The following does not represent the views of Loyola University Maryland, The Greyhound, or Loyola University’s Department of Communication.
It’s that time! “Winter Arc,” “75 Hard,” or just prepping for your “summer bod” all have arrived, just in time to look your absolute best for Spring Break and Summer vacation.
These challenges include daily exercises and meal plans that followers should be partaking in to see results in the scheduled duration. TikTok and YouTube have created these ideas into trends, influencers often hyping up the process and showing quick and noticeable results within weeks. Diya Sharma ’28, was hooked as her ‘For You’ page was filled with endless videos on results from these challenges.
“I started the 75 Hard challenge beginning of January. I try to eat as much protein as possible, limit my Starbucks uptake and increase my water intake, and workout everyday. What I like about this challenge is that it keeps me active and motivated. There is nothing better than seeing the results,” Sharma said.
Even though these trends can be beneficial and knowledgeable, it can come with a lot of backlashes. When the weight does not come off as expected or one slips up by eating something “wrong”, it can lead to feelings of guilt and depression. This becomes a cycle of trying to reach the “perfect” body and feeling terrible when things do not go according to plan. This is the toxicity of diet culture.
Diet culture refers to the idea that being thin, losing weight, and attaining a specific body type is the standard for health and beauty. It often promotes the concept that losing weight is the ultimate goal, regardless of individual health needs or the potential negative impact on both physical and mental wellness. This toxic lifestyle forces the idea that particular body types are more “acceptable” or “desirable.” Constantly comparing yourself to these ideals can result in obsessively changing your appearance rather than embracing your natural body. This TikTok uses real life scenarios to highlight what diet culture is. These ideas are destructive and should not be normalized.
Many college students are surrounded by a large, diverse group of peers when coming onto campus, which can expand insecurities about their bodies. For first-year students, it can have a greater impact, as college becomes a huge change from high school. The pressure to “fit in” or look a certain way can become consuming, especially when it seems like everyone is striving for the “ideal” body type. Many students can feel this pressure at the FAC, the dining hall, or even walking around campus, as people see certain body types that they constantly compare themselves to.
Not only does diet culture present negative body image but also diminishes mental health. This unhealthy lifestyle can contribute to feelings of shame, guilt, and stress, as dieting can create a sense of failure when expectations are not met. The continual pressure to lose weight or “be healthier” based on societal standards can develop feelings of inefficiency and disconnection from your true self. College students often juggle multiple stressors like academic pressure, social challenges, and financial burdens, and diet culture can add to that stress.
Diana Betz, a psychology professor at Loyola University Maryland, shares valuable insight into how guilt and shame play a significant role in shaping our behavior with diet culture.
“Guilt is considered a prosocial emotion – which is when one will recognize that they did something wrong, and will want to atone, which helps to repair social bonds – making shame more negative. Shame is not so motivating and can actually cause one to withdraw instead of seeking repair. That’s because shame is all-encompassing –it’s not that one did a wrong behavior, it’s that one believes they are a bad person,” Betz said.
Body shaming is considered to be one of best predictors of anxiety, depression, and eating disorders in comparison to other measures of shame. When someone experiences this type of bullying, it makes them feel like they have less worth as a person.
“Body shame is actually central to the experience of self-objectification [of internalizing this idea that one’s body is there to look good and to please others, never mind their own thoughts, feelings, goals, or desires]. And self-objectification is itself encouraged by diet-culture-infused media,” Betz said.
This toxic lifestyle promotes the idea of “good” vs. “bad” foods, and often demonizes certain food groups. People may start viewing food as something to control or fear, instead of as nourishment and enjoyment. Diet culture on college campuses often encourages restriction of certain foods. The “freshman 15” is a common joke for students, but it also reinforces the idea that weight gain during college is something to be avoided, which leads to unhealthy relationships with food.
Mary Hauver, the Loyola University Maryland campus nutritionist, speaks on the misconceptions people have about nutrition due to diet culture.
“Diet culture contributes to numerous fads and trends within nutrition. These are ever-changing and often contradictory, like how we went from low-fat diets, then to low-carb and keto,” Hauver said.
“Diet culture has caused people to expect nutrition advice to be flashy, cutting-edge, and extreme. I find people are often surprised, if not disappointed, when the nutrition advice I give them is simple: regularly eat balanced meals and snacks, eat a variety of foods, drink water, move your body,” Dr. Hauver said.
Diet culture can be such an easy route to follow, but a harder path to exit. It may take time, but it can be done. Here are a few things you can do to save yourself from this toxic way of life:
- Listen to your body!
- Enjoy a wide variety of food, including as many food groups as you can onto your daily plate
- Remind yourself that eating high calorie snacks or meals doesn’t make you a “bad” person
- Try to find a group of friends who encourage and support you
- Follow accounts on social media that promote body acceptance, diversity in body types, and health.
- Balance your routine with rest days and incorporate fun workouts into your life, such as hiking, roller skating, and dancing
- Join student groups and activities that promote mental health, body positivity, or overall well-being. Some examples are Women’s Center and FAC workout groups
- Find someone you can talk to about any issues you may be experience. Loyola’s Counseling center, campus nutritionist, and Office of student Support and Wellness Promotion are great people to go to.
When asked about advice for those who struggle with the endless cycle of unhealthy dieting and restrictions, Dr. Hauver reports, “I recommend the Intuitive Eating framework. Intuitive Eating started out as a book, written in 1995 by two dietitians. They developed the philosophy based on research and their clinical practice. There are 10 Principles to Intuitive Eating that focus on rejecting a diet mentality, connecting to hunger and fullness cues, challenging harmful beliefs about food and body, and encouraging healthy behaviors.”
Everyone’s body changes over time, especially when adjusting to a new lifestyle, like college. These changes are natural and do not define your worth. It is time to prioritize feeling good rather than looking a certain way. Your body deserves love, respect, and acceptance, just the way it is. This is not just about rejecting diet culture—it is about being yourself and choosing to live authentically.
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