The First Steps to Un-Dieting: Reconnecting with Your Body

Let’s talk about the journey to un-dieting—letting go of diet culture to find a way of eating that feels balanced, joyful, and sustainable. This process, while liberating, can also feel intimidating, especially if you’ve spent years cycling through diets that leave you feeling disconnected from your own needs. The reality is, diets often teach us to ignore our bodies rather than connect with them. But here’s the truth: your body has the wisdom you need. Let’s walk through the first steps to un-dieting and reconnecting with your body.

Step 1: Release the All-or-Nothing Mindset

Diets are notorious for their rules, labels, and restrictions. They set up an all-or-nothing framework that teaches us that foods are either “good” or “bad,” leaving no room for a middle ground. But life and food aren’t so black and white! Shifting away from this mindset is the first step in un-dieting.

Think about this as an invitation to allow food back into your life without the judgment. When you release food labels, you make space for balance and variety—both on your plate and in your mind. The goal is to let go of guilt or shame tied to eating, and to understand that food choices don’t define you.

Try this: Next time you reach for something to eat, ask yourself: “Am I eating this because I want to? Is it because I feel like I ‘should’ or ‘shouldn’t?’” By exploring these thoughts, you can begin to unwind some of the conditioned thinking around food.

Step 2: Tune Into Your Body’s Signals

Dieting often teaches us to override our body’s natural hunger and fullness cues. The next step in reconnecting with your body is learning to listen to these cues again and honor what your body truly needs. It’s about shifting from external rules to internal guidance.

Start noticing when you feel physical hunger. How does your body signal it? Perhaps it’s a rumble in your stomach, a drop in energy, or a feeling of distraction. Reconnecting with these cues lets you nourish yourself when you’re hungry and stop when you feel satisfied. This is a skill, and it takes practice, but it is achievable!

Try this: Practice mindful eating. Sit down with your meal, take a few deep breaths, and bring your attention to the flavours, textures, and satisfaction in each bite. Eating slowly can help you tune into your body’s signals and eat with intention.

Step 3: Shift Your Focus to How Food Makes You Feel

In a world of dieting, food often becomes a source of stress or guilt. But what if you started thinking about food as a way to feel energized, nourished, and supported? Un-dieting is not about restriction; it’s about understanding what truly nourishes you.

Start by noticing how you feel after meals. Do certain foods leave you feeling sluggish or bloated? Are there meals that make you feel vibrant and energized? Let go of “perfect eating” and focus on the foods that support your wellness and goals. This helps you build a way of eating that’s tailored to you and feels intuitive, not forced.

Try this: Keep a food and feelings journal. Write down what you eat and how it makes you feel physically and emotionally. Over time, you’ll begin to notice patterns that can help guide you toward foods that feel best for your body.

Step 4: Redefine Success Beyond the Scale

Un-dieting is about the bigger picture—it’s about mental and physical well-being, and how food can support a balanced, fulfilling life. For so long, diet culture has taught us to measure success in numbers: calories, kilos, inches. But there’s so much more to health than a number.

Consider what health looks like for you: maybe it’s a clear mind, feeling comfortable in your body, or having the energy to live your life fully. Reclaiming these broader measures of success allows you to connect with your own sense of well-being, rather than what’s expected by external standards.

Try this: Set some intentions that go beyond the physical. Maybe it’s practicing kindness toward yourself, staying active in a way that feels good, or prioritizing rest. Take time to celebrate these wins, even if they seem small—this will help reinforce positive change.

Step 5: Practice Self-Compassion

Changing your approach to eating is a journey, not a one-time fix. There will be days when it’s challenging, but self-compassion is key to un-dieting. Being gentle with yourself as you navigate this new way of eating is not only essential but transformative.

Whenever you find yourself slipping back into diet mentality, remind yourself that this journey is about growth and reconnection. Mistakes don’t erase progress—they’re part of it. Self-compassion will make this journey much smoother, helping you release the pressure to be perfect and instead embrace the learning process.

Try this: Practice a daily affirmation. Start with something simple, like “I am learning to trust my body,” or “My worth is not defined by my food choices.” Small affirmations build resilience and remind you that progress is about the journey.

Your Next Steps

Un-dieting is an ongoing practice of reconnecting, listening, and honoring yourself. Remember that every small step toward trusting your body is a win. Releasing diet culture’s grip takes time, but with each step, you’re moving closer to a life where food is a source of joy, not stress. It’s possible to eat intuitively, to nourish yourself fully, and to feel at home in your body.

Are you ready to start your journey? Join me as we take the first steps together to un-dieting, creating a balanced, fulfilling approach to health that feels aligned with you. If you want to find out more then visiting my health coaching page or email hello@melissa-delport.com

Bowls of Bali and why you need to visit!

I have come to realize that I have an obsession with bowls. This might seem fairly obvious because I created an entire cookbook around bowls but… even long after the release of WHOLE - bowl food for balance; guess what? the obsession continues. Maybe it's the comfort that they offer. Maybe the ease of eating. Or perhaps its the fact that the beauty of a bowl is the empty space between its walls and what that space can hold. I wanted to share some of these magnificent bowls from Bali a few of the thoughts that followed capturing them.

These bowls made me think deeper about the body and space in between. The spaces in our bodies and in our lives. How do we fill them? How do we celebrate them? Do we stop to admire how glorious our bodies really are?
With the constant diet culture surrounding us, pushing us to be thinner because well, thinner is celebrated more than overall health and wellbeing. How do we find a moment of stillness to recalibrate what it is that we want? How do we drown out the noise? The noise these days is even bigger than just weight. It's a mental health battlefield for so many on a daily basis. It's not always easy, especially if you are in the woods and can't see beyond your own nose. I've been there. In the dark space where nothing seems to make sense, you aren't sure what you should eat or even how to move your body. You've heard so many thoughts and opinions that now rather than breathing you are riddled with anxiety. Who do you listen to? Who do you trust?

Stop. Take a deep breath. Tune into your intuition.

Your body is a magnificent creation of biological engineering. The universe’s magnum opus. It allows you to get up in the morning and show up for your day. It can chase your children in the garden or hold your lover in its arms. It's something to be celebrated. It can heal itself without you thinking about it. Those are the moments or spaces in between your life that happen because of your body. How often do you scan your body and send it messages of love?

So how do I get myself out of the woods? I thought I would share some practical tools for those bad days where emotionally and physically you just aren't in a good space. I hope it offers light into those dark sticky moments when you wake up and think, how am I going to get through today? Or perhaps that moment when you look in the mirror and your inner-bully pops up telling you your thighs should be smaller. These are the tools that I use for my spaces in between.

When you wake up, before you get out of bed, close your eyes and scan your body. Start at your toes and work your way to your head. Breath. Feel into your body and check in with any sensations you might be having. Are you stiff or perhaps tired? Do you feel energized and well-rested?

After your body scan name three things that you are grateful for today. Is it your beating heart, a roof over your head? Perhaps it is something as simple as the ability to smile. An attitude of gratitude can go a long way. Repeat this daily as often and as much as you can! At first, it might seem difficult but don't worry - it gets easier.

Move your body in a loving way. Moving your body is always a good idea as long as you meet your body where it is at. If all that you can do is a 20-minute walk then you have done well! Walking three to four times a week is wonderful and something to be proud of. Before you know it, endorphins will come and you will feel emotionally lighter. I recommend walking outside, somewhere you can take in nature and feel the sunshine on your skin.

Don't believe everything you think. Remember you are not your thoughts. You are a conscious being having thoughts. Not everything you think is true and certainly not to be believed without question. Attaching to the story can cause a lot of pain. Everyone has a bully in their heads. A bully that sets us up with limiting beliefs and tells us all about our shortcomings. Over and over again.

Meet your bully with humour or strength. It takes practice and it isn't always easy but realising that the proverbial “bully” gains ground through unchallenged toxic thoughts about yourself and that you can and do have the power to change those thoughts can be incredibly motivating to clean up your headspace.

Ground yourself in routine. Whether it is morning routine, evening or your weekly schedule. Finding a routine that works for you will not only ground you but set you up for success. What morning routine do you have? Do you just rush out of bed and spend the rest of the day rushing to crash at night? Do you meditate for five minutes each morning setting your intentions for the day?

Be gentle on yourself. You are doing the best you can with what you have. Fill the spaces in between with people that make you feel good, moments that nourish you and healthy whole real food. Preferably in a bowl!

-Melissa