I’ve been reading various articles indicting “the diet industry” of profiting from the misery of people, especially women, who believe they are broken and need to be fixed.

I was definitely one of those women, and I wasted far too much of my time and money on diets, starting from when I was a teenager. I also spent far too much time on cardio I did not enjoy, because I believed it would make me more desirable.

I’m here to declare to the world, and that includes you, dear reader, whoever you are: YOU ARE NOT BROKEN. You are beautiful and desirable just as you are, and if you would only believe that, you could use all the tools and information that the health and wellness industry is putting before you, to make a healthier, happier version of yourself – not try to become somebody else.

Since embarking on my own personal growth journey, I have learned to use those tools to be my servant – not my master.

I do occasionally journal my food, if I feel that I’m not at my best and want to make sure I am feeding myself with love and care. But I never attach a moral judgement to what I put in my mouth – never. I am a good person, and I cannot become a bad person by eating something. That just doesn’t compute.

Similarly with my weight and measurements – I do check on them occasionally, but just for information. They are not who I am – they are merely manifestations of how my body is doing at the moment. While I am pleased when I like the number on the scale, it doesn’t define my worth. I am a good person, and I cannot become a bad person by weighing more or less. That doesn’t compute, either.

My favourite breakthrough, however, has been with my Jawbone UP – many people use a FitBit, it’s the same idea. I like using it to chart my sleep, and it amuses me to get an electronic pat on the back if I happen to exceed 10,000 steps or whatever the goal is for that day. But I don’t feel a need to get up and walk in circles or whatever just to be validated by a piece of electronics that I wear on my wrist. My worth does not depend on the number of steps I have walked today.

I realise that many people are struggling with these issues, and I don’t pretend to have all the answers. But I do have a few that work well for me, and I’d love to share them with you.

If you’d like to chat with me about these or other matters, check out my scheduler. I look forward to hearing from you.