The new year is almost here, and there’s lots of talk about weight loss and diets to try so you can lose those last few pounds for good. But what if you don’t want to diet in 2024?

If you’ve been working hard to give up the diet mentality and form a healthy relationship with food, you probably want to continue on that path. And even if you haven’t started your journey away from dieting, it’s never too late to learn how to stop dieting this year.

No matter what your situation is around dieting, there are a few pieces of advice that will help you continue your journey away from dieting or start your journey in the new year.

How to Stop Dieting: Watch for Fad Diets  

Diets are all the same in that they restrict food intake to promote weight loss. However, they can look different depending on which foods they cut out and how you track your intake. For example, the Keto diet eliminates carbs while WW tracks intake using points. 

There are always trending diets as well, and right now they revolve around gut health (typically “resetting” your gut by eliminating certain foods and/or fasting for a certain window of time) and wellness programs (which typically claim not to be a diet even though they have the same features as a diet).

Here’s what to look for to figure out if a program is a diet in disguise:

• There’s a focus on weight loss or change in body shape
• It emphasizes “wellness over weight loss”
• There is a focus on food logging or food restriction
• Foods are labeled as “good,” “bad,” “clean,” “inflammatory,” etc.
• You’re told to ignore hunger or fullness cues
• It revolves around eating brand-approved food or supplements

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On the other hand, you’ll know if Intuitive Eating is truly Intuitive Eating when there is a focus on weight neutrality, healing your relationship with food, moving away from labeling foods, and working on your body image.

Plan to be Tempted to Diet

With so many people starting diets in the new year, there will probably be more diet talk than usual. Gym memberships are also very cheap to encourage people to join. You might be wondering how to stop dieting when there’s more pressure than usual to do so. 

It’s helpful to be realistic and expect there to be temptation to diet. Having an idea about how to handle that temptation will make a huge difference in your journey away from dieting. For example, journaling about why you don’t want to diet or talking to a friend who understands what a non-diet approach means might be beneficial. It could also take trial and error to figure out how to deal with the temptation to diet. Just remember there is no right or wrong way; the most important thing is that you find what works for you!

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Listen to Your Gut

If a diet sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Continuing or starting your journey away from dieting requires time and work, not a quick fix. While that’s not what everyone wants to hear, remember that anything worth having (such as freedom from guilt or shame because of what you eat) takes effort.

Luckily, when you put time and effort into something, the results are even sweeter than if you didn’t work as hard. Keep this in mind as you start or continue your non-diet journey!

Seek Out a Professional

Having someone who is trained in Intuitive Eating helping you on your journey is a huge benefit. Maria is a registered dietitian who works with people like you to help them learn how to stop dieting while asking questions, providing accurate information, and being a supportive person in a diet-obsessed world. 

Here’s what Abi has to say about her experience working with Maria:

“Working with Maria has had such a positive impact on my life. Intuitive eating has not only been good for my physical health, but my mental health as well. I no longer eat foods I enjoy and feel guilty or shameful afterwards. I allow myself to eat what I want, when I want, and have noticed that I don’t feel the need to binge certain items like I used to. I have incorporated more movement into my every day routine and am finally drinking a healthy amount of water. I take better notice of when I am hungry or full and try to honor those feelings. I’ve finally created healthy habits that don’t feel like a chore to stick to.”

To learn more about Maria’s approach to nutrition and determine if you’d work well together, schedule a free discovery call here!

Other Posts You Might Like

• HAES – A Better Approach to Health and Weight
• Letting Go of the Diet Mentality
• What Started the Intuitive Eating Movement?
• Why You Should Skip the Diet this Year (and Every Year)
• What to know about weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Saxenda

About the Author

Kourtney is a registered dietitian who is passionate about sharing information related to intuitive eating and the harms of diet culture. She is from Minnesota but now lives in Spain, where she enjoys trying new foods and learning more about the culture there! In her free time, she likes to read, go to the beach, spend time with friends and family, and travel.

This article was edited and reviewed by Maria Adams, MS, MPH, RDN, LDN, a registered dietitian and Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor. Maria takes a weight-inclusive approach and helps individuals rediscover the joy of food by helping them heal from chronic dieting and disordered eating. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nutrition Science, a Master of Science in Nutrition Communication, and a Master of Public Health.