Surprise – it’s a Tuesday post! I’m posting today not only because I was busy flying home from a whirlwind trip to DC yesterday, but also because today is a very special day. Besides being the birthday of one of my favorite people (hi, Mandy!), it’s also International No Diet Day.

Food from my trip! French toast and fruit.

Here’s the lowdown, from our friends at Wikipedia:

International No Diet Day (INDD) is an annual celebration of body acceptance, including fat acceptance and body shape diversity. This day is also dedicated to promoting a healthy life style with a focus on health at any size and in raising awareness of the potential dangers of dieting and the unlikelihood of success.

French fries and a hot dog at the ball park.

I gave up dieting for good about four years ago. That was the last time I tried an official diet (it was Weight Watchers – again – for the record). At that time, I was determined to see what it would take to lose a few pounds, so I restricted my food intake to around 1200 calories, and I worked out hardcore for two hours a day, every day. Sometimes more, because I was also in the middle of training for another half marathon! I kept track of my calorie expenditure with a heart rate monitor, and was burning between 600 and 800 calories a day (more on Saturday training sessions, which sometimes lasted up to three hours). I kept this up for about a month and a half. To say I was exhausted is an understatement.

Diner breakfast: Homefries, corned beef hash, and scrambled eggs.

Did I lose weight? Yep. About five pounds. In six weeks. Now, that might seem like a nice, steady weight loss, but there was no way I could sustain that life. I simply did not have the energy to complete my workouts, because I wasn’t feeding my body enough fuel. It was after that experiment that I decided to stop dieting forever. Now, I eat intuitively, I feed my body the energy it needs to get through the day and through every session at the gym. I feel strong, energized, and healthy. What a way to live, eh?

Ahi tuna, beets, and tomatoes.

So, let’s take it back to Wikipedia once again, to find out some of the key points of No Diet Day:

Question the idea of one “right” body shape.

Raise awareness of weight discrimination, size bias and fat phobia.

Declare a day free from diets and obsessions about body weight.

Present the facts about the diet industry, emphasizing the inefficacy of commercial diets.

Show how diets perpetuate violence against women.

Honor the victims of eating disorders and weight-loss surgery.

Help end weight discrimination, sizism and fat phobia.

I love all of this. Will you participate in No Diet Day today? Will you participate tomorrow? I think I’ll participate every day for the rest of my life. Who’s with me?!

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