[Article updated on 19/09/2023]
The days are getting longer, we are enjoying the light for longer and longer… Spring is in full swing and summer is just around the corner!
Before reading on
I’m not an expert in this field, but I am passionate about nutrition and health.
The articles you’ll find on my site are the result of in-depth research that I’d like to share with you. However, I would like to stress that I am not a health professional and that my advice should in no way replace that of a qualified physician. I’m here to guide you, but it’s important that you consult a professional for specific questions or medical concerns. Your well-being is important. So be sure to consult the appropriate experts and take the best possible care of yourself.
We are approaching the season of barbecues, summer vacations, the beach, the swimming pool, light clothing,… But yet, why is it that for many of us, comes the season of anxiety, stress and shame?!
For too many years summer has rhymed with Summer body! We must display a dream body sculpted in record time on the beach… Is it possible? Do we have to fall into this dictate of fashion and thinness (not to mention thinness) to be happy and happy?
This summer body has caused a lot of discussion and fattens the wheels of the appearance and appearance business!
“The guide to a dream body in 21 days”, “ Detox cure », “Targeted diet”, “Firm and smooth skin”,… And so on… Let’s not forget that to achieve this objective it is important to deprive yourself, to no longer enjoy good summer meals, to do sports excessively and finally… To achieve nothing except being ashamed of your body!
How many women and men don’t wear swimsuits out of gene? Don’t you dare wear strappy tops? Cover themselves in unbearable heat?
Today, as a Dietitian who defends the freedom and singularity of each person, who likes to eat without counting, I would like to offer you my version of the summer body… And without diet please by answering 3 questions you need to ask yourself!
First question to ask yourself: Who am I?
Being clear with yourself is for me the first step. You will not be influenced by magazines and unhealthy fashion effects if you know who you are, with your qualities and your faults!
Finally I realize that this need to be normal affects people who have a low self-image, who do not know how to value themselves on a daily basis, who completely forget themselves.
We could talk about low esteem, that is to say the way we look at ourselves, our judgment (too harsh) of ourselves.
Rather than embarking on a restrictive diet and sports program which will only bring you frustration and breakdown, what if you decided to set out in search of yourself?
In order to regain confidence, to appreciate your true value and your uniqueness?
You are unique… Remember that it is impossible to become someone else… So you might as well start by knowing yourself to become your own best friend!
Should I listen to my body or my head?
When we search on the internet how to achieve this idealized Summer Body we come across a whole bunch of strict rules to follow in order to lose weight quickly, I chose 3 that I find brilliant: “replace starchy foods with vegetables”, “eat cuts hunger”, “sport to burn calories”.
Ultimately the goal is to lose weight and at no point does a line talk about self-love… Let’s take a closer look at this.
- Starchy foods have never made anyone gain weight! You can eat only starchy foods at a meal (pasta in sauce with cheese), bread in the evening or pizza… As long as you are hungry before eating, you can eat anything! What makes you gain weight is eating without hunger. Also learn to discover your satiety to respect it. This belief in life lasts and it is tenacious! Yet what a mistake.
- Appetite suppressants are a lie! One of the most finely constructed in my opinion… Do you think you can really fool your body and its sensations, its needs? Using this type of product will only lead you to excess later… You will therefore gain more kilos than what you had at the start!
Don’t forget that magic only exists in the Harry Potter universe.
- Sport has never made anyone lose weight! And no… It allows you to burn calories, of course, but to lose weight (if it is necessary for your body) you must, in addition to sport, respect your eating sensations: hunger and satiety.
Sport is an activity that should bring you pleasure and well-being, as soon as you do it to lose weight, which is not a truly motivating objective in the long term, you will never obtain the hoped-for effects.
Can I free myself from dictates and false beliefs?
Of course, but it’s not easy! Every day, every moment, through social networks and information in all its forms, we are tormented by outdated rules which, with the wave of a magic wand, offer you the solutions to all your problems.
You can turn to different readings which will open your mind or to qualified professionals who will guide you on the path to freedom but above all you need to test to understand to what extent it is all just fantasy and business.
Try to start by asking yourself about your feelings of hunger. How many patients looked at me with wide eyes when I spoke to them about this notion the first time… Yet at birth and during childhood it is intuitive to eat only when we are hungry and to no longer want to continue a once satiety arrives!
Reconnect with your intuition, your senses and learn to trust yourself again.
I will end this article with a simple conclusion: free yourself from this social pressure and appreciate your body for what it is, this is how real change begins.