7 Harmful Diet Phrases to Stop Using [Slideshow]

“I Feel Fat.”

Okay, I know it seems picky, but fat isn’t a feeling. It’s a description. Often when we say we feel fat, we mean we feel gross (guilty) or bad or even unattractive (guilty again). I get it, dieting, and making peace with your body is hard. But when you equate being fat with being gross or bad, you are being unkind to yourself and others.

Give yourself a break and let go of the judgment, even if only for a little bit. You may be surprised at how much better you feel.

“You’re So Skinny, You Can Eat Whatever You Want.”

In general, commenting on someone’s appearance in this way, even if you mean it as a compliment, is not cool. Even thin women may have uncomfortable relationships with their bodies. It also implies that they don’t need to worry about nutrition or health because they are thin.

It feeds into the thin is better, and if you aren’t thin, you should be restricting what you eat to fit into the thin ideal. The truth is, unless you have allergies or other health issues, you can eat whatever you want.

"You Lost a Ton, You Look Great."

I have two issues with this. It is often said, no matter how much weight someone has lost. When I’ve lost enough pounds for people to notice, and someone says I’ve lost “a ton,” I wonder, “Was I really that fat?”

And secondly, we often think that losing weight is a good thing, no matter how the weight was lost. But that’s not true. If someone has lost a lot of weight, they could be depressed, or have an illness or an eating disorder. There’s no way to know for sure.

Labeling Food “Bad” or “Guilt-Free.”

Food is just food. We may love it or hate it. It can comfort us, make us happy, or fuel our bodies. But it is not inherently good or bad. It just is. This means there are no “good” foods or “bad” foods, or foods that should make us feel bad when we eat them.

Changing your relationship with food is key, so you should never feel guilty about indulging in your favorite foods. A healthy relationship with food is the key to a healthy diet.

“I’m So Fat” after Eating a Big Meal

When you do this, you are shaming yourself and anyone around you for eating. Don’t think you can’t fat-shame yourself, because you totally can. When you say things like this, you are associating being fat with being lazy, overindulgent, overeating, and lack of self-control. And not only is that unfair, it’s also not nice.

It’s quite possible you aren’t aware of your negative self-talk and how it affects you. Teach your inner voice to be kinder, and our regular voice will do the same.

“Do I Look Fat in This?”

Think about what you are saying. What you’re really asking is if it looks bad on you, or is unflattering, which infers that being fat looks bad. We’ve been bombarded with messages that our number one goal is to look as thin as possible. But we don’t have to buy into that. Sure, you want to dress to flatter our body type (if you’re not sure about yours, take this quiz to find out.) But that doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with yours when something doesn’t look or fit quite right.

“Today Is My Cheat Day”

You don’t have to make excuses for what you are eating to yourself or anyone else. We’ve been taught to think we need a special occasion to eat certain things, but we don’t. Sure, there are some things we should eat in moderation, but that doesn’t mean we’re being bad or good when we eat them. We’re just taking the time to enjoy something we don’t usually have. I like to think of it as savoring something that I don’t often eat, which makes it more special.