After years of obsessing over being thin, both actress Camila Mendes and singer Demi Lovato say they are done with dieting.
In a recent Instagram post, Mendes said she decided to stop dieting after realizing that her “obsession” with being thin interfered with her other passions, like music, education, and cinema.
“When did being thin become more important than being healthy?” The “Riverdale” star wrote. “I recently went to a naturopath for the first time in my life. I told her about my anxiety around food and my obsession with dieting. She phrased a pivotal question in such a way that struck a chord with me: what other things could you be thinking about if you didn’t spend all your time thinking about your diet?”
Mendes, who has admitted to having an eating disorder, went onto say that she’s “done” with “the idea that there’s a thinner, happier version of me on the other side of all the tireless effort. Your body type is subject to genetics, and while eating nutrient-dense foods and exercising regularly will make you healthier, it will not necessarily make you thinner, and the current system fails to make that distinction.”
She capped off her riveting post with the hashtag, #DoneWithDieting.
Lovato also admitted recently to People Magazine that she, too, has stopped dieting.
The “Confident” singer is focusing less on how she looks, and more on how she feels. And how is she feeling now that’s she not dieting anymore? Happier.
“I stopped dieting and have gained a little weight so it’s been a struggle but at the same time, I’m happier because I’m not restricting myself from certain foods and I’m no longer food shaming myself,” she told the magazine.
She continued, “As someone recovering from a food disorder, it’s something that I want to put out there that you don’t have to diet in order to be happy. I don’t think I’ve heard that message out there in the public and of course, it’s important to be healthy and everything in moderation is fine.”
As both these women can attest, dieting is probably the worst thing you can do for your health — both physically and mentally. Here’s why.
They Don’t Work
When a diet is used as a “quick” way to lose weight — whether that means restricting foods, like sugar or carbs, or heavily restricting calories altogether — research claims there is a 95 percent chance you will gain back the weight within one to five years, if not sooner.
They’re Not Healthy
Diets tend to lack essential nutrients, which means they aren’t nourishing your body but rather depriving it of what it needs to function optimally.
Additionally, “yo-yo” dieting wreaks havoc on with your body and is linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure.
They Make You Food Obsessed
As both Mendes and Lovato mention, dieting often causes food to become the main focus of your life, which can interfere with your enjoyment of, well, life. If you’re constantly thinking about what or if you can eat, whether you’re at your brother’s wedding or at your best friend’s birthday bash, then you’re not truly living a full life.
Diets measure your quality of life in numbers — from the number on your scale to your measurements — when your quality of life is much more than that.
Exercising regularly while eating healthy, well-balanced meals, including treating yourself, is often more than enough. Ultimately, it’s important to love yourself, including your bod, as is.
Like Mendes said, “A healthy body is the ideal body type, and that will look different for every person.”
Related on Organic Authority
20 Female Celebrity Quotes About Body Image That Will Remind You What Matters
This is Literally What Wonder Woman Eats Every Day
71-Year-Old Cher ‘Turns Back Time’ Eating a Veg Diet and Doing Planks Everyday
The post Why Celebs Like Camila Mendes and Demi Lovato Are Done With Dieting appeared first on Organic Authority.