Food Isn’t The Enemy, Diet Culture Is

I don’t usually write blog posts on a Thursday, but after a conversation I just had, I felt inspired.

As women, we’ve been conditioned to be smaller, leaner, lighter. I remember watching MTV when I was about 8, seeing women with completely normal bodies labelled as “chunky.” This was just how it was - in the media, magazines, even teen shows.

We grow up with this deep rooted fear of eating too much, of getting too “big”, of BEING too much.

Like it’s somehow unladylike to finish your plate or order a big steak instead of a salad. And god forbid we’re happy when the scale goes up.

I don’t know about you, but this was ingrained in me for a long time.

I remember being deep in addiction, completely unhealthy, but feeling happy that I was losing weight, getting skinnier… in one way or another.

How fkd up is that?

It’s something I struggled with but didn’t even realise at the time. And I see it in women every single day.

“I couldn’t eat all that.”

“I don’t want the scale to go up.”

“I couldn’t wear that.”

“I’m trying to eat less carbs.”

These fears are all planted by diet culture.

And as a womens coach, I see how it transfers into physique development - holding us back from our goals.

You want that strong, defined, muscular physique, but not if it means the scale goes up, or you have to eat more, or go up a jean size.

Suddenly you don’t want it anymore.

Food isn’t the problem. Being heavier isn’t the problem.

Your conditioned brain from diet culture is.

And it could be what’s holding you back from your dream body.

Because for me, it sure was - for a long time.

I wanted to look like “her” - the women I saw online - sooo badly.

So I ate less, trained more, ran more, and still, I could never get there.

It wasn’t until I realised…

“Oh shit, I actually need to GAIN weight.”

God, that was so fkn scary.

But I did it. I ate more. I gained weight. I hit my heaviest weight ever.

And for the first time, I finally felt happy with my physique.

That’s why I became a coach.

This post doesn’t have any actionable tips or strategies for you, sorry.

It’s just a brain dump.

Physique development is about rewiring your mindset just as much as it is about changing your body. So, if this resonates with you, keep an open mind - your best body might be waiting on the other side of fear.

With love,

Coach Sandra xx