"Diet Culture is the media. Diet Culture is stories that your mom and your grandma told you. Diet Culture is an $80 billion industry that whole goal is to keep women distracted and buying products and working towards shrinking ourselves instead of expanding our lives." — Susan Haya
"The shorthand for that is it's basically any way of eating that you could do wrong. So if you are eating according to a set of rules that you can mess up, you're on a diet." — Susan Haya
"I would challenge my client to be seen. I think that women in general are constantly deleting themselves. And from photos like I attempted to do from opportunities and women tend to wait until there are certain size to like really go for it." — Susan Haya
The episode features a conversation between host Alex Cooper and life coach Susan Haya, who argues against the harmful effects of "diet culture." Haya defines diet culture as a pervasive societal system, fueled by a multi-billion dollar industry, that distracts individuals, particularly women, with the goal of keeping them focused on shrinking their bodies rather than expanding their lives. She illustrates that restrictive eating patterns, such as keto, paleo, or Weight Watchers, are forms of dieting because they involve sets of rules that can be "done wrong." Statistics reveal that 95% of dieting attempts result in weight regain, with women frequently dieting from a young age, leading to a cycle of self-criticism and feelings of inadequacy.
Haya advocates for a paradigm shift away from dieting towards embracing self-pleasure and mindful living. She emphasizes "cleaning up your environment" by being conscious of what we consume through our senses—media, conversations, and surroundings—to reduce energy drains. Additionally, she highlights the importance of actively adding pleasure into daily life, as denying oneself pleasure can lead to overeating and emotional dependence on food. Haya debunks the notion of lacking willpower, suggesting that overeating is often a response to unmet needs and the pressure to conform to cultural standards. She introduces the "hunger scale" as a tool to reconnect with the body's natural cues for hunger and satiety, encouraging attentive eating rather than distracted consumption.
The discussion extends to the impact of diet culture on women's self-esteem and participation in life. Haya challenges the societal pressure for women to feel ashamed of their bodies, especially in the age of social media and photo-centric environments. She encourages clients to be "seen," to resist the urge to avoid photos or social events due to body insecurity, and to understand that worthiness is not tied to a specific size. Haya also addresses the desire for weight loss alongside self-love, comparing it to improving a marriage, and advises focusing on the "why" behind weight goals, ensuring they are not solely for external validation. The episode concludes with Haya encouraging listeners to curate their social media feeds with realistic content and to embrace their experiences and bodies as they are, rather than striving for unattainable, digitally altered ideals.