at it, I have NO interest in how many miles you ran today. Or how many steps are on that thing you wear proudly on your wrist.

Your paleo, no sugar, no carb, no artificial dyes, no taste protein treat doesn’t appeal to me. And I have zero patience for your scare tactics of how sick my family and I will become if we don’t supplement. Nor do I want to hear about the “evil” foods we “must” avoid.

When you spout out information that is NOT based on science, and make food and weight into a moral issue, I lose interest. And patience. And now my temper.

What I want to hear about…

Talk to me about real things, and I am happy to listen. Discuss issues that are actually important. I would love to hear about your hopes, dreams, ideas, and feelings.

Share what is going on inside of you. Tell me about your relationships. Discuss your opinions on what is going on in the world.

There is a great big huge world out there that has NOTHING to do with weight, calories, macros or protein. People are SO MUCH MORE than what they look like. YOU are so much more than what you look like, what you weigh, or the size of your pants.

My rant continues…

You know what is more unhealthy than sugar, white flour, or whatever other food you are villainizing today? Living life in the grips of an eating disorder. 

I am pretty sure your secret ingredient can’t help anyone in the throes of a life threatening eating disorder.

So, unless your before and after picture shows how much freer and more alive you feel, I have zero interest in seeing them.

Unless your product is something that helps me feel more happy and proud of myself AS I AM – I am not buying it.

If your sales pitch implies in any way that I must change myself than take it somewhere else.  Because although I had no choice but to grow up entrenched in diet culture, I am no longer naive to it. 

I know there is so much more to a person than what is (or isn’t) on their plate. And I know there are more important and interesting things about someone than the way they look. I know that our size and weight is actually NOT as tied to our health as we have been brainwashed to believe.

Now I understand that I am submersed in diet culture. This culture not only fears fat but shames and discriminates against it.

Thankfully, I also understand that I have a choice of where I place my attention and my energies.

So please understand that I am not interested in your product, diet, or scare tactics. I’m not interested in your size or your weight.

But I am interested in who you are as a person. I am interested in your thoughts, and ideas, your passions, and your fears. And I am interested in your soul.

Image: @vinganapathy

To read more from Lisette and learn about opportunities to work with her in private coaching please visit her website here, or follow her on instagram here.