Disordered Eating: How the Diet Industry Perpetuates Your Struggle

Every day, millions of people turn to the diet industry for help in overcoming their food and body issues. They have no idea that this 80 billion dollar behemoth is actually a broken system that preys on their pain to turn a profit.

The truth is that the diet industry perpetuates your struggle so that you never quite achieve the success you want, but you see enough of a “quick fix” result to keep you hopeful and going back for more.

The Diet Industry Heightens and Plays Off Your Insecurities

We all know that society’s standards for beauty are unrealistic and nearly impossible to achieve. No matter where you turn – TV, movies, news, commercials, social media – you see tall, gorgeous, slim women and masculine, fit, and attractive men. Sex and beauty sell, and the diet industry not only knows this but takes advantage of it as a marketing tactic. Just do a quick search on Amazon for a weight loss DVD, and I’m sure most (if not all) of the results will be accompanied by images of beautiful, half-naked trainers or industry pros.

We all have different body types and sizes. Some of us will never be a size two or nearly six feet tall, no matter how hard we try. It’s just not part of our genetic make up. When we’re constantly flooded with these images of unrealistic beauty standards, and we look nothing like them, it’s only natural that we would feel like there is something wrong with us and that we need to be fixed.

The Diet Industry Issues False Promises of Success

Most marketing for fad diets and weight loss programs will have a number of testimonials and before and after photos, but if you read the super tiny fine print that go along with these, usually it says something along the lines of, “Results not typical. Your results may vary.” This is because the common methodology of the diet industry is promoting “quick fixes” and bandaid on bullet wound mentality that do not actually solve the real issue underlying your disordered eating.

Disordered eating is an emotional issue – it needs an emotional solution.

What the diet industry does not tell you about their trendy diet and exercise plans is that they are often not sustainable. In fact, food restriction and deprivation often trigger binge episodes and weight gain.

The Diet Industry Makes You Feel Like It’s Your Fault

Why can’t you achieve and sustain the same impressive level of weight loss and success that “so many others” have?

Just look at all of the jaw-dropping before and after images that are plastered on any fad diet’s website or social media accounts.

In addition to already being in pain with your food and body issues, now you’re dealing with the shame and guilt of being unable to stick to a restrictive, unrealistic diet/exercise routine for more than a couple of weeks at a time.

This shame and guilt is what drives you right back to the diet industry for a new fad diet that will hopefully fix you this time. For real. For good.

Fad Diets Never Help You Overcome Issues With Food or Your Body

Diets do not solve the REAL problem. This struggle is not about food or body. It’s about a deep, underlying emotional issue or pain that needs to be healed. You need to approach this from a place of confronting and addressing your emotionality. If you don’t, you’re likely to wind up right back on the diet/binge merry-go-round.

It’s time to stop the madness.

It’s time to disengage from a broken system.

Approach your struggle from another angle. Dig into the core emotional issues that have you turning to food in the first place. You need to feel in order to heal, and no trendy fad diet that falls under the umbrella of the 80 billion dollar diet industry is going to help you do that.