(at least not the way the word “diet” is understood by most people)
This might surprise you, especially because I am a nutritionist. Let me explain.
Typically when we think of the word “diet” we think of caloric restriction of some kind. We think of no fun, no enjoyment, no comfort, no participation. We think “ugh”.
Or depending on how it’s presented, we might think about hope, possibility, excitement – these are the concepts that cause us to get the next diet book, jump on the latest diet trend, or use the next thing that makes us eat less.
But, along with the word “diet” there’s always a little voice in the back of the mind that raises questions.
That voice reminds us of all the diets that have failed us, of all the times we felt like we were being difficult or too picky when we were out for a meal, of all the times we weren’t able to sustain the changes the diets expected us to sustain in order for them to “work”.
I remember one diet I did a long time ago which dictated two cups of raw broccoli for breakfast every day. Have you ever had raw broccoli on its own first thing in the morning?? I think I sustained that very unhappily for 5 irritating days!
What does “diet” mean?
The word “diet” is simply the things we physically, mentally, and emotionally consume.
It doesn’t mean eating less, nor does it mean restriction. It is a descriptive word about what we eat.
So even for those of you who might say “I’m not on a diet at the moment” or if you are opposed to dieting, you should understand that if you’re eating anything at all, you are in fact on a diet.
If you say you’re sick of diets, what you’re really saying is that you’re sick of consuming anything.
So instead of using the word “diet”, I prefer to use the phrase way of eating.
We are looking for a way of eating that truly helps us and that we can maintain with satisfaction, we’re not looking for ways to eat less and be miserable. What we want is:
- A sustainable way of eating to prevent progression of lipoedema
- A way of eating to reduce lipoedema pain and swelling, to reduce the volume of our lipoedema limbs, to reduce excess body fat
- A way of eating to prevent adding obesity to lipoedema
- A way of eating for lipoedema without deprivation or starvation
- And we want it to be simple and enjoyable
our relationship with food
I should include at this point my thoughts on the use of food to comfort, entertain, numb, and in the role of food addictions. We live in a very unique period in history where food is more prolific than it ever has been. Thanks to refrigeration, very well stocked supermarkets, and Uber Eats, we can get food whenever we want it. Because of this unnatural access, food has in a very short space of time, become something that we turn to emotionally rather than because of its historical purpose for the human body – a need for essential nutrients.
I think it’s a huge mistake in the history of human health to entertain the use of food for anything other than our requirement for nutrients we need to maintain health and cannot manufacture internally for ourselves.
Of course eating nutritious food can be enjoyable and comfortable, and we can delight in how it’s prepared and how it tastes. We can eat delicious and nutritious food with people and enjoy companionship while we’re eating. But to look to food or food substances for friendship or entertainment when we’re bored, or lonely, or frustrated? This is where our lives can unravel.
If you need certain foods to provide elements of your life other than nutrition, I’d suggest an honest exploration of what you expect food and food substances to provide you and where that might be influencing the pathway of your life.
Back to the “d” word …
I invite you to change the meaning of the word “diet” in your mind when you’re thinking about managing your lipoedema to a word or phrase that doesn’t involve restriction and deprivation.
This is because a healthy and effective way of managing your lipoedema shouldn’t leave you hungry or hangry. My own transformation from “which diet next” to “this is how I live now” has been more empowering, freeing, and relaxing than I can explain here.
There is no doubt that food choices and meal timing impacts this condition so smart and healthy food choices do make a difference. You’re not going to halt progression of lipoedema with alcohol, sugar, and refined foods. I know you know this makes sense. But finding your way to really enjoying the foods that do halt progression of lipoedema so that you don’t feel deprived is a power move.
THE WAY YOU EAT SHOULDN’T BE LABORIOUS
You’re likely a busy woman so I know you don’t have time to go buy expensive ingredients, make laborious recipes, and then have to go ahead and make something separate for the rest of your family just so that you can stop the progression of your lipoedema.
Some people with more time might do really well with that situation but most of us want some help with integrating a more natural and healthy way of eating into our lives without needing to find an extra 2 hours a day just on our own food. We want to achieve this in a timely manner and with the least amount of fuss.
That’s how I’ve achieved sustainability with my food for the last 8 years – by making it easy, delicious, and fuss free so I don’t have to think about it all the time. This is where my own “diet word” mentality saw the light of day.
Now it’s more about a way of eating that works and much less about rules.
When a way of eating is too complex and too time consuming for lipoedema, we are forced to add it to the very long list of ways of eating that were not sustainable. More than 88% of women with lipoedema have given up on using ways of eating to halt progression of their lipoedema! That is a staggering statistic given that food absolutely changes the way the lipoedema body shows up in the world. We need to use a way of eating that is sustainable AND effective in preventing progression of lipoedema.
In the last 20 years we have accumulated more and more research on how what we eat changes the body so we can truly understand how our food sends signals to every part of the body, including the diseased tissues.
And not only our choice of food, but also HOW and WHEN we consume it.
I was very excited to attend the Lipedema Congress in Potsdam Germany where presenters shared the latest research on nutrition as part of the program. I was very excited to see that lower carbohydrate and ketogenic ways of eating were well represented at the Congress because that’s been my experience in clinic!
I can help you eat like you love you every day
I promise you that it IS possible to eat like you love you and like you matter every day of your life, and it will also help to unlearn all the old-school dieting myths you’ve learned over the years. There is likely a lot of work to do there, especially in relation to under-eating!
But it doesn’t need to be a chore, you don’t need to be a party pooper, and you can live more than a little – you can live a LOT!
There are many ways I can help you with making great food and lifestyle choices when you’ve got lipoedema. Two of the most effective are Workshops and Nutritional Medicine consults.
Nutritional Medicine consults – to get really specific about the right way of eating for you as an individual according to your blood work, symptom picture, and health history, a Nutritional Medicine consult is the most personalised it gets. Click here to book a 15 minute call with me to make sure your expectations are realistic!
Workshops – I run nutrition and coaching Workshops for women with lipoedema with Katrina Harris. Contact me at kimmi@nutritionalsynergy.com.au to find out when our next Keto Workshop for Lipoedema starts! I have a waitlist here: