Thursday, 9 January 2025

Scales Are for Fish: How Diet Culture Preys on Us Every January


Diet culture, January diet trends, Toxic diet culture, New Year diet resolutions, Harmful diet myths, Restrictive eating dangers, Ditch the scale, Break free from weight-loss pressure


Welcome back and Happy New Year 

Today's post is all about diet culture, this is something I am very passionate about, I hope you enjoy the post and find it insightful. 

It's the start of a new year, the 6th of January as I start to write this, and as we are every year since goodness knows when, we are being inundated with posts on social media, magazine articles and television show segments and ads all about "New Year, New Me" and " How To Get A Bikini Body"  and other such things all surrounding losing weight and how we should all be de toxing after our festive indulgence. 

Before Christmas:

From around late summer, the supermarkets begin to fill their shelves with all sorts of festive products and in particular festive food, whilst we were on holiday in Greece in August 2024, someone I know uploaded a photograph to social media of mince pies they'd seen in Asda, in August!  

Then the TV ads begin and on daytime TV theres cookery segments sharing how to make different festive delights, the supermarket shelves soon fill up with more and more festive food and we are being shown TV shows comparing budget supermarket food versus higher end, for example the party food sold in Aldi compared to that sold in Ocado or M&S and guests trying the items and giving their opinions, basicially food is EVERYWHERE! 

Not only is food everywhere, we're being told how lovely these things are and how we should be "indulging" how we should grab certain offers and try the new XYZ flavour puddings, pies and party foods and before we know it, it's only October and we're having festive foods rammed down our throats on what feels like an hourly basis. 


Diet culture, January diet trends, Toxic diet culture, New Year diet resolutions, Harmful diet myths, Restrictive eating dangers, Ditch the scale, Break free from weight-loss pressure

We are inundated with food suggestions from supermarkets for weeks before Christmas, the photo above is just a handful of ads I found online out of hundreds. It's not just supermarkets who ram the lovely food we need to be consuming down our throats though, coffee shops bring out their festive food and drinks menu, and even McDonalds have a festive menu, then theres the "which festive sandwich is best" segment on daytime TV sharing all the different ones available from various stores, so it really is everywhere. 

January 1st:

Before we've had chance to let our Christmas lunch go down, it starts, quite a lot before the new year, but then January comes round and it's like someone pressed the diet culture button and it's everywhere. TV adverts, Slimming World info posted through the door, gym membership discounts, countless segments on daytime TV about diets, weightloss, "good and bad" foods, people we know talking about how they're "being good" now or "making up for" what they've had over the festive period. 

Not only is all this eye rolling, it's dangerous, diet culture is dangerous for everyone, but especially those who suffer with eating disorders. 

For example, someone who has been brave enough to be in recovery from Anorexia, will see these things and if they've managed to eat a little more over Christmas and they see a TV ad about "good and bad" foods or "being good" this is like someone shouting at them "you're so fat, you ate a pig in blanket on Christmas day and now you'll put so much weight on and look hideous and everyone will despise you" it is so dangerous and also extremely upsetting for someone with Anorexia who managed to have some food over the festivities that they wouldn't usually eat. 

There are so many different diets out there, from clubs like Slimming World and Weightwatchers and then there's juice diets, milk shakes, soups, even tablets you can take. But the key thing to remember is, if diets worked you'd only need to do them once. 

Diet culture, January diet trends, Toxic diet culture, New Year diet resolutions, Harmful diet myths, Restrictive eating dangers, Ditch the scale, Break free from weight-loss pressure

Diet Culture:  

What is diet culture?

Diet culture is a societal system of beliefs and practices that places a high value on being thin, equating it with health, beauty, and moral virtue. It promotes the idea that weight loss is the ultimate goal and that being thin will lead to happiness, success, and worthiness. Diet culture influences how people think about food, exercise, and their bodies, often leading to extremely harmful effects.

Diet culture is full of misleading messages that can be harmful. Here are some common "lies" it promotes:

  1. Thinness Equals Health.

    • Diet culture equates being thin with being healthy, ignoring that health comes in many shapes and sizes. This thought process dismisses the importance of mental health, genetics, and lifestyle factors.
  2. You Must Lose Weight to Be Happy.

    • It suggests that losing weight is the key to confidence, success, and happiness, promoting the belief that your worth is tied to your body size.
  3. There’s a “Perfect” Diet.

    • Promises of one-size-fits-all diets that work for everyone ignore the complexity of individual nutritional needs and preferences.
  4. Weight Loss Is Always a Good Thing.

    • Celebrating weight loss, regardless of the method or circumstances (e.g., illness, stress, disordered eating), reinforces harmful behaviors and ignores the risks.
  5. Certain Foods Are “Bad”

    • Labeling foods as “good” or “bad” creates guilt and shame around eating, contributing to unhealthy relationships with food.
  6. Fad Diets Are the Answer.

    • Quick fixes like juice cleanses, detox teas, milk shakes or restrictive plans often fail long-term and can harm physical and mental health.
  7. You Can Control Your Body Size Completely.

    • While lifestyle choices influence weight to some extent, genetics, hormones, and other factors play significant roles that aren’t within personal control.
  8. Dieting Is Willpower.

    • Failing at diets is often blamed on lack of willpower, but diets are designed to fail—95% of people regain the weight. This then leads to feelings of guilt and shame.
  9. Exercise Is Only for Weight Loss.

    • Exercise is valuable for mental health, strength, and well-being, but diet culture often reduces it to a punishment for eating, people feel they must swim 100 lengths or go to a spin class  because they ate a Jaffa Cake!
  10. New Year, New You.

    • The idea that January means we need a drastic change, it implies that you’re not good enough as you are, you need to look better, be better, doing nothing but preying on your insecurities.

Diet Culture uses lies to profit from peoples insecurities and feelings of needing to change themselves, I have spoken about diet culture on my SOCIAL MEDIA platforms many times and I will always challenge these lies and try my best to help people with their attitudes towards their bodies and how they see themselves. 

How Diet Culture Manifests:

Diet culture, January diet trends, Toxic diet culture, New Year diet resolutions, Harmful diet myths, Restrictive eating dangers, Ditch the scale, Break free from weight-loss pressure

Media: 
TV advertising, magazines and social media very often promote diets and diet products, they promote and glorify thin bodies. 

The Workplace & Society: 
Often in the workplace we'll here people speak about their new diet or how they're "trying to be good" we hear chats about weight loss, how much people weigh and how many pounds they want to lose before their holidays, these types of conversations have become the norm amongst people without them realising how dangerous it can be. 

Healthcare Professionals:
BMI is still being used as a the sole indicator of what deems a "healthy weight" and it drives me mad. BMI is a waste of time completely, as a youngster I did a lot of sport, I was toned and to look at me, I looked underweight, I wore jeans in a 24W/30L but if I'd have had my BMI calculated, I'd have been overweight, I was very muscular and that combined with my genetics, my family tend to weigh heavy for some reason, I would have been told I was overweight. BMI is so outdated it's ridiculous and it really should not be used in 2025, there is a better way of working out if someone is overweight or underweight,  it's called our eyes, can't a healthcare proffesional see if a person is dangerously underweight? Why does an outdated BMI calculator need to tell them? 

Celebrating Weight Loss
Another thing that drives me mad, why is it that as soon as someone can see you have lost weight they say "oooh you've lost weight, well done" well done? What is it the person has done so well? We lose weight for so many reasons including health issues, grief, break ups, stress, medication and so many more things other than being on a diet. Yet, nobody considers this, in 2022/23 I went through what I can only describe as being absolute hell on earth, it was the hardest, most upsetting and worrying time of my life and I lost quite a lot of weight, someone I know told me how wonderful I looked and asked me how I'd done it, there wasn't an ounce of thought that I might NOT have tried to lose weight, especially as the person in question knows my daughter suffers from Anorexia and should know I wouldn't ever be on a diet. They just congratulated me on losing weight, if I hadn't made her feel bad, I would have told her exactly how I'd lost the weight. 

The Harming Effects Of Diet Culture:

Mental Health: 
Diet Culture can have a devastating effect on mental health, it can lead to anxiety, depression and is extremely dangerous for those suffering from an eating disorder. Although diet culture wouldn't be the sole cause of an eating disorder, it doesn't help and could 100% be a contributing factor, especially if someone is pre disposed to eating disorders already. 

Physical Health:
Over exercising and restring your food intake can be very detrimental to your health, going to a gym and using equiptment you have no knowledge of using, or doing a fitness class without knowing the correct way to lie or sit etc, could cause you to injure yourself. Calorie restriction is dangerous and can have a harmful effect on the body. 

Unsustainable Habits:
Diets failing can lead to yo yo dieting, metabolic damage and feelings of frustration because the diet or exercise plan you maybe following aren't sustainable long term. 

Low Self Esteem:
The whole new year new me thing can leave us feeling we need to change ourselves, feeling not good enough, not worthy of being happy. It's like having a devil on your shoulder telling you you're not loveable, not attractive, not worthy and it's the reason so many people try fad diet after fad diet and end up in the diet cycle and very unhappy. 


Diet culture, January diet trends, Toxic diet culture, New Year diet resolutions, Harmful diet myths, Restrictive eating dangers, Ditch the scale, Break free from weight-loss pressure

Another thing I saw recently was an ad for a Zumba class with the wording "burn 1000 calories in one session" how stupid is that? This person takes people from age 10 too, how damaging for so many reasons and ridiculous! 

Diet culture, January diet trends, Toxic diet culture, New Year diet resolutions, Harmful diet myths, Restrictive eating dangers, Ditch the scale, Break free from weight-loss pressure



Diet culture, January diet trends, Toxic diet culture, New Year diet resolutions, Harmful diet myths, Restrictive eating dangers, Ditch the scale, Break free from weight-loss pressure


How Can We Challenge Diet Culture:

"New Year, Same Me"

You do you and if you want to lose weight go for it, but please ask yourself first, why it is you want to lose weight, is it for health reasons? Do you need to lose weight before having surgery? Or is it because you have feelings of low self esteem and self worth and you're fitting in with society's idea of how you should look in your bikini on holiday? If you're going to spend every day thinking about food and what meals and snacks you can have that day before you've got out of bed or feeling hungry and trying to ignore it, over exercising,  because this can lead to dangerous habits, including calorie restriction and is it really worth it? A bikini body is no good if you're so ill you can no longer go on holiday to wear the bikini.  

Speak out to others about the dangers of diet culture, I'm not saying ram it down peoples throats, but if you can see an unhealthy pattern emerging with one of your friends or family, maybe bring it up in a sensitive way, how many people have you heard say or seen write on social media that they're "going back to Slimming World?" as I said earlier in the post, if diets worked, you'd only need to do them once and there wouldn't be a need to go back, but then the diet industry doesn't make it's money does it?

I wish more people would stop giving their hard earned money to diet culture, stop letting scales define you, they are as useless as BMI, if you stand on them in 4 differnt areas of your house, you will get 4 completley different readings, absolutely pointless! As I always say, scales are for fish and fish only, if you own some weighing scales, bin them! 

Your body does amazing things, it takes you where you need to be, it takes you to work, to socialise, on holiday, it looks after you, for some people it's grown babies, for others they've donated blood and platelets, or maybe an organ for a loved one, your body is amazing, and it tells a story of your life and everything you've been through, try to love it and not speak badly of it, calling it fat or ugly, speak kindly of it, it's the vessel that enables you to do all the things you love. 


Diet culture, January diet trends, Toxic diet culture, New Year diet resolutions, Harmful diet myths, Restrictive eating dangers, Ditch the scale, Break free from weight-loss pressure

I know it can be hard, but try to love yourself, even if it's finding one thing you love about yourself, or stopping putting yourself down, your friends and family love you and think you're great, would they love you more if you were smaller? No they wouldn't, so many of us have said in the past that we'll do XYZ when we're thinner, why? If you want to do something do it, have a new hair restyle, try new makeup or step out of your comfort zone and try new fashions, but most of all, be happy and be kind to yourself. 

You are not defined by the number on a scale, and if you get that urge to weigh yourself just remember SCALES ARE FOR FISH 🐠   

And finally, whilst searching for the food images for this post, I found something I thought might be interesting to share in this post. 

Diet culture, January diet trends, Toxic diet culture, New Year diet resolutions, Harmful diet myths, Restrictive eating dangers, Ditch the scale, Break free from weight-loss pressure

Photo found on google but is tagged the fitness chef. 


Thank you for reading, 

Zoë x







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Tuesday, 31 December 2024

Celebrate Every Journey: Reflecting on 2024 with Kindness and Pride

 

Reflecting on 2024 Mental health achievements Celebrating small wins Year-end motivation Self-care and kindness Overcoming challenges in 2024 Personal growth and resilience


Welcome back! 

I hope you’ve had a lovely Christmas, however you spent it. 

As we wind down after the festive season and start to look ahead to the New Year, it’s natural to reflect on the months gone by.

And as we approach the end of the year, we’ll no doubt keep seeing:

  • Compilations of people's highlights from 2024, set to music.
  • Lists of achievements and milestones reached.
  • Goals smashed and bucket list dreams ticked off.
  • Memes celebrating what a "great year" it’s been.

And you know what? That’s wonderful. If people have achieved their dreams, conquered their goals, and found happiness this year, let’s celebrate with them. That’s something to be proud of, and we should be happy for them.

But I also want to say this: if you simply woke up each day and made it through, no matter how hard it was, that’s an achievement too. For some, just getting through the day is a monumental goal—and you’ve done it. 

Be proud of yourself. I’m proud of you.

This year marks 10 years since I lost one of my close friends to suicide. It’s a pain that never goes away. And this year, I almost lost another friend the same way. Thankfully, I didn’t—and I can’t express how grateful I am for that. These things, no matter how upsetting and awful, make us think and reflect, it's natural. 

So, as we reflect on 2024, let’s remember this:

  • Everyone’s goals and achievements are personal to them.
  • Sharing those moments is their way of celebrating, and that’s ok, they have every right to do that.
  • But if you’ve battled through dark days, faced struggles, and kept going when it felt impossible, you’ve smashed it too.

If you’ve crossed off bucket list items or achieved big dreams, be proud of yourself and share those wins with the world, there's nothing wrong with championing yourself or your family shouting your achievements from the roof tops—you’ve earned it and have every right to be proud and your loved ones to be proud of you too. 

But if your biggest accomplishment was surviving, that’s just as worthy of celebration and you should feel proud too and your loved ones proud of you too, acheivments are just that, achievements, no matter in which form they come. 

So, if you have smashed 2024, ticked off bucket list items, got the promotion you wanted and worked hard for, or got your dream job, and you want to tell the world, tell them. Please don't feel you can't share because others may have not shared the same things as you. 

And, if you are proud that you're here, then don't feel bad for those who didn't make it, you made it and that's huge, celebrate your win. 

What I'm trying to say in my rambles, is:

No matter what your 2024 looked like, be proud of yourself. Keep being you. And most importantly, be kind—to yourself and to others. 

We never truly know what’s behind a smile or an “I’m fine.”

Thank you so much for reading, I hope this post can maybe help someone, if it helps you, that's amazing, and if you know someone you think it might help, please share it with them. 

Thank you for reading, 

I hope you all have a happy and healthy 2025

Happy New Year ♡

Zoë x



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Tuesday, 24 December 2024

Happy Christmas & Thank You

 

Christmas blog post mammafulzo, happy, healthy 2025, family christmas, making christmas memories, special christmas, christmas 2024


Welcome back 

It's a short one from me today, I just wanted to say I hope you and yours have a very Happy Christmas if you celebrate it. 

I hope you like the photographs of my beautiful fur baby, Bear. The photographs are from his recent Christmas photoshoot, doesn't he look cute?

I hope whatever you're doing, you have a happy, healthy time and Father Christmas brings you all you wish for. 

Thank you so much for all your support over 2024, on my blog and all my social media accounts, I really do appreciate it and I look forward to bringing you more content in 2025. 

I will be back very soon, have a lovely Christmas and thank you so much. 

Zoë  x

Christmas blog post mammafulzo, happy, healthy 2025, family christmas, making christmas memories, special christmas, christmas 2024
My gorgeous Bear x

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Sunday, 22 December 2024

Beyond the Wrapping Paper: The Christmas Memories That Stay With Us

 

christmas memories, parents guilt, memories mean more than money, making memories, parents worry about spending, christmas memories

Welcome back, 

It’s easy to feel the pressure at Christmas. From glossy TV adverts to social media posts filled with elaborate gifts and lavish celebrations, it can leave many of us—especially parents—feeling guilty for not spending enough. I have sadly seen on social media and heard people in my real life speak of feeling guilty for not spending much money on their children, or not being able to take their family on festive days out to Christmas markets with ice skating and expensive hot chocolates, or to cinema trips and pantomimes.  I also saw someone crying because they couldn't afford to buy an elf to do the cheeky elf on the shelf, and it broke my heart. 

But when we strip away the glitter and the money spent, what truly stays with us?

After seeing so many upset parents, I decided to ask people of all ages to share their favourite and/or most treasured Christmas memories of their lifetime. The answers were a beautiful reminder that it’s not the money spent, the festive days out or the size and cost of the presents that matter—it’s the moments, memories, laughter, and the love.

The people I asked were aged between 10 and 84, I asked them to write down their memory/memories and send them to me. Here's what they said, all their own words, these have not been edited, I have just removed their names. 

What's your favourite/most treasured Christmas memory or memories so far? 


🎄My first Christmas with the girls (daughters) and getting everyone up at 4am because I was so excited I couldn't sleep and I couldn't wait for the girls to get up, it was the best.  


🎄My grandma always came to stay with us for Christmas and on Christmas morning we were both awake really early, she had peeped in my room and saw I was awake, she came in and got in my bed and we chatted for ages about all sorts, really put the world to rights.  I couldn't tell you what gifts I got that year, but I'll never forget sitting in bed with my grandma waiting for everyone else to get up. I was 12 years old and sadly my grandma passed away the following February, meaning that was the last Christmas I spent with her. 


🎄My Grandma and grandad waking up at 4am when me and my sister were younger when we called to say we were awake. Just so they could come round to see me and my sister open our presents off Santa.  

Those memories are treasured.  They did this every year. 


🎄Watching my children get excited about santa coming, going downstairs and announcing he's been. I miss this more than anything now they have all flown the nest. 


🎄The year my dad made me my dolls house. Him and my mum had made it from scratch without me knowing about it. My mum had decorated all the rooms. I also think fondly of our Christmas stockings from my nanna with the cling film wrapped coins in the toes. 


🎄It's got to be sat on the settee, cup of tea in hand, watching the children opening their presents.


🎄Listening to muffled voices from the adults downstairs at my grandparents house on Christmas eve, whilst I shared a double bed with my sister, convinced we could hear sleigh bells. Also the smell of Advocat and Brandy and the box of dates on the sideboard. 


🎄Getting a bike age 6. I didn't ask for it, the bike was in kitchen and my parents told me to go in their for something and there it was, I didn't know for years that the bike was second hand and  that my dad did it up spending hours in the garage every night when I went to bed. It was the best bike ever. 


🎄Christmas at my Grandmas because I get to see everybody (family) all in one room, and the food my grandma makes. 


🎄Being together with family. 


🎄Seeing the babies (cousins) and eating grandmas home made rocky road. 


🎄Sat eating Christmas dinner at the table with my nan and grandad surrounded by tacky Christmas decorations followed by a night of putting my nans rollers in for her and watching a film on the settee with a box of chocolates and a snowball if I was lucky.


🎄My first Christmas with my own children in my own home.


🎄Watching Elf at the theatre with my family. 


🎄I’d probably say playing games on Boxing Day and having a super chill day, also performing the family panto my grandparents wrote on Christmas Day. It’s hard to pick though theres so many. 


🎄Spending Christmas with my parents, brothers and grandparents, my grandma always knitted clothes for my dolly for my Christmas gifts and I loved them, they didn't cost much but meant everything to me. 


🎄Having Christmas at my grandparents’ and I remember singing Christmas songs with them around the tree, and did a magic show for them with the magic set we got as a gift. 


🎄Drinking hot chocolate at the Christmas markets then going ice skating. 


🎄There’s no one big thing but all the traditions we do like getting a new bauble for the tree, Christmas crafts, going out at night to see the Christmas lights, and writing a letter to Grandma and Grandpa.  


🎄Going to the underground Santa’s grotto because all the lights were magical. Also sitting around the table all together on Christmas Day with the whole family, dad and nana too. 


🎄It’s very hard to pick one memory! I have lots of memories of childhood Christmases, especially with my Grandparents. Staying up until midnight at new year was exciting, and going for a walk with my Grandad at midnight to let the new year in. I remember the smell of the turkey roasting overnight and getting up super early to open presents. 


🎄But I think my favourite Christmas memory is making paper chains with my own children when they were very little!


🎄Christmas with my children when they were at the age they started to believe in Father Christmas & then the grandchildren doing the same and my granddaughter starting to walk on Boxing day at just 9 months old.  


🎄Getting our first Christmas tree, it was artificial and just a pole with about 6 branches sticking out at strange angles and it had real candles on which we lit, it was nothing really looking back but I was so excited and it was everything to me back then, we couldn't afford much but I didn't know that, I thought it was the best Christmas tree in the world.  


 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄



So many people I asked had second hand toys or hand made gifts but never knew until they were much older or adults & they still treasure the memories of those toys now. 


Not one person mentioned elaborate days out or how much money was spent or expensive gifts, Christmas eve boxes, matching family PJ's, Christmas family photo shoots or days and evenings out, not one person, but every single person I spoke to or had an email or text conversation with, mentioned spending time with their loved ones or those hand made gifts or second hand gifts that meant so much to them, the time their parents or grandparents had spent making things or doing things up for them. 


So, if you or someone you know has been suffering from parent guilt recently, please show them this blog post, they may feel bad but their children will have an amazing Christmas and make wonderful memories that don't need to cost a fortune, just like the people who I asked, I had around 50 replies but a lot were similar sort of answers so I have included some chosen at random.


All the people who responded remember love, laughter, kindness and magic and those are the things your children will remember too, so please try not to feel bad or guilty, you're doing the best you can. I have heard so many times parents saying "I feel like such a bad parent because I can't get my child XYZ" but the fact you feel sad about these things, proves you ARE a good parent, if you weren't you wouldn't care what your child thinks and feels. 


I promise you, your little ones will have a great time this Christmas, because they have you and you will create the magic for them, and that is what they will look back on and remember, the magic and being excited for Father Christmas and that magic is down to you, so please try not to beat yourself up or feel bad. 


I really hope this post helps someone, even just one person, because if I can help one person to feel better then that means the world to me. 


Thank you so much for reading, Happy Christmas 


Zoë x


making christmas memories, parents guilt, memories over money, family, family christmas, presence not presents, childhood christmas memories


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