By Holly Lowery\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Have you ever wondered when your desire to lose weight began?<\/p>\n It might be easy to blame parents or mentors for their role in \u201cunhealthy\u201d habits, but culture\u2019s drive to be thin started before our parents\u2019 parents had their own struggles with food and body.<\/p>\n First, let\u2019s define \u201cdiet culture.\u201d It\u2019s essentially a culture in which dieting and thinness is touted as desirable; it can permeate our lives through marketing by companies and organizations we trust.<\/p>\n Diet culture directly affects our natural relationship with food and movement, and makes feeling good in our own bodies difficult. It tells us if we don\u2019t aspire to thinness, something is wrong.<\/p>\n How many times have you seen an advertisement for some diet plan promising fast results? The spokeswoman looks miserable and slobbish in her former body; then suddenly, she looks glowing, successful and maybe even in a happy relationship. Or maybe she\u2019s decked out in fancy business attire at a new job.<\/p>\n That<\/em> is diet culture.<\/p>\n You\u2019re sold one fad diet and exercise plan after another; then, if you\u2019re unable to sustain them, you feel guilty. You try a new diet next month, and the yo-yo cycle continues.<\/p>\n We\u2019re bombarded daily by these types of messages, but rarely does anyone address facts regarding weight and health.<\/p>\n Here are a few things people profiting from diet culture might not tell you:<\/p>\n Dieting can decrease your body\u2019s ability to reach its ideal weight. <\/strong><\/p>\n Your body has a \u201cset-point\u201d weight. Every body is different, but when you let your body do its thing naturally, it returns to its most healthy weight.<\/p>\n Think about it; your body is usually smarter than your brain when it comes to survival tactics. So if you stop interfering with fad diet plans and make more intuitive choices when it comes to food, your body will thank you by returning to its set-point weight.<\/p>\n When you diet, you\u2019re actually triggering your body into survival mode. <\/strong><\/p>\n The body thinks there\u2019s a famine going on, so it slows your metabolism down and holds extra weight.<\/p>\n Even when you start to eat more \u201cnormally,\u201d your body is going to continue holding on to that weight for a while. Eventually it\u2019ll let it go when it realizes there\u2019s no danger of starvation, but that takes time.<\/p>\n And because of society\u2019s lack of patience with a little extra weight, you pick another diet and go at it again, hoping this is when you\u2019ll finally reach and maintain thinness. But you\u2019re repeating the restrict-binge-restrict cycle, which has been associated with cardiovascular disease, hypertension and diabetes \u2014 causing more issues than that extra weight might.<\/p>\n Thin doesn\u2019t always mean healthy. <\/strong><\/p>\n Recent studies have shown weight loss is associated with an increased risk of death, most likely due to the unhealthy methods used to achieve it. Also, no study has proven weight loss prolongs life.<\/p>\n At the end of the day, we\u2019ve been pursuing thinness not for health, but to fit into body standards set for us by diet culture.<\/p>\n So, the question stands: how do you get healthy? <\/strong><\/p>\n The answer: give your body the space to make more intuitive choices when it comes to food and movement.<\/p>\n Your body innately knows what and when to eat. If you start to let go of all the rules and guilt around food choices \u2014 aka dieting \u2014 the body will have the space to tell you what it needs.<\/p>\n Eating intuitively is a learned skill. You would think otherwise, but thanks to diet propaganda, sometimes we\u2019re no longer able to exercise the intuitive instinct without a bit of retraining.<\/p>\n What I\u2019m proposing is an alternative to the myriad of diet plans out there, an alternative to the idea that thinness is the key to health. I\u2019m proposing a way to feel happier, sexier, more confident and way less food-obsessed. Are you ready to call a truce with dieting? SWM<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Holly Lowery<\/a> is a health coach, personal chef and workshop leader in Syracuse. This April, she plans to launch Body Truce, a four-month program aiming to help clients develop new health goals and a blueprint for reaching them, and relearn how to eat intuitively. To connect with Holly, visit hollylowery.com<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Dropping Thin Aspirations By Holly Lowery\u00a0 Have you ever wondered when your desire to lose weight began?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":587,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[126],"tags":[135,167,136],"class_list":["post-526","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-holly-lowery","tag-march-2017","tag-special-feature"],"gutentor_comment":0,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Z_special-feature_0317_ONLINE.jpg?fit=1248%2C792&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2864,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2864","url_meta":{"origin":526,"position":0},"title":"SELF-CARE Ophelia\u2019s Place carries a message of self-empowerment","author":"Staff","date":"March 3, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"By Nichole A. Cavallaro \u00a0 When I think of empowerment, I think of the sparkle or magic each of us is born with, and whether or not that magic was harvested into a brilliant, healthy autonomy that we carry throughout life. Sometimes it isn\u2019t, sometimes it is, sometimes it\u2019s a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Causes"","block_context":{"text":"Causes","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=104"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/ophelia.png?fit=1200%2C400&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/ophelia.png?fit=1200%2C400&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/ophelia.png?fit=1200%2C400&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/ophelia.png?fit=1200%2C400&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/ophelia.png?fit=1200%2C400&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1278,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=1278","url_meta":{"origin":526,"position":1},"title":"How to Eat for the Holidays","author":"Staff","date":"December 1, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Staying Happy, Healthy and Sane Amidst the Chaos By Holly Lowery | Photography by Mary Grace Johnson\u00a0 You\u2019re likely reading this article during some form of holiday madness. There\u2019s always something to be doing \u2014 shopping, wrapping, planning, socializing with out-of-towners, baking, decorating \u2014 on top of your normal responsibilities.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Food"","block_context":{"text":"Food","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=102"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Holly-8.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Holly-8.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Holly-8.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Holly-8.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Holly-8.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":853,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=853","url_meta":{"origin":526,"position":2},"title":"Fun with Fermentation","author":"Staff","date":"June 30, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The Power of Kombucha By Holly Lowery | Photography by Mary Grace Johnson\u00a0 \u201cKam-boocha.\u201d \u201cKom-booka.\u201d \u201cKoom-baka.\u201d Despite the fact that most people have a hard time pronouncing kombucha (come-booch-uh, for the record), that hasn\u2019t stopped the drink from making an appearance in an increasing number of households lately. So why\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Featured"","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=99"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Holly-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Holly-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Holly-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Holly-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Holly-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3496,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=3496","url_meta":{"origin":526,"position":3},"title":"Inspire: Latha Ramalingam, Ph.D. – SU researcher finds answers to unusual questions about heart health","author":"Alyssa Dearborn","date":"February 8, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"By Kate Hanzalik The number one cause of death among American men and women is heart disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control. In fact, someone dies from the condition every 34 seconds. Numerous factors contribute to heart disease, ranging from congenital defects, genetic predisposition, lifestyle, and socioeconomics, to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Inspire"","block_context":{"text":"Inspire","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=1143"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/AMB_LathaRamalingam_00001-scaled.jpg?fit=799%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/AMB_LathaRamalingam_00001-scaled.jpg?fit=799%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/AMB_LathaRamalingam_00001-scaled.jpg?fit=799%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/AMB_LathaRamalingam_00001-scaled.jpg?fit=799%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2701,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=2701","url_meta":{"origin":526,"position":4},"title":"FITNESS FORUM: Weight, diet and maintaining your sanity","author":"Staff","date":"December 4, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"By Christie Donato \u00a0 December is my favorite month of the year. It has Christmas, my birthday and New Year\u2019s Eve all rolled into one week, with a whole month of holiday music, decorations and sweets leading up to it. This time of year is all about indulgence, which makes\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?cat=126"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/food.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/food.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/food.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/food.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/food.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":612,"url":"https:\/\/www.syracusewomanmag.com\/?p=612","url_meta":{"origin":526,"position":5},"title":"Oompa Loompyas","author":"Staff","date":"March 30, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Filipino Fusion By Lorna Oppedisano | By Steven J. Pallone Azella Alvarez was born with a passion for Filipino food. 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