Getting Back on Track This September, Without Restriction
I love September. When the light and the temperature start to change in mid-August, I’m the only one in my house that gets a bit giddy about it.
I adore summer with its endless social gatherings that stretch out into the evening with friends and family, good food and wine. Time with sand between my toes or floating in the water, and the easiness that comes with being able to leave the house in just a t-shirt and shorts. But, there is something about Autumn that brings a welcome change of energy for me. I think it’s also the time to get back into some sort of routine. To bring about some structure after long summer days. For many of us it can also feel like the time to get back to things we may have paused over summer such as regular exercise or maybe a little less rosé. For some there can also be the idea that they need to get back on track after a summer of indulgence. September seems to have become the new January when it comes to diet culture with many of us being encouraged to atone for having had fun in the sun, with messages to be good, cut out sugar, ditch carbs and to work out every day.
The Fresh Start Effect
I think we are wired to love the idea of a fresh start and the fresh start effect is a known psychological phenomenon where significant dates or landmarks, create a sense of psychological reset. I’m all for a refresh or a reset, a chance to consider important goals or aspirations. I’ve been taking time myself to think about challenges I’d like to undertake this autumn, but I do think it’s worth pausing to ask the question: if we’re getting back on track, which track are we getting onto? Is it another diet, with more rules, to add to the rules you likely already have? Or could this be a chance to realign with your body’s own wisdom and intelligence?
What diets really do.
Here’s the problem with diets: restrictive diets get in our bodies own way. Our body already has its own cues and signals when it comes to regulating our hunger, fullness and satiety. Dieting disrupts this. It tells us to look outside of our body for wisdom. It tells us what we’re allowed and how much, what’s good, what’s bad, eat this, not that. It creates an illusion that if we can just be stricter with ourselves, we can feel in control of our eating again.
When we’re stuck in this good or bad, or all or nothing thinking, we may find our eating behaviours being driven from a place of deprivation or guilt. This can lead to adaptive behaviours such as binging or overeating as the body attempts to offset any deprivation either real or perceived, neither of which feel good. Tuning in to what feels good in our body is a crucial step in healing your relationship with food and your body. It allows you to become the expert of your body, rather than listening to external diet rules. Eating to excess doesn’t feel good, restriction doesn’t feel good. You don’t need another diet book to tell you this. You already know it. This September, maybe getting back on track can mean getting back in touch with this wisdom your body already has. So where to start?
A different option
Instead of our eating behaviours coming from this all or nothing, rigid thinking we ideally want to be motivated from a place of self-compassion. Where we focus on nourishing our body not from a place of right or wrong choices but from a nuanced middle ground. Where all foods can fit, and we are attuned to what our bodies need and want in the moment.
What does this look like in practice
Kelly came to me with a lot of food rules. She had been dieting since her late teens and was now in her early 40s. Each meal was weighed up in terms of whether what she was eating was good or bad. A holiday with friends was coming up and she was nervous about ordering what she wanted in front of friends. Wouldn’t they judge her for her choices if she ordered anything but salad given she was struggling with her weight? The holiday Kelly was going on was very active. A lot of biking, hiking and watersports. Lunch was her chance to rest and refuel herself before the next activity. We decided to explore what might feel really satisfying for her at lunch. Would the salad have sufficient nutrient density to feel satisfied, well-nourished and energised for the next activity or would the burger and fries be a better choice? This is where diet culture really lets people down. The nutritional value of food does matter, but so does context, food availability and preferences. In short, adopting a flexible approach to the way we eat. There might be times when a salad is the most obviously nourishing and satisfying choice, and there are times, such with Kelly, where it absolutely isn’t. All we can do is take one meal at a time and ask ourselves, what would be the right choice in the moment? This approach, using satisfaction as our north star, helps guide us to make food choices based on what we need, not on what diet culture or external food rules tell us is right or wrong.
Moving Forward
Emily Fonnesbeck RD says this best when she says we want to eat to feel good, not be good.
This September, I invite you to reflect on this question: what would getting back on track look like if it wasn’t about restriction? Curiosity can be a helpful tool here and it’s one of the cornerstones of my practice. It offers the space to reflect without judgement. Could you start to become curious about which foods and meals leave you feeling energised, satisfied and well-nourished after a meal. When we can put judgement and food rules aside we can start to find the space to build a more peaceful and joyful relationship with food which perhaps is the best track of all to consider this September.
