⚠️ Trigger warning, please don’t swipe right if you’re in a bad place with body image, exercise or restriction. ? Taking a brief interlude from the Non-Diet Advent Cal to bring you the latest in diet culture dumbfuckery. ?Earlier this afternoon I ran into a shop and was STUNNED by this ludicrous @womenshealthuk cover (swipe to see but literally just to laugh at how ridiculous it is and not because it means anything.) ?‍♀️This cover is the EPITOME of diet culture. ?‍♀️ This is, of course, their yearly ‘transform’ issue, which promises to ‘shed kilos, strip fat, and build muscle’. ? But remember, going on a diet may transform your body (temporarily, diets don’t work long-term), but it’s not a cure for low self-esteem, it doesn’t help you cultivate body acceptance or good body image, and it can lead you down the path of disordered eating. ? That’s the lie of diet culture. It promises you things will be better after you change your body. ? But guys, even Beyonce shits. No amount of controlling your body will make you happy, and you still have to get up and go to work when you reach your target. You’ll still have relationship problems and family drama, and all the rest. Diets don’t solve problems. ? Plus ‘sculpt killer abs’. But guys. YOU ALREADY HAVE ABS, they do an awesome job supporting your lower back and internal organs. ? What this message is REALLY saying is “restrict your energy intake through disordered and restrictive eating & kill yourself in the gym, and don’t even think about having a social life”. ?You get the point, right? This magazine has nothing to do with health and everything to do with tearing down your self confidence and preying on your insecurities in order to sell you something, either the magazine itself or their strategically placed partnerships. ? Please save yourself £4 and instead consider donating to an eating disorder or mental health charity. ? remember that movement isn’t punishment for eating. And you don’t owe it to anyone to conform to unrealistic aesthetics that someone else decided for you. ? if working out and eating nutritious food are your jam then that’s awesome, but it should never be at the expense of...

A post shared by Laura Thomas, PhD, RNutr (@laurathomasphd) on Dec 11, 2017 at 8:22am PST