Is the Diet Mentality Making You Fat?

Are you a victim of the diet mentality? If you've struggled with food, eating, weight and body image, you can probably count yourself in. Even those among us who haven't struggled with these issues may also be under its influence - just because we live in a very diet-oriented society, which often has unrealistic ideas about what we all should look like.

Why is the diet mentality so important? Our way of thinking about an issue tends to direct how we work to resolve challenges. In the case of the diet mentality, it means that we set ourselves up for struggles with restrictive, negative thinking that almost guarantees defeat.

Take this quick scientifically-validated quiz to see how entrenched you are in the diet mentality.

The Diet Mentality Quiz

Scoring
1 = always; 2= very often; 3 = often; 4 = sometimes; 5 = rarely; 6 = never

	I am unhappy with myself the way I am.
	I am preoccupied with a desire to be thinner.
	I weigh myself several times a week.
	I am more concerned with the number on the scale than my overall sense of well-being.
	I think about burning up calories when I exercise.
	I am out of tune with my body for natural signals of hunger and fullness.
	I eat for other reasons than physical hunger.
	I eat too quickly, not taking time to focus on my meal and taste, savor and enjoy my food.
	I fail to take time for activities for myself.
	I fluctuate between periods of sensible, nutritious eating and out-of-control eating.
	I give too much time and thought to food.
	I tend to skip meals, especially early in the day, so I can "save up" my food for one big feast.
	I engage in all-or-nothing thinking.
	I try to be all things to all people.
	I strive for perfection in my life.
	I criticize myself for not achieving my goals.

Scoring yourself:
Add up all the numbers. Add 4 to your total. The result is your Diet Mentality score. Here's what it means:

Between 0 and 24: You are entrenched in the diet mentality. Since most of society is in the same boat, don't feel bad. Congratulations for taking steps to break away from that diet thinking, by tuning into websites like this one, and reading books like Staying Off the Diet Roller Coaster (available in our online store).

Between 25 and 49: You are still a diet thinker, very preoccupied with food and with your weight. You let numbers - calorie counts, fat grams and portion sizes - rule you. If you have been dieting all your life, it takes time to break the diet mentality. But you can do it if you keep working with approaches and resources that promote a positive attitude toward your body, toward food, toward your self-worth, toward joy in living...all without having to be a particular size or follow a diet!

Between 50 and 74: Good for you! You're well on your way to living a lifestyle without diets! You've already seen a shift in your thinking, and as a result even your behavior is beginning to change - for the healthier! But even though you are becoming less preoccupied with food and weight, you still have areas you need to work on. Look carefully at those areas in which you entered low scores, and find resources that will help you work through those issues...without dieting!

Between 75 and 100: Bravo! Congratulations on being a part of the wonderful, healthy world of nondieters. Sure, you may indulge in a little diet thinking from time to time, but that's totally normal. You are definitely on the right road to better health, and you have a healthy attitude toward food, weight and life. Do you still need to make some changes to improve your attitudes and fitness? Check our Update article "From Insight to Action: The Path to Permanent Change" to assess where you are in the stages of change and how ready you are to move on to the next stage. That awareness can help you make changes much more effectively.

Adapted from Staying Off the Diet Roller Coaster
Linda Omichinski, RD, Advice Zone, Washington, DC.

How did you do? If you're more influenced by the diet mentality than you'd like to be, consider joining the ranks of nondieters. A stay at Green Mountain at Fox Run can help you stop dieting and start living to achieve your fitness goals. If you can't manage a trip to Vermont at this time, consider getting a copy of Staying Off the Diet Roller Coaster, the book from which this quiz is taken. Visit our online store to get your copy!

Like What You're Reading?

Past FitBriefings
In this section, we list past FitBriefings. As we produce new ones, past articles will be listed here so you can continue to read them as needed. Check the following categories of FitBriefings to read more about:
	Stopping Emotional Eating
	Healthy Eating
	Healthy Lifestyles
	Healthy Weights
	Fitness and Exercise

For 37 years, Green Mountain at Fox Run has developed and refined a life-changing program exclusively for women seeking permanent strategies from a healthy weight loss program. Based on a combination of proven science and what works in the real world, our innovative non-diet lifestyle program offers an integrated curriculum of practical, liveable techniques that helps women take charge of their eating, their bodies and their health. Our approach is not focused on just losing weight but on how to keep it off for a lifetime. Our participants' long-term weight loss results are among the highest of any program, as documented in peer-reviewed scientific literature. Learn more about our fitness and healthy weight loss spa

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