Anti-Diet Culture is touted as the solution to Diet Culture, but is it helping or hurting us? Are websites like this one that provide recipes and meal plans for keto and other diets part of the problem? IS dieting inherently bad for us? Let’s discuss.
I don’t usually do these kind of opinion posts, but I want to “weigh” in (sorry) and also get your opinion on the debate about anti-diet culture that always peaks around this time of year.
After being called out on Instagram by someone for promoting “diet culture” when I posted about my 5 Day Soup Diet this morning, I asked myself honestly if there is anything unhealthy (mentally, emotionally, physically) about promoting or using a plan like Squeaky Clean Keto, Whole30, the Egg Fast (or any diet plan) to lose weight after indulging.
According to the woman who commented on my IG this morning saying she was “not ok with this post,” I was “promoting an ideal” to lose weight “via glorified restriction.” Also that I was not “empowering women to accept themselves” and that I need to “do better for our kids who internalize these messages of diet culture.”
That’s a lot of accountability to assign to someone who is simply sharing a free meal plan for people (and not just women by the way) who want to lose a few pounds.
She obviously feels strongly about it, as do many others. But does anti-diet culture really solve the problem of diet culture?
Before I could answer that – I did a little research into what diet culture and anti diet culture even mean. There is a lot of info out there, and honestly it seems to be subjective depending on who is explaining it, but here it is in simple terms.
What are diet culture and anti-diet culture?
Diet culture is a term that refers mostly to beliefs that slim bodies are more acceptable and attractive and healthy than fat bodies, and that those social norms, perpetuated by the media, are what motivate people to punish themselves via guilt, denial, dieting, and/or over-exercising to achieve the “ideal” body and gain acceptance.
Anti-Diet Culture promotes not conforming to the belief of an ideal body size, and in defiance of that belief to not “diet” or restrict calories, food groups, or portion sizes in any way – but rather to intuitively let your body tell you what it needs to be it’s healthiest self.
Naturally, this raises some questions.
- Is going on a “diet” really self-punishment for the yummy things you ate that led to some unwanted weight gain – and are we even allowed to call it “unwanted” weight?
- Does dieting mean that you are buying into the idea that women have to look a certain way or be a certain weight to be attractive or worthwhile?
- Is going on a temporary diet to reduce your weight (for whatever your personal reasons are) an inherently bad thing?
In my opinion the answer to all of these is no.
I strongly believe that actively managing your body weight isn’t wrong, and that it is all about checks and balances in a similar way to managing your money. When you go on a spending spree it’s fun while it lasts, and then reality hits that you are broke (or at a balance below your comfort level) and you have to tighten up a bit until your bank account recovers.
You don’t decide that being broke or in debt is your right, and continue to spend however you want to because of some imagined “poor” culture.
We don’t vilify having money, and normalize being poor to make ourselves feel better about overspending and not adjusting to whatever our personal financial situation is.
That would be unreasonable and even delusional. The facts are, if we don’t live within our personal means eventually we’ll end up bankrupt, or at least in a situation that causes a lot of anxiety and unhappiness.
In that scenario, if you want to course-correct you have two choices – earn more money to support your spending habits (I realize this isn’t as simple as it sounds for a lot of reasons when it comes to actual money, but bear with me for the purpose of this analogy), or adjust your spending to meet what your current income is.
I propose that dieting is no different. Whether you make a big purchase (a few weeks of overindulgence) and need to tighten up a bit (a short plan to lose those pounds), or you’ve really been off the rails for awhile (hello pandemic weight that is still hanging around 🙋🏼♀️) and need to make some longer term eating adjustments – the checks and balances principle applies.
Maybe, instead of cutting spending, you increase your “income” by exercising and burning more calories so that you can afford to consume more, while still maintaining a positive balance.
Conversely, if you don’t check yourself at all, and simply justify it as abandoning diet culture, empowering women in larger bodies, intuitive eating, food freedom, or whatever is trending at the moment – then you may feel good about that for awhile, but eventually if you aren’t applying some checks and balances to your own eating, you will find yourself in a place you aren’t happy with physically.
And your satisfaction over championing those ideals will be small consolation when you are personally facing the challenges that come with weight gain and other potential health consequences of eating whatever you want for an extended period of time.
Our bodies are like a bank account – and the balance is different for everyone. As someone who has always struggled with my weight, I am a low earner – I can’t afford to “shop” like my account is fat – because inevitably I will be.
I have learned this the hard way, and am back to tightening the calorie/carb belt yet again in an effort to get back to a healthier weight that’s more comfortable for me.
Other people are “making it rain,” and seem to have unlimited spending potential – they can eat whatever they want and maintain a healthy weight. It’s maddening for those of us in a different “class”, but undeniably true.
We can rail about how unfair it is, blame fit people for “perpetuating the problem,” chalk it up to media for stigmatizing being fat – but none of that is going to change the fact that if your goal is to be fit and healthy, then you need to observe the checks and balances and manage your own personal account – whatever its limitations.
Which means if you choose to indulge and it results in some weight gain, if you aren’t happy with that and want to lose the weight, you’ll have to put yourself in a deficit until you do.
It’s not punishment, it’s balance.
I feel that I can speak to this with some credibility because I gave it a go during the pandemic – I “listened to my body” and “honored my cravings” as was recommended by so many influencers on social media who have abandoned “diet culture” in favor of intuitive eating.
It was easier than staying keto and saying no to foods I enjoyed – and instead of feeling guilty about it I felt righteous. I bought into the idea that if I just stopped the cycle of dieting and then indulging and the guilt that came with it, that my body would eventually even out and naturally regulate itself to a healthy weight that was effortless to maintain.
But that’s not what happened.
I slowly but steadily gained weight. I wasn’t binging, but I wasn’t tracking, and I wasn’t limiting – I ate what my body told me it wanted – sometimes salad, sometimes pasta, sometimes fruit, sometimes pizza.
I didn’t like that I was gaining, but I was assured by all these ant-diet culture people online that you just have to hang in there and it will eventually work.
Fast forward to about a year later and lo and behold, anti dieting never led to some metabolic miracle where I didn’t have to put conscious effort into maintaining a healthy weight – instead I was saddled with even more weight than I started with.
And I wasn’t willing to wait another year and possibly another 30-50 pounds gained to see if it would finally start working.
It wasn’t really a surprise in hindsight – from the moment I hit puberty I had to work hard to keep weight off. It’s my reality – no matter what the internet or popular opinion says.
But I believed it because I wanted to believe it.
So called intuitive eating let me off the hook, and I could finally just eat what I wanted to eat and everything would be ok. I could achieve a healthy weight without even trying. Because that’s the promise. That your body will default to its healthiest self on its own.
But it’s a beautiful lie for most of us.
And based on how much my website traffic has shot up in the last few days, I’m likely not the only one who fell for it and is returning to keto or whatever other plan we’ve used in the past to manage our weight when we knew and accepted that it was a fact of life.
So what’s the takeaway?
Saying no to yourself when your body is telling you it “needs” that cookie (and then next thing you know it was actually 5 or 10 cookies) is sometimes a good thing. It’s called restraint and self discipline.
Anti-diet culture tells us that food “guilt” is bad and unhealthy, but the fact is, how you feel about what you eat is irrelevant to the chemistry of weight gain. Feeling guilty about eating 10 cookies versus not feeling guilty about it does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
On Guilt
The word guilt has a negative connotation, and yes, unhealthy guilt can be debilitating if it denotes failure or self-condemnation in the extreme. But some synonyms for guilt are also “responsibility” and “answerability” and that is an appropriate application here.
If that “answerability” or awareness of the cause and effect of over-indulging a bit motivates you to go for a walk or take the stairs to burn those extra calories, then how that NOT a good thing?
Maybe, rejecting that “guilt” because it’s seen as punishing yourself – and believing your body will somehow be sad about it and react negatively, is really just a rationalization for not holding yourself accountable.
I said what I said.
I realize that the notable exception to this would be someone who has struggled with eating disorders who could be at risk when engaging on a limiting eating plan. The very real issues that they are dealing with are not at all what I’m talking about here.
So is it wrong for me to be posting diet plans on my website and social media which could trigger someone vulnerable to unhealthy habits?
I thought a lot about that, and in the end I believe the answer is no. I’m not responsible for someone’s actions regarding eating habits any more than a blogger who posts photos of a delicious cocktail is responsible if it triggers a recovering alcoholic to have a drink.
But maybe I’m rationalizing because I make my living providing keto recipes and meal plans to the public. Can I really be objective on this?
Kathleen says
I love your recipes so don’t ever let the trolls get you down. I have to live gluten free and your website is truly a treasure for me. You provide healthy, gluten free and DELICIOUS recipes. It’s a great resource and I almost always have your 5 day soup diet in the freezer because it’s phenomenally tasty. I have be able to eat very healthy using your website. I really appreciate your help in staying gluten free and healthy. I’m a fan!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks Kathleen!
Leslie says
Mellissa,
I would like to encourage you to keep doing what you are doing. Your recipes have been a life saver for me and I mean that literally!!!
In March of 2023 I was diagnosed with Heart Disease. I refuse to use the work Heart Failure. Most likely I got Covid-19 in January of 2020 which may have weakened my heart but the biggest cause was the loss of my husband/soulmate suddenly with a heart attack at the age of 55 just 10 days before our 33rd wedding anniversary in 2021. That first year I cried so hard my heart actually hurt physically.
When I received the diagnosis it was not good. I was scared for my 3 children who just lost their Dad and my two Granddaughters. With the help of my sister who is a dietary technician and a Dr that is a Naturopath the Keto Diet was recommended to me to help heal my heart.
I started right away and when I found your website it was an absolute answer to prayer. The Keto Diet has made a change in my life both mentally and physically
When first diagnosed my heart was pumping at only 15% in March. By the middle of July my ejection fracture had gone from 15 to 43%. Least to say the Cardiologist was shocked. The Keto Diet helped me lose 35# so far which has also helped with my heart journey. I enjoy the egg fast and am looking forward to trying Keto Chicken soup.
I am not going to go into the Diet/Anti-Diet Culture because people have so many opinions but I will say KEEP doing what you are doing. Your recipes have helped me so tremendously and I want to say a huge THANK YOU!!!!
I appreciate you and all the hard work and effort you do to have us all enjoy wonderful tasting food. On that note I am looking forward to having your Bacon and smoked Gouda cauliflower mash for Thanksgiving this year.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Wow Leslie, thank you so much for sharing. I’m so very very sorry for your loss. I am happy to hear that the keto diet and my recipes have had such an impact on your physical health, and I hope that you are also finding healing from your grief with the passing of time and the support of your family. Thank you again for taking the time to share your story and the encouragement, it was very inspiring to me! 💕💕💕
Denise Moseley says
My whole life I was one of the lucky people who could indulge in anything I wanted and remain thin. That all changed at 41 years old when I weaned my one and only child. The weight kept gradually, ever so slowly, packing on. I had no idea how to get rid of it because I never had to before. 15 years down the road and I’m 30+ lbs. overweight and my Drs are telling me to drop the fat.
I tried weight watchers. A very sensible program, and I lost weight rapidly but I could not maintain it because, as I came to learn, I have a severe sugar addiction. I developed insulin resistance which terrified me. I had an interest in Keto because I had heard of it but couldn’t seem to figure out how to do it. I purchased Melissa’s book, and it was exactly what I needed.
I no longer crave sugar. I’ve lost 24 pounds over the past 6 months and my husband has lost over 60. Additionally, both of our blood pressures have dropped, and surprisingly, we are so very calm!
Melissa, you have truly been a wonderful blessing to my family and I am truly grateful that you share your knowledge and experience so generously. 💕
Mellissa Sevigny says
This was an amazing read Denise, thank you so much for sharing and congrats to both you and your husband on your tremendous progress!!!
Kandace says
First, thank you for your posts, recipes, cookbooks, and plans. I recommend you to all my friends. In my opinion, you provide healthy options for choosing a lifestyle that fits for a persons needs. Americans are getting sicker and unhealthy more and more. If a person can find a healthy way of eating, not think of it as a diet, but use common sense, I feel we’d be a healthier group of people. Personally, I’m trying to eliminate the foods that I know my body doesn’t like. It’s not easy, but given options like you offer, makes it easy to fine tune the foods that make me actually feel good. I’m 71, have been eating as healthy as I can, all my life, ups and downs, and I feel you and your insights are a breath of fresh air! Keep up all you are doing! Thank you!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thank you Kandace!
Chris says
The woman’s comment angers me. I’ve had a weight problem most of my life, low carb dieting just made it worse. I learned in my early 20’s that I could lose weight one way, eating every other day with a 500 calorie meal that was except for a piece of rye bread, keto. Denny’s of all places taught me that. Though back in the 1970’s nobody used that word. I didn’t find out until 2013 that I am carb sensitive, my doctor explained what is happening to me. He supports keto life style 100%.
I have been intermittent fasting for years now, 16/8. But I get the most out of 42 to 48 hour fasts. The reason I’m angry is because I’m obese with type 2 diabetes, telling me that keto is bad or any kind of diet is bad is wrong. I don’t want to die from diabetes. No one is making me diet, I do it because of my health and the fact that low carb made it worse. Fasting and keto keep my blood sugar under control. You were one of the first people I found with recipes that I could use. I’ve purchased your ebooks, your paper back books and passed them on to others with problems like mine. I can’t say keto is the whole answer for me, but keto along with fasting has helped me peel off 79 lbs so far and I still have more to go, but I have hope too of losing the rest and getting off medication. So when I think of what that woman had to say about diet culture vs anti diet culture, she is not speaking for me or others like me that don’t want to die because our bodies can’t tolerate carbs.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks for sharing Chris, as someone who has always struggled with weight, and has found that only keto works for me long term, I can relate to your frustration! I’m happy that you found something that is working for you and keeping your diabetes in check!
Mary Howard says
ignore, ignore, Ignore. Just ignore nasty people, follow your own path. They don’t have to be here if they don’t agree.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Sage advice, thank you!
Pamela Moen says
We certainly don’t default to health no matter how we treat the body. It’s a biological machine, it has requirements. The problem I see is how we humans have made it nearly impossible to feel good about ANYTHING we eat now. Whatever it is, there’s someone out there happy to tell you it’s bad for you. What you believe about what you’re eating has a big effect on how well your body receives it. Thought experiment: Imagine being a body and anticipating receiving something your owner believes in wonderful for you. Now imagine the opposite. How well do you think you’ll digest in each case?
It is about balance. Do your best to eat what makes you feel healthiest overall. I enjoy the recipes on this site as this kind of eating makes me feel well. Choose, then believe that it IS good for you, and allow yourself to fully ENJOY what you eat. Stop relentless fretting … it does far more harm than good as it sends a negative message to your body no matter what you’re eating.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Well said Pamela, thank you!
Lisa A. says
I believe we all must take responsibility for ALL of our choices. That includes our “diets”. I don’t condemn others who chose to eat unhealthily, or who chose to be overweight. I don’t feel forced to have a particular body type either. “One size” does not fit all! As an older woman, who is no longer as thin or in shape as I was in my younger days, my goal is to maintain health! Does this include keeping my weight at a “healthy” level? YES. Since I want to be able to move as freely as possible and keep my joints from being overtaxed, I must maintain a body weight that allows me to do so. I don’t do this for beauty…I am beyond that at this point in my life!
However, I also believe there is too much “junk” food being offered by the food industry, and little education on what constitutes a healthy diet. Why aren’t children taught healthy nutrition starting in 1st grade? It’s more than knowing the “food pyramid”. I would think the growth in child and adult diabetes shows something is wrong with the American diet.
I don’t believe one has to be a certain weight to be beautiful, it’s more a matter of how you feel in your own body and what works for you. I truly appreciate all the healthy eating advice I get from this site. At 75 years old I am more active and mobile than most my age and attribute this to a healthy diet and weight.. But I believe others are free to make their own choices and don’t feel I must impose my choices on them, as I would not want others to impose their choices on me .
Melissa, your site has been so helpful in my quest to maintain a healthy weight! Yes, I’ve tried the 5 day soup diet, and the 5 day egg diet when I wanted to lose weight fast (mainly to fit into a certain dress!) But I know those diets are meant to be temporary and they ARE helpful for a short term goal. But the recipes I use from your site are both delicious, healthy and help me to maintain a healthy weight, while not feeling like I am “dieting”. Keep up the good work, Melissa! I recommend your site to everyone I know who wants to eat healthier!
Patricia says
Lisa, your post mirrored my own thoughts exactly and when I saw your age I knew why. I am 73 and am not new to KETO or working to maintain a healthy weight. It’s been a lifelong goal to feel and be my best and has little to do with how I “look” at this stage in life. Good health and a healthy weight does not just happen. It’s a result of the persoanl choices we make to achieve it. And when I abandon good choices the result is weight gain and all the ill effects that come with it. Whenever I’ve taken the route of “I’ll eat whatever I please” nothing good ever comes of that poor decision.
Melissa’s post was excellent and one I plan to store in my “INSPIRATION” folder to read and re-read when I need a little boost and validation for my own personal choices. Thank you, Melissa.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks Patricia, I’m honored to be part of your inspiration folder!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks for this Lisa, it’s a very balanced way to approach it and it’s obviously working great for you!
Joy says
You are amazing. This was very well thought out and well spoken. I admit that I DO read almost every single one of the emails that I receive from you. Like on Socials, it is the viewer’s conscious decision to read the posts. I’m peri-M now, and am quickly finding out that sugar is destroying me. But that is my decision to read it, or to eat or not to eat. You are in no way, shape, or form responsible for me (or anyone) reading or not reading. You, Melissa, are also not responsible for any human’s decision to eat something you put out, or go Keto or Clean eating. There is just something lately about everyone wanting to be heard, and the voices of the “anti-whatevers” being pushed to the front like they have all the answers. Lots of negative energies. The only person who truly has responsibility over their body is the owner of said body.
(Yes, I’m talking to you, Instagram posting lady!)
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks so much Joy, I appreciate you being here!
April says
Americans at least are deeply embedded in a trough of dysfunction. In our quest to be accepting and nice, we’ve lost a sense of what is good, right, healthy, and true.
The push to celebrate all bodies, sizes, and health statuses is a low bar. It doesn’t strain feelings. It doesn’t imply there’s work to be done or discipline to be developed. It doesn’t ask for changes for the better nor for people to sacrifice their immediate desires for a long-term goal. It doesn’t require thinking about what to put in a grocery cart, how much sleep to get, nor how much alcohol to drink. It doesn’t require a change in habits, a shift in mindset, nor a rise in activity levels.
“Body acceptance” is a way to shift responsibility to everyone and everything outside of oneself while hoping for the best. It emboldens a person to demand that others change, but not himself or herself. Anti-diet culture shouts that the problem is other people, not me. It insists that whatever state I find myself in is fine, and that any person (including me) who thinks otherwise is hateful—violent even.
Of course, this is a lie.
As far as we know, we get one lifetime on this planet, one crack at living our best lives. Should we then knowingly damage ourselves? Wantonly tear up the bodies we own? Abandon our future selves to the immediate? Should we spend every day struggling to get out of a chair, into a seat belt, to locate pants that will zip, or to walk two city blocks?
Not everyone wants to be a size 0. Not everyone has the bone structure to be a size 8. It’s not about a number on the clothing tag or the scale—those are just data points to help us make decisions along the journey. It’s about being mobile and having energy. It’s being comfortable in a plane seat, car seat, or doctor’s office chair. It’s having blood sugar levels that don’t interfere with healing. It’s getting off prescription meds. It’s being able to walk a city block, a flight of stairs, or a craft fair. It’s being able to get into the floor to play with grandkids. It’s looking in the mirror and saying, “This is good.”
Mellissa Sevigny says
Wow! I should have had you ghost write this article for me! 😂 Seriously though, this was so very well said, and a very reasonable and stable take on it all – thanks for taking the time to share!
Debbie says
I am an overweight 70 year old woman and I’m okay with that. What I’m not okay with is being diabetic. Your recipes are helping me with getting that under control. For me it’s not a diet plan, but a learn to eat better plan!
I’m not following keto but use your recipes often.
Mellissa Sevigny says
A “learn to eat better plan” is such a great way to say it! Love it Debbie, thanks for chiming in!
Donna says
What really freaks me out is that people get “triggered” or “offended “ or get their feelings hurt by looking at something mentioning a diet plan . Are people really that sensitive or weak? If you don’t agree with something or “want to look at something “ why can’t you just scroll past or or just simply NOT READ IT? If you want to follow a diet plan then read it and do it, if not then just don’t read it like you’re interested in it and want to do it.
I really don’t get how sensitive people are now.
Everyone is different, and for me just because I want to be healthy (because when I’m not I get stomach problems and have low energy) , I don’t care if someone else doesn’t want to eat the same as me .
And to me, whoever made a comment about you posting about the egg fast diet (or whatever diet you were talking about) is doing EXACTLY what she is accusing YOU of.
Really, are people really THAT sensitive?
Mellissa Sevigny says
Unfortunately this is where we are – but I agree with you that all of us can make our own choice about what to consume or read or follow and we don’t have to feel the need to have an opinion on what other people’s choices are when they differ from our own.
Suzanne Gray says
There is no one diet that will fit everyone. Our society has brainwashed the masses! I have been in the holistic field for 30 years. Just because you are skinny does not mean you are healthy. What is health? My approach is connecting body/mind/ spirit. Understanding how the systems in the body and how they communicate.
If you do not address the gut , the second brain , issues will be present. I educate my clients , get in touch with your body and how does it feel after you eat? I can go on, however; this can be a complicated area to discuss.
People need to do their research and not listen to the media all the time. Listen to your gut feelings!
The answers are within….
Megan says
Thank you for this. I think it was a really important, nuanced way to respond to the anti diet allegation. I do think one worrying aspect about “anti diet” culture that you didn’t point out is the very strong belief by many anti dieters that it is not acceptable to say obesity is bad for one’s health.
This morning I read an oped in The New York Times claiming that childhood obesity is not a health epidemic. It’s insanity to me. But the vitriol shown toward anyone who suggests that obesity is a health problem, not a protected identity, makes people scared to talk about it.
It was really obvious pretty early in Covid that obesity led to higher risks of death. This isn’t a put down. If your lungs are struggling to breath, you should not put a 20 pound weight on your chest. In the same way it’s not going to help to put 20 extra pounds of fat on your lungs.
I do think we live in a society with horrible cruelty. But we can love men and women of all sizes without encouraging their poor health. It’s not “toxic diet culture” to share recipes, support and ideas for the activity we do most, preparing and eating food.
Ciaran says
I struggle with disordered eating from a childhood of often food-related abuse and I have been on diets from the age of about 5. While I can see where anti-diet hype is coming from, I am also facing the need to lose weight to solve several health problems. The aggressive anti weight loss trend on social media leaves me feeling a lack of support when the last thing I need to hear is it’s ok to eat everything.
My advice to anyone on the same path is to block them when you see them, don’t engage just boop with the block hammer. Needing to take control of your health isn’t an eating disorder and it isn’t wrong but it’s made harder by the constant message that it is.
Mellissa Sevigny says
This is a great comment, thank you! It’s true that things have gone so far that now we are made guilty for wanting to lose weight and that makes it even harder to work towards that goal with no support and even being vilified for trying!
Susan Andrews says
Working in the mental health field, sure, I’ve met many young people, mostly women, who have absorbed some harmful ideas about how they “should” look in order to be acceptable/loveable humans. The comparisons of social media have exaggerated the problem but peel it back to its origin and often it started as a message from women in their own family. These issues are almost NEVER about health but rather all about APPEARANCE. Toxic “diet culture” teaches that you MUST be this thin in order to be loveable THEREFORE tasty food in your mouth makes you unloved and unloveable. It’s beyond toxic, hard to unwrap from people’s heads and has nothing whatsoever to do with health. Quite the opposite.
Now. Enter your wonderful keto recipes. They teach how to use vegetables rather than more carby foods. They put tasty food in my mouth. They nourish me. They delight. I feel loved and loveable as I eat my Brazilian shrimp stew (from the Squeaky Clean cook book) and serve it to guests who ALSO love it regardless of how large or small any of us are. Rather than food being the enemy that must be restricted and withheld, your recipes have helped me learn how to manage my diabetes better while STILL EATING WELL. Better living through vegetables. Your soup has more colorful veggies in it than most people eat in a week. People probably need five days of your veggie soup just to get out of veg deficit.
I know what you’re saying about using keto foods to balance overindulgence. I get it. Keto can be a tool, sure, to counter overindulgence. But Mellissa, please don’t overlook the standalone value of your recipes as TASTY UNPROCESSED FOOD, heavy on the veggies. Not sure how anyone can be “anti” that when it’s so obviously helpful in the quest toward HEALTH and feeling great.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks so much Susan! You know I have to sneak the veggies in however I can to get them past my guys! 🙄😂
Susan Andrews says
Keep sneaking, friend. It’s helping lots of us. :) ;)
Gloria Latta says
The benefit of diet and recipe blogs is, they make it easy to eat intuitively by showing me how to get the tastes and foods I want in a way that doesn’t result in obesity. Why should we resist obesity? Because it makes movement and most all physical activities painful or impossible. Does the fact that Lizzo can dance happily in skimpy outfits and become rich by doing it mean obesity and fitness are equally healthy and desirable? No, it means that youth is a stronger recovery mechanism than an elderly ability to live with poor habits long-term.
If a person decides to follow Mellissa’s squeaky clean/egg/soup eating plans long-term, they will not become unhealthy or die. Factors such as media, peer-pressure, parental attitudes or neglect and ineffective governmental regulation of agriculture and food manufacturing practices likely cause the harms surrounding obesity and dieting far more than having a large choice of eating styles available.
Marquetta Diana Knight says
Continue to do what you are doing by being a “beacon of light” in the dark untruths that have been plaguingour dietary existence. At 258#, I was between having gastric and praying for something to help me so that I could live longer, better, and healthier. Keto “blessed” me to lose weight (80#), gain energy, lose joint pain! No pills, no surgery but using the food that I was killing myself with and beginning to heal my life. Haters are going to hate…that’s their job! You keep doing what you are called to do…Thanks for everything that you do to make this journey a little easier…Knowledge
Suzanne says
Oh Melissa!! I have so much to say on the subject it’s hard to know where to begin. But first let me say what a welcome addition you and your recipes have been to my life this past year and a half. I’ve lost 75 lb and finally feel physically well, after struggling with chronic fatigue Epstein-Barr and many other issues. So please know how much I love and respect the work that you do and I’m so grateful that you’re there doing what you’re doing.
Having said that. If it were 30 years ago it might have been me who wrote that comment to you about diet culture, cause I get it. I grew up in a dysfunctional household with a mentally ill mother, who projected her weight issues on to me at a very young age. She put me on Dr Atkins diet at the age of 11 when I was just starting to menstruate and continued through my teen years objectifying me, and only valuing me based on my weight. Even before adulthood my relationship with food was completely askew. She absolutely refused to buy me clothes unless I was a specific size. Needless to say I was dressed like a ragamuffin.
It’s craziness like this that propels young girls, women and others into disordered eating. It took me another 20 years of swinging between anorexia and bulimia to find any sense of normalcy with food. It took a lot of therapy, and a lot of healing. For those of us who have dwelled in these waters. The diet culture is antagonistic and toxic. It absolutely is.
However, once healing occurs, (and it takes an extraordinary amount of time…..) eating plans such as keto can be embraced in a healthy way. Since my metabolism got royally screwed up by my rapid extremes of weight loss and weight gain, throughout my life, I had a particularly tough time getting the weight off, especially after menopause. It turns out keto has been the ONLY thing that has worked for me. And as I said before I feel better than ever.
I 100% agree with you about the analogy between moderation with food and moderation with finances. It’s just another aspect of life for all of us to manage. Please have compassion for those who are still in the throes of the sting of diet culture. They’ve probably been tormented either by others or by themselves over body image and size and being objectified as women and all that goes with that.
Thank you so much for your site and for your cookbooks and for all the recipes that you provide. I’m finally learning to cook in a healthful way because of you! So thank you, thank you, thank you and please keep doing what you’re doing. When the others find healing they will relax.
With love and warmest regards,
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thank you for sharing your perspective based on personal experience Suzanne – I am very sorry that you went through that, it must have wreaked havoc on your self esteem and I am so glad that you have found healing and peace over it. And that you’ve found something that finally works for you and makes you feel great! Your story is inspiring, thank you for taking the time to write it for all of our benefit! 💕
Karen Green says
I am keto for life. Keto is the only food plan that I have ever been able to stick to long term. Within 4 months of starting keto 4 years ago my diabetes had reversed itself. Yes, I’ve lost weight and yes I have regained some. My doctor says I’m in better health now than I was 10 years ago. The truth is that obese people are rarely healthy people. I say ignore the foolishness and the shamers and keto on!
Sarah says
Please do not be swayed by the criticism. Those that can do intuitive eating may not need your site or to follow you on Instagram.
I probably waffle between intuitive and some form of low carb living. I tend to always come back to a combination of Mediterranean style low grain style low carb.
I went back to school at 47 and have gained back weight that was maintained for 5 years with the stress of an extremely busy lifestyle and coping with that stress with carbs.
Eat to live not live to eat. Sometimes this will be more intuitive, sometimes this will be more planned and intentional. Without being intentional, I will be fat, and not healthy, low energy version of myself.
That does not suit my goals.
Eat to live. I’m not afraid of the word diet, any more than the word budget.
Patricia says
NOW THAT’S A MANTRA:
“Without being intentional, I will be a fat, and not healthy, low energy version of myself. That does not suit my goals.”
Ann Clarkson says
Going keto did three wonderful things for me: My digestive problems disappeared, I lost 30 kilos of body weight and have kept them off for 12 years, and I haven’t seen a diabetic blood glucose number for those 12 years. I love the food as well, and at almost 77 years old, I can go out on the local Rail Trail and do a minimum of 10km walking and running, every day.
So why on earth would I ever want to change my keto diet by going back to the foods that caused my diabetes and digestive problems in the first place? Yes, I’ve added back some more coloured vegetables, but the exercise allows me to do that and remain mostly keto-adapted.
So my heartfelt thanks go, every day, to you, Mellissa, and a few other people who have helped me with these achievements, and maintaining them, for all these years. I thank you all every morning as I pour a lot of pure frothed cream into my first cup of coffee for the day!
Mellissa Sevigny says
You are an inspiration Ann, and it sounds like at 77 you are really living your best life! Thanks for sharing!
Phyllis says
I had to go look up anti diet because I guess I am out of the loop. From what I’ve read its not anything new. Or at least not to someone who has been overweight most of her life. Beginning in grade school I was advised “just eat when your hungry and then quit when you’re full”. “If you have a candy bar in the afternoon you shouldn’t be eating as much for dinner” . I heard the same things at every weight loss group I went to. I’ve also been battling glucose intolerance all my life. So for me, this is not just about body image, its health preservation. Recently, as my glucose issues have become worse as I have aged, I was given Trulicity to try to help control my blood sugar. For the first time in my life I was able to step away from food. I thought wow this is how normal people feel. I could do intuitive eating like I had been hearing about my whole life. I’m not saying this to promote these kinds of medications but to illustrate that some of us are simply not biochemically able to do intuitive eating naturally. Unfortunately, my insurance company has cut off my funding for this drug now and I am back to my usual struggles with food. They decided that because after being on the drug for 5 months and my HgbA1c was now normal…I was cured! Obviously not but that’s a story for another day. I continue to eat low carb and use your recipes often. Thank for all you do. ❤
Elizabeth says
You are an inspiration to many! As far as your posts, they are what I need to keep reminding me of better eating habits. I try to eat keto for my health and without your posts, I don’t know that I could do it. Thank you for all you do and for sharing so much. Keep being you! You are appreciated by many.
Nicki says
Food addiction is real. Just like any other addiction out there. If we don’t deal with it, we will continue on this road we have been on. 80% of Americans are overweight or obese. So not sure any of this body positivity bull is helping anyone or just normalizing our collective food addiction. As you said, we are bankrupt. Thank you for providing recipes and encouragement to get us back on track. Love you – onward.
Cheryl Taylor says
I do not opinion that your website is negative at all! I love it! I grew up in a family where the females only believed in being skinny, by any means. I was a tomboy, muscular, athletic type, so I did not fit in. I tried their diets, and they were not for me. I also watched all these women get heart disease from eating all the garbage carbs, sugars, but not enough protein/fat to keep a mouse alive! My mother never weighed over 105 lbs her entire life, died on the OR table with 600+ arterial blocks, thank you American Heart Association “diet”. What I started to realize by age 20 was their diet was killing them, not some inherited heart disease. So I moved to low carb, then Keto, now mostly Carnivore, I’m 61, zero heart disease. I am so tired of the “OFFENDED” souls out there, thinking children are delicate and such. Stop feeding them carbage, ultra processed foods….historically, we were all thin in my elementary school, and the food was really good, cooked by southern ladies and we all ran around, had an hour of PE daily. Culture is the problem, not your recipes and plans. I eat Keto/Carnivore not to stay thin, but for health, and I have no issues with feeling anything but great. We eat whole foods, what we want in our lifestyle, and when we want. No dieting in this house! Keep up the great work, and don’t let someone stop your dreams!
Kerstin says
I know that I cannot really tolerate many carbs, and while I usually don’t do a squeaky clean keto, I do use many keto recipes in an effort to reduce my carbs radically…and I thank you for that.
I don’t believe a diet is a mentality issue – you have to find what works for you. And looking at my family’s history, I know that carbs are my bane, and I need to watch them…and saying I am on a “see food diet – all the food I see, I eat” is not a good thing, just as my drug of choice is sugar or carbs…
So I greatly appreciate your effort to provide good recipes we can enjoy while still helping us to lose our weight or keep it where we want it!
Gina says
First of all-thank you! I appreciate that you have your audience’s best interests at heart. You don’t try to peddle products (yes you have cookbooks, but you offer your recipes for free) like I’ve seen with other keto folk. You’re real (and have a great sense of humor). You know what it feels like to be overweight as well as the consequences of overindulgence. You are constantly telling your readers that your keto fasts are not long term solutions because we won’t get the necessary nutrients that our bodies need. What people choose to do with them in the long run isn’t your fault. We all make our own choices.
Second-keto isn’t for everyone. It is a lifestyle. It’s not something that is temporary. For those of us at risk for diabetes, it’s essential. After having gestational diabetes 17 years ago and having a grandmother who died from complications from the disease (it’s genetic as well), it’s important for me to follow this lifestyle (I’m no longer even in the prediabetic range). Unfortunately, I’m not following your recipes as much as I should be. So, I do have a good chunk (no pun intended) of weight to take off, but I’m still a “healthy” overweight person (cholesteral is even good). I’m sure some people disagree that that’s possible.
Third, while I feel that the Squeaky Clean eating is too much for me, hey, guess what? I don’t have to follow it! There’s nothing that’s making me feel guilty because I’m not doing it!
That was really long-I had so much more I wanted to say but I’ll refrain as to not bore you to death.
FYI: You probably know this but maybe some readers (not sure who even read this far) sugar hits the same pleasure receptors in the brain as cocaine. It is an addictive substance. It’s not that way for everyone (just like alcohol isn’t for many). I am addicted to sugar.
I found a website that explains more if anyone is interested. I’m not affiliated with it at all.
https://www.addictioncenter.com/drugs/sugar-addiction/#:~:text=Some%20studies%20have%20suggested%20that,a%20risk%20of%20sugar%20overindulgence
Thank you SO much for providing your recipes and sense of humor!
Marlene says
We’ve abused the word diet and have made it into a trigger for some. The word in noun form just means foods that are eaten by a particular species, whether human or animal. When anthropologists discover human bones or mummies from a long lost tribe, they are able to find out age, gender, height, diseases and DIET- what they ate. But now we use diet in verb form, which now means restriction, denial, non pleasure, etc. I have “a diet”, I am not “on a diet”. My diet consists of food that make me feel my best, have healed my migraines, healed my body inflammation, prevented diabetes…I could go on.
Melissa, you are spot on with your thoughts. Don’t cave to the shamers. My holiday desserts and special treats always come from your recipes and no one knows the difference!
April says
I agree 10000% with all you say. They have no understanding of addictions, that sugar and wheat are just as bad as hard drugs for those of us who are addicted. That’s me. I did fine when I stuck to keto for years and 2020 got me off kilter and I have not been able to stop the addictions because I just keep eating a LITTLE of those things. I get so discouraged trying because I also lost so much strength with nothing to do and no place to go, that when I add that to the mix of food addiction and cheap food from the food pantry…I’m sinking….sunk! Thank you for all you do. My next step is the egg fast (recipes are great) and then after that is the soup diet. Just maybe if I can stick to it, I’ll start doing better. I don’t believe in New Year Resolutions as such, but that is my resolution! Thanks again!!!
Kathy says
What has happened to the right as individuals to make our own life choices without judgements? Some of us choose “health” based on our unique body composition and some choose to “rationalize” their lack of willpower or self-control. Your “offer” of an alternative eating method is not forcing another to make any type of choice. The same is true of the anti-vax crowd. We all are entitled to our “beliefs” and “free will” so long as it doesn’t harm another.
Vicki Montoya says
I agree with the sentiments here. Melissa – you are a breath of fresh air and simply provide an option for whose of us who CHOOSE to follow your (ever so delicious) recipes. Those who so quickly and readily respond to a post like you made most likely have other issues. I agree with you. I’ve struggled since puberty to keep those pounds at bay. Yours is a welcome website that provides great recipes and advice for our own choices. Thanks for what you do!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks so much Vicki, I appreciate your support!
Ellen says
Anti diet culture is hurting us IMO. My mother was so obese that she stopped living and had trouble even getting off the couch. She stopped cooking and ordered take out every day. This caused her to gain even more weight. When she got breast cancer like her mother, she opted to refuse treatment and do assisted suicide. She was my inspiration to get off my butt and get healthy. I found keto in 2016. I had much body damage from the 13 meds I was on. In the beginning I could only walk 5 minutes at a time. Today I am med free and aging in reverse according to my physician. Joint pain completely disappeared. Healed my liver, diabetes is in remission. Sadly a few months after my mother died my niece also died from suicide. She had health issues too. She left behind 4 children. I believe with all my soul that God brought me to Keto. I also believe my mother and niece would be here today if they changed their diets to Keto.
Mellissa Sevigny says
This is a tragic account Ellen. I am so sorry for your loss, and for the hopelessness your Mother and Niece must have felt to move them to that decision. I am happy for you that you have broken the cycle though, and thank you for sharing that moving and inspiring personal story. 💕
Jill Winch says
YOU. GO. GIRL!!!
I’ve been following you for several years now after breast cancer and chemotherapy left me so nutritionally depleted. I’m 10 years past cancer, and no longer need to be under dr’s care, but on one of my last check-ups, my doc looked at my numbers and said, “I don’t know what you’re doing, but keep it up. Your numbers are normal, and ya can’t get better than normal!” Hubs and I (at 73) feel so great it should be illegal :) Neither of us takes any medications whatsoever.
When we’re traveling, even though we eat Keto as best as we can in restaurants, we usually can’t wait to get back home to cooking our own food, because we feel SO much better. And IBIH is the go-to recipe almost all the time. We don’t think of it as a diet, even though we’ve both lost between 15 and 30 pounds, nor do we think of it as restrictive, because of the great variety of foods enhanced with herbs and spices. We usually don’t tell dinner guests their meal is Keto (unless for nut allergies with almond flour) and they always rave.
Your analogy of money was a perfect way to explain our bodies/diets, and this whole “intuitive” eating (spending), and we loved your wise little insert on “guilt”. C’mon people, grow up and own the words responsibility, and answerability.
We think of Keto as a lifestyle, and not a diet, and last we checked, we still live in a country where we’re free to pursue our own lifestyles.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, for your scrumptious recipes, and your wisdom. And thank you for being willing to speak up.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks for the support Jill and congratulations on your excellent health – especially at 73! You inspire me to keep working and that just because I’m headed into my 50’s soon that it doesn’t mean I can’t feel great if I go back to what I know works for me – Keto!
Jeanie says
The only thing I can say to you, Melissa and Jill, is a huge AMEN & THANK YOU!!! God bless you!
AR says
I have been low-carb/keto for going on 7 years now. It helped me take control of my weight and health when other measures had failed. I am learning that it is not an all-encompassing answer, and intermittent fasting, weight, cardio, medication, and other choices can be part of the overall health picture, depending on a person’s unique situation.
When I first walked away from sugar, bread, crackers, pasta, potatoes, and rice on a daily basis, friends and family thought it was “too restrictive.” However, I’d argue that excessive weight, painful joints, uncomfortably tight clothing, and chronic acid reflux were more restrictive to me. Those are no longer my reality. In fact, I feel, move, and sleep better at 51 than I did at 45—true story.
Indeed, the pandemic was tough on resolve! I didn’t eat a lot of junky foods myself. However, I drank waaaay too much wine for about a year—not good. I’d go so far as to say it was practically nightly, which is not like me. I’ve had to work to walk that back over the last 6-9 months! Yikes.
Because you asked (and only because you’ve opened the floor), I’ll mention one little hangup I have with low-carb/keto dieting: soup diets and egg fasts. I don’t view those two hacks as promoting the need for long-term habit and mindset changes. I suspect they deliver a skewed sense of what to expect in terms of the time, commitment, and work it will take to see results. Perhaps the thinking is that some will come for the quick-and-fast and opt to stay to try something more?
However, my personal thoughts on those two aside, let me exclaim how much I’ve enjoyed your recipes for many years now. Your site is one I recommend both to people who are newcomers to the lifestyle or have been on low-carb/keto for a bit and want more ideas to expand their cooking. Thank you for all you do, especially for making recipes available for free, for curating a newsletter, for and constantly seeking growth in your own life because that is reflected in your content.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thank you for your honest response and feedback, it is very much appreciated! 😘
AR says
Yes, ma’am. I appreciate you enough to share my thoughts for what they are worth–high praise in my book. ;) Thanks for all you do.
Rhonda says
Suffered from health issues of anorexia and conversely overweight health issues afterward. Neither is a “happy place”. Due to joint issues as well as my doc saying markers for health that should be 60 or under were over 600, I sought a way to be healthy without focusing on weight. Enter Keto. Five years in and my numbers are so good that my athletic doctor says she wishes hers were this good. I have better joint health, can get on the floor with my grand children, and have at this point in my life lived longer than anyone in my immediate family at 62(where weight related health issues run rampant). Food for my family was equated with love. If, in my experienced opinion, someone who struggles with weight as I have, could feel as good as I do physically, the ice cream and the cookie would be an occasional treat, not the focus. Yes, I weigh myself weekly. Yes, I have a window of ten pounds, either side of my bodies “happy weight”, a number where I don’t feel deprived, have a shape but is not too much or too little for my height and life activities, I tighten up what I’m doing. I missed so much focusing on food. I don’t want to miss any more.
Keep the encouragement and recipes coming. It is health and life for many. Which is kinder, to ignore someone you love killing themselves to either be thin or eat with reckless abandon or to encourage health with whatever platform you have?
Mellissa Sevigny says
You are an excellent example of keeping a good balance Rhonda – thanks for this inspiring response!
Suzanne says
This post probably saved me a few grand. I have been swarmed by the mindful/intuitive eating posts on instagram because in someway I do resonate with some of what they say. I’ve chatted with two and actually signed up for one persons very expensive course – but only because I could get my money back – and I did. The course material was filled with anti-keto and anti-fasting (both which I like to do) and a lot of points I already learned with my therapist.
Food was love in my family growing up and I would say I think about it too much – but I don’t think I will ever be able to know what I am craving (protein vs fat) due to gastric bypass. Short story long, while I’m experimenting with being more low carb most days and don’t track anymore. And most of the time I am not trying to eat slower and notice more about my food overall.
Just trying to find balance without putting too much merit on anyone else’s ideas is my goal for 2023.
Mellissa Sevigny says
That is a very worthy and reasonable goal Suzanne, and I’m really glad that you didn’t pony up for more expensive courses just to tell you what you already know or can figure out on your own for free with a little experimentation. Thanks for taking the time to chime in!
Audra says
I agree with you but unfortunately that is the sick culture we live in is at right now. We want to give everyone an ok or excuse for bad behaviors rather than them “work” on self and know some of the blame is theirs. I love your analogy and on the flip side of it your way of thinking is correct but again our media, politics and culture are trying to make others think the absolute opposite of your analogy on money, diet and a plethora of other things as well! Keep doing what you are doing. Luckily, there is enough room and believers on both sides for all of us. You have just as many of us for you as against you. It does make you wonder what said commentary was doing even looking at your stuff if it’s not what they believe. Hmm maybe they were looking for answers to a specific problem and rationalizing with/for themselves. Just my 2 bits! Currently on day 3 of the soup diet. Love your cookbooks and what you do and how you write. Photography too, you’re so talented. Thanks for sharing!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks so much Audra, I’m happy to hear that the analogy made sense! Hope you have great results on the soup diet and thanks again for taking the time to comment.
MARION ROBINSON says
I get a bit sick of others telling me what to do all the time. I was the one that chose to follow Mellissa’s advice, it was never pushed onto me. I’m a grown Women with a mind of my own. I have type 2 Diabetes, & the low carb way of eating is wonderful for my health. I never take any drugs whatsoever.I control my blood sugar by eating this way.I’m almost 80 years old, live life to the full,& I want to stay this way for a lot longer. I have a gorgeous Husband of 27 years, who’s 14 years younger than me & our Doctor told us, ” you’re the only folks registered on my books, that don’t need any prescriptions ) We live on the beautiful West coast of Scotland, grow our own organic veg, go out for walks on the stunning Mountains, & laugh a lot….SO THANK YOU Mellissa for taking the time to write the two wonderful books I’ve got & love. Do I feel deprived eating & living this way, not one bit.
just remember this. those of us who follow your plan are the ones who benefit,& if it makes others annoyed, tell them to go somewhere else, leave us alone to stay HEALTHY, after all, WE would go somewhere else ourselves
if it wasn’t right for us ! Have a wonderful healthy 2023 & please write another book soon . I’m sure your gang
would be so happy about that news , I know I would be x
Audra says
So agree on the book! As well as the rest of it!
Mellissa Sevigny says
What an amazing example you guys are, and I am very jealous of your walks in the Scottish countryside! Thanks for your continued support of my site and books, and for taking the time to leave such a lovely comment.
Shona says
This is such a complex subject. I really appreciate you trying to unravel it based on a respect for one of your reader’s comments. From looking at the original comments that triggered this discussion, I feel a lot was read into your original soup post. The commenter seemed to equate suggesting you could lose up to 10lbs with you suggesting people aren’t good enough. I didn’t read it this way and I personally don’t know many people that aren’t trying to dial it back a bit after the holidays. For some people, any suggestion of restriction or weight loss “goals” will always be triggering. And, as you say, others will see it as a tool for weight management. I truly don’t see these two points of view as finding much common ground as they come from such different core beliefs. I feel like you either believe it’s ok to weight loss/weight goals or you do not.
Mellissa Sevigny says
This is so true Shona and I’m not sure they can ever be reconciled, but it is good to know that reasonable people still exist among us!
Martha F. says
Well said! I work in an ER nights every other week and see far too many examples of what anti-dieting has done for far too many patients. Be clear, it is not always weight gain! There are many patients who are thin, but medically malnourished, who are just as inclined to be chronically ill as the obese populations. It’s an ugly circle.
I have also struggled with my weight most of my life, and yes, my self-image. But in no way is anti-diet the answer for me. Yes, I tried. All it did was raise my blood pressure and cholesterol, and forced me to get an even large size for my “fat-day jeans”!
While I don’t follow Keto specifically, I do tend toward lower carbs, preferring whole, unprocessed foods with as little added sugar or things I can’t pronounce as possible. This is what makes me feel best outside and in.
Thank you for what you’re doing and so graciously sharing!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks for sharing those insights based on being on the front lines of it – you have a difficult profession and we appreciate you!
S says
I don’t think of keto as a real diet because I am still eating all of my favorite foods. For me, it’s just a way of like that I don’t mind and mostly enjoy. I don’t cheat very often but my weight is now low enough that I can once in a while as long as I keep it within reason.
Mellissa Sevigny says
That’s the ultimate goal – once you get to where you are within a healthy weight you’re happy with, then gaining 3-5 pounds on vacation or for whatever reason is manageable to lose and doesn’t require a major overhaul. I’m looking forward to working my way back to that place also – thanks for sharing!
An Bese says
I use your recipes and other keto or low carb recipes because I have diabetes and try to control it mainly with diet and lifestyle. I do not use a scale and am not obsessed about body structure/image but do realize that extra body weight can aggrievate and promote health problems like diabetes, heart disease, and many others. These problems, along with obesity in general, are becoming epidemic in the United States and many other countries. We need to all be looking at healthier lifestyles and making healthier choices more mainstream. If we do that by encouraging a diet culture, then so be it, we’re on the right track. I’d much rather be encouraged to care for my body image than be encouraged to consume vast amounts of sugar, fried, and processed foods as is sadly considered acceptable these days.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Things certainly seem out of whack, don’t they? Hopefully the anti-diet movement is on the way out and people will accept a healthier middle ground of not obsessing, but still making the effort. Thanks for the comment!
Kathleen says
I am intrigued by “Intuitive Eating” as written about by Evelyn Tribole. As a registered dietitian, I asked to join an intuitive eating FB group to help my dialysis patients learn intuitive eating to lose weight in order to be allowed to get a transplant. I was denied the FB group because you’re not supposed to have a goal of weight loss. But dialysis patients who don’t meet a weight criteria can’t get a transplant! I believe in mental and physical health and I am not convinced you can have health at every size. That’s my 2 cents.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks for that insight Kathleen – I appreciate you taking the time to comment with your personal experience and I’m sorry you weren’t able to get into that group for the sake of your patients. I hope you are able to help them find another way to get what they need!
Gingie says
I have followed your page for many years and appreciate all of the time and effort you devote to everything you do. I love it so much, I bought your cookbook. Not everyone can eat carbs in a manner that works for them. There are many folks that probably follow you because they are diabetic or insulin resistant. Please keep doing what you do because it wonderful and helps so many people. Every time I try “intuitive eating”, I end up miserable and gain weight. Those that want to criticize what content you provide should perhaps find other resources that align with their beliefs and spend more time working on themselves.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks so much Gingie, I appreciate the years of support!
Carrie Swank says
Everyone has the right to do what they think is best for themselves. No one has the right to criticize anyone else for their choices. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but not entitled to force their opinion on anyone else. Unfortunately, our culture today is to become “offended” at anything we don’t agree with, instead of trying to understand or offer help or support, or just moving on.
Seven years of so-called “intuitive” eating led me to a 35 pound weight gain. I removed that weight after 8 months of adopting a low-carb / keto lifestyle. Notice I didn’t say “diet”. I found what works best for me and I realize that, just like anything else in life, weight and health are things you have to manage and work at in order to maintain. Find what works best for you – there are plenty of options to consider – and stop being offended if you don’t agree with someone else’s choice.
Thank you for this post and your recipes. I am also a vegetarian, so finding good low-carb or keto recipes is not easy. I’ve found many of yours fit my lifestyle well or can be easily adapted. Keep doing what you’re doing and don’t let those that are “offended” stop you.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks Carrie, and I’m happy to hear that you are able to make my recipes work as a vegetarian. I have plans for many more recipes that aren’t so meat focused coming up soon.
Ellen says
I’m a nurse in an ER and I see a LOT. Body positivity is great but SO many health issues come from unhealthy diet and lack of activity. Our modern diet and lifestyle is causing us to be sick, anxious, and depressed. What you are doing is so important! I’ve told many people about your website. You truly make it easy to make good dietary choices. I even make a lot of your recipes even when I’m “off” keto because they’re so good!
Everyone deserves to feel good and be able to enjoy life for as long as possible. I don’t think of dieting as a punishment or a way to fit a certain beauty standard. I think of it as treating my body well and giving it the fuel it needs. For longevity. (I’m 52 and fabulous btw😜)
Love your body… Don’t eat crap food… Move it or lose it!
Mellissa Sevigny says
These are great principles to live by Ellen, thanks for sharing!
DeeJay says
The world, media, and social media is good at tying us in knots. I think you have spoken wisely about the issue. I encourage you to keep publishing keto content because it helps. By the way, you’d never tell an alcoholic or drug addict, that restricting or denying alcohol or drugs is bad. If something causes you an issue, it is not wrong to eliminate it from your diet. Especially, if it’s only health benefit is caloric. (sugar).
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks for your insights!
Amanda says
Ultimately I feel like “diet culture” and “anti diet culture” are flip sides of the same extremist coin. I don’t understand when we became a society in which presenting information suddenly make someone phobic or -ist or aggressive or any of the other buzzwords people throw around. I appreciate that you provide recipes and tips and I can take (or leave) what I feel works for me. It is just as unhealthy to enable people to be unhealthy as it is to guilt people into being “healthy”.
Mellissa Sevigny says
I agree so much with that first statement! Where is the balance? Thanks for chiming in!
Kim Reasoner says
I believe that anyone has the right to do what they want with their own health, but not impose their beliefs on others. If someone chooses to be healthy, and enjoy YOUR keto/low carb recipes, meal plans, and cookbooks, then they should be able to do so without comment from anyone. I know that you, and all of the other keto/low carb creators, have saved my life!
Diet culture/anti diet culture…who cares? I choose to call it my way of eating.
This country has gone through a revolution as social media became so prevalent. People now have a platform and an easier way to find like minded people for whatever their beliefs. I ignore negative comments and you should too. YOU and I know you’re doing the right thing.
I thank you so much for helping me and thousands of other people. You will never know how much you are appreciated!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks so much Kim!