International No Diet Day

In health  news: It’s International No Diet Day today. Yes, that’s right; a day dedicated to shedding plans, expectations and goals, instead of pounds.

Over the last two decades, the dieting industry has grown considerably and is now worth around £2 billion pounds a year. Dieting fads come and go with some of the most infamous being the South Beach Diet, Weight Watchers and the Mediterranean, Atkins and Raw Food diets. If this proves anything, it is that the continued obsession with losing weight and finding the next magical cure shows no sign of abating.

What underpins National No Diet Day is not as frivolous as it first appears; it is, in fact, a movement based on accepting one’s size and shape - while remaining healthy. Supporters argue that Hollywood and the fashion industry typically hold up what is the perfect size for women, with this being the much-publicised size zero. The feeling is: this benchmark is a bad goal, particularly for the young. So the day was founded in an attempt to bring some balance by saying that if you are healthy, then your body size should not matter.

So before we rush out and buy a selection of doughnuts and pastries, the day is more about acceptance; acceptance of yourself and your size rather than achieving the unachievable that only photo editing software tools can accomplish.