The Language of Dieting

I've been thinking a lot about how the words we use to describe how and what we eat can really affect how we view our choices. I think it's important to check in with the associated meanings of the words we use to describe a healthy lifestyle and make sure they are words that make us feel good. Many people have commented on the word diet itself. The word diet has developed some negative connotations over the years. People often associate it with denial, restriction, or a phase. When really the word diet is the Greek word for "way of life." So, in truth, it doesn't make sense to be "on a diet." Everyone is "on a diet," it's just a matter of what your diet consists of.

I recently started calling my "cheat day" my "looser day." To me, "cheating" makes me feel guilty, like I'm violating what I'm supposed to be doing. That doesn't make me feel good. I have built in a day where I can be a little less restrictive on purpose. I feel that I need it for balance and to keep my obsessiveness in check. Everyone is different, but if I am too strict with myself, I could be setting myself up for a detrimental "F*#$ this" binge. I call it a looser day or a looser meal, because I am loosening the parameters I usually follow. For me, allowing myself a looser day is a healthy and wise

Now that doesn't mean the word cheat doesn't have it's place. If I declare I am going 100% Paleo with no loose days for a full month and I eat sugar, well then I cheated on my diet. I violated the rules and regulations of my way of life. Right now I'm abstaining from alcohol while I train for my 5K. If I decide to have a glass of wine, that's not loose...that's a cheat.

What's fun about thinking about the language of dieting is that you can make up your own words & phrases if it's helpful. The incredible Melicious, who once fought going Paleo, renamed it Dino-Chow and took the plunge. Love it! When I realized I was going to have to stop eating nightshades to heal the tendinitis in my wrist, I was sad to let go of my salsa, Cholula, and bell peppers as they were a HUGE part of my diet. I had to re-name them wrist poison so I wasn't so sad. It worked! In this case, the negative connotation was necessary for me to feel like I wasn't missing out on anything and in fact I was bettering myself. Now that my wrist has healed I'm slowly reintroducing nightshades & everytime I eat some, I apologize for having to call them poison for a while. I think I'm forgiven.

While searching for diet terms I ran into a great post that addresses this same topic. Stephanie from "Back in Skinny Jeans" uses the terms on the menu as in "that's not on my menu today" That seems less restrictive than "I can't eat that. Check out her post.

Because after all, eating well is about feeling good. Language is powerful, it should make us feel just as good as the foods we eat!
Any great terms you have come up with?