Dieting - Good Food vs. Bad Food

With an empathetic heart, I peel back the layers of an issue that's not just about what's on our plate but also what's in our minds and the world around us. From the undeniable influence of the diet industry to the deeply personal journey of self-acceptance, I share why it's not just okay to want weight loss, but essential to approach it with kindness to oneself. It's time to own your choices with pride!

This episode isn't about preaching a one-size-fits-all solution; it's about celebrating the uniqueness of your health journey. I recount my own experiences with health and wellness, from the highs of feeling in sync with my body to the lows of realizing not all foods are my friends. I'll show you how to simplify food and shift your mindset around dieting.

I'm cheering you on!

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Transcript

Danielle La Rose: 0:09

We are going to continue with the trend of a new year and we are going to talk about the word that nobody wants to talk about and yet everybody wants to talk about it, and that is the D word, and I'm talking about dieting. We're going to talk about our foods good and bad and what does that mean? And are we smart enough to figure it out? And should we be dieting and should you be shamed For wanting to diet? Okay, we're going to jump into All the good stuff, but I want to just take a pause and I want you to think about something that happened in the past week, where you stepped into your power, because we go too often, you know, we go through life and we often forget to take a second to realize all of the powerful things that we're doing, that's making an impact positively in our lives.

Danielle La Rose: 0:56

You know, did you spend more time with your kids? Did you write one chapter of a book? Did you make a delicious dinner? Did you make an important call? Did you stand up for yourself? Did you set a boundary? Did you? Did you do an extra workout? What did you do in this past week where you stepped into your power and you took control of the choices that you're making, to step into the version of yourself that you desire. I need you to take a second home, girl, and I need you to pat yourself in the back and be like, yes, I did Give yourself some snaps. Do all the things because you are Powerful and you are doing things on a consistent basis. That is supporting the life that you desire to live, and we get to celebrate that All right. So now we got to celebrate. Now we get to jump into the good stuff. It's good for me because I really enjoy talking about this, because I have opinions and you do too, probably and we get to be open minded to other people's opinions.

Danielle La Rose: 1:58

But we also get to come back to what is my true belief. What do I believe around dieting and food and fitness, why do I have the thoughts that I have and how can I make choices that are right for me? So, with that being said, I have had a client, a couple of clients and even some friends who have said this exact quote to me, and I repeat, I know I'm not supposed to want to lose weight, but See, the truth is that my friends and my clients say this to me because they know that I truly want them to live healthy. I don't care if they lose weight. I don't want them to focus on the scale. I don't believe that calories should be a priority. I truly, truly just want you and them to live healthy, to live confident, to make choices that are right for them. And I do believe that we live in a world where diet is so prevalent with the idea in mind to change the way that we look. And my point has always been the same as that your body is not the problem. Your body is not the issue, society is. There is a multi-billion dollar industry that profits by telling us that something is wrong with our bodies and we need to change them, and typically that means to lose weight. And so you're right.

Danielle La Rose: 3:30

I don't focus on weight loss. You may have even heard me say I don't help people lose weight. I'm a personal trainer and nutrition coach and body confidence coach. I do not help people lose weight, and the reason why I say that is because I help you get healthy AF and I help you figure out how to trust your body. And actually I trust your body, even if you can't yet, and I trust that your body will move and change how it's supposed to, when you are fulfilling its needs, when you are treating it well, and weight loss is a side effect of that. It might be a beautiful side effect of that for you, but it's just a side effect. It's not my number one focus. But what comes with that is when I tell people that when I share that message, it's often followed by when I hang out again or we have a conversation again, it's I know I'm not supposed to wanna lose weight, but right, because they desire to lose weight and they believe, based on my message, that I will be upset with them for that, that they shouldn't want to lose weight. Listen, here's what I need you to know. You are allowed to desire to lose weight. I know now that we live in this body, positive culture, this body, you know we're intuitive eating and where we tell people don't focus on weight loss, don't wanna. You shouldn't wanna lose weight. You should love your body exactly as it is. Listen, I'm all about loving your body as it is, but if you truly desire to lose weight, that's not my business. Well, it actually kind of is my business if you're asking for my help, because I do help people with their health and wellness and their body image. So it kind of is my business. But you get my point right. You are allowed to desire to lose weight. If that is how you feel, your feelings are valid. You know I shared this.

Danielle La Rose: 5:21

I went to grab coffee with a friend who is top notch trauma informed specialist I don't even know her exact title. She runs a whole institute around trauma. Okay, she is like the woman for trauma and I was sharing with her. I was like you know, I was kind of I was thinking about like what if I come here and I say things that aren't trauma informed? Like I feel very trauma informed and I am very empathetic and try to be very careful with my words, that you know that I am respectful of other people and understanding of where they come from, but I'm not perfect, and so I was sharing this with her that I was somewhat nervous about having a deep conversation with her because what if I say something that's not trauma informed and she probably in her brain is gonna think, ooh, you probably shouldn't say that, right, but I shared with her as soon as we got there. I was like you know, I was thinking this, but then I realized that I feel the same way about my clients, right?

Danielle La Rose: 6:21

There are plenty of people who come to me who say things like oh, I'm not supposed to wanna lose weight, like, but just because they believe that you know, with my line of work, that I say that you don't need to focus on weight loss, and so then they feel funny sharing some of these things, right, you don't have to be worried, you don't have to be afraid of the words that you use. You know, if you say something where I'm gonna try to encourage you not to say certain things, right, like, especially when it comes to food, especially around kids, like, for example, I'll have to work this off tomorrow. I really encourage you not to say things like that. If you say that around me, am I going to be like, ooh, what's wrong with you? Oh, my gosh, I can't believe she said that. No, I'm not going to think that at all, because I realize we live in a society where 98% of people probably say that I made that number up. But majority of people say those things and I understand that I'm trying to make a difference, I'm trying to make a change, and so I understand that those feelings are there.

Danielle La Rose: 7:24

So I just want you, first and foremost, before I jump into good food, bad food, I want you to know that your feelings are valid and if you want to lose weight, that is okay, and you don't need to feel shame for it, because we're often shamed. Now, for you know, we shamed diet culture, but then what we're actually? We're almost now getting to a point to where we're shaming individuals, right, that shaming the diet culture turns into shaming people who want to, who say they want to lose weight, who have that desire. And I'm not here to shame anyone. I'm not here to tell you what you should and should it do. I'm here to give you a different perspective. I'm here to give you my experience. I'm here to give you my knowledge and my expertise, based on my certifications and my, my degrees and all the things, but I'm not here to shame you. And so I want you to know that, going into this conversation, that you're allowed to want to lose weight and you're allowed to want to diet. If that's where you're at, if you want to do things differently than what you've learned and what you've seen growing up and what you've probably experienced for yourself, then I'm your girl. I'm here to help you shift the way we approach it.

Danielle La Rose: 8:31

But let's talk about this D word because we shamed the word diet. Because what we actually think when we think of the word diet, we're thinking of an unhealthy option that is meant to help you get a quick result. Right, when we think of diet, we think of really low calorie, we think of cutting out large food groups, we think of pills and weight loss shakes and and just things that are supposed to give you quick results, that are made to also make a quick buck. That also sells you this idea that something's wrong with you and you need to fix it. But here's what I want to challenge us to do before we talk about good food, bad food, is to shift the way that we talk about the word diet.

Danielle La Rose: 9:15

Because I believe in dieting, we are all on a diet, because the definition yo hung girl the definition of a diet is simply the kinds of food that a person, animal or community habitually eats. So if I ask you what is your diet, I'm not asking you what your plan is to lose weight, I'm asking you what do you eat? Right, when I talk to a new client we're we're talking about nutrition. I say tell me, tell me what your, your, your diet typically looks like. I'm not asking her to diet, I'm not asking her what her plan is to lose weight. I'm asking her what food she's eating. Okay, so we get.

Danielle La Rose: 9:56

We're shaming this whole word diet and I want, really, before we do anything, can we take back control of this word diet. Can we not be so upset and sensitive around the word diet and instead just say, yeah, I'm on a diet, we're all on a diet, it's the kind of food that I eat, that's the diet that I'm talking about. Okay, so we get to. Really, can we just take back control of that? Okay, and as we're taking back control of this word diet and we're really using it the way that it was intended, let's next say and realize and recognize that I'm smart AF, and you are too. Well, it took me a long time to get to a point where I was like I'm smart, right, but I'm smart and you are smart, you are a smart woman. So what I mean by that is you and I.

Danielle La Rose: 10:50

But you know the size of your body when it feels like it's working like the bomb diggity, you know I'm talking about when your knees don't hurt as bad, when you can breathe, walking up the stairs without getting out of breath. There was one time I went to a house to a game and we were leaving and it was really, really hot. But I was very, very, very out of shape and we were walking upstairs and I could barely breathe in my then now husband but he literally had to like basically push me up the stairs because I didn't think I was going to make it and we were not waiting three hours for an elevator. So in that moment I was like yo, homegirl, this ain't how life is supposed to feel. Your body is supposed to feel this way. It's not supposed to be this hard walking upstairs.

Danielle La Rose: 11:33

And so I now, through my whole journey of being so many different shapes and sizes and going on different health and wellness journeys with different workouts and meal plans and different things, I know when my body feels amazing. I know when it feels like the bombcom, when I wake up in the mornings and my stomach is gurgling. It ain't good when I walk upstairs and I can't breathe. It ain't good when I am just living my life and my knees are hurting. Look, some of you all can just say, oh, you're just getting old. No, I'm not playing that game. Age is a number. I'm not playing that game. Yes, things are going to change. However, I can also take care of my body and make sure I give it what it needs in order to feel the best way I possibly can. There are months where my knees don't hurt and there are months when my knees hurt real bad.

Danielle La Rose: 12:22

So I know and you know when your body feels the best. You also know what foods you've been eating that make you feel great and which ones make you feel like crap. Okay, and listen, I'm not talking about like during, while you're eating, because french fries, maybe you feel like I can walk on water while I bind into the juicy saltiness, like in the moment it's like, oh yes, best idea ever. Two hours later, not so much. Okay, I know and you know what foods make you feel great and which ones don't. So all I'm saying here is that I'm not dumb and you're not dumb. You are smart and intelligent and everything in between. So you also know what foods have vitamins and nutrients and which ones come with the warning label, like if we cared as much about humans and what they ingested as we, as our parents, cared about.

Danielle La Rose: 13:20

Like the music or movies we watch. Think about it. Movies come with ratings right. Rated R your little 13 year old kid is not supposed to be going to rated our movie, right. Your little 10 year old is not supposed to be listening to music that has parental advisory, at least like see, remember CDs, when they, that little square on the bottom, said parental advisory, and all of us kids were like that's not, that's what I want, I have to have that one. And our parents were like no, absolutely not, that's not coming in. My house Really sells my house. So, but if our, if our society, our world, cared about warning labels on food we ingest it as much as our parents cared about like rated our movies and stuff, it would be different.

Danielle La Rose: 14:02

By the way, there's an app for that. I just thought of it. There's an app called food you, kate, when you scan an item in a store, it will tell you like ABCD, it gives it ratings, grades and it will tell you why. So some of them pop up and they're like this is a D because this chemical inside of this is linked to cancer. Yay, but like that, it doesn't tell you that on the label, right, but this app will tell you that. So it's really just important, right, and we know some things and other things that we don't.

Danielle La Rose: 14:33

But for the most part, sister, you know which foods are healthy and which ones are not. So there are good foods. This is Danielle's opinion. I believe that there are good foods, and they don't make you a good human for eating them. You're still just a regular human, human. And there are also bad foods, and they don't make you a bad human for eating them. You're still just a regular human. You're welcome. The quality of who you are is not based on the quality of food you eat. You're smart. Take ownership of that. You know what's good for your body and you know what's not good for your body. You know when you feel your rest and you know when you don't.

Danielle La Rose: 15:15

There are such things as good and bad food. You can't tell me that a food item that is linked to cancer that you just want to say, oh, we don't say good and bad foods because there's no such thing, it's just food. No, it's not, that's some chemical crap. That's you're listen, I eat the chemical crap. I'm not shaming the chemical crap. I enjoy it on occasion. Okay, I enjoy me some French fries and some pretzels and all the extra good things that aren't good for me. I enjoy it. I'm not shaming them, but when I go to eat those things, I'm smart. I know that they're filled with chemicals, I know they're not helping my body, I know that they're probably destroying my body a little bit, one piece at a time. But it's fine because I make a choice that's right for me, and sometimes that choice is to eat that bad food and I can say, because I'm smart, that it's bad. It's a bad piece of food, it's filled with chemicals, but I'm making the choice to eat it, but it doesn't make me bad. Okay, so that's how I feel about good and bad foods.

Danielle La Rose: 16:18

The reason really why I feel this way is because, well, I think we're smart. I know we're smart and I think what our society has done is they're tricking us and they're trapping us. I feel like the more that society makes us feel like getting healthy is complicated and it's stressful and it's overwhelming and it's hard, the more we will buy into these quote unquote fad diets and these quick results that they sell us, which don't last. Right, we know that only 5% of people who actually get results with diets maintain them, because it's not like how our bodies work so they don't last and they cost way more money than they should, and what happens is we stay trapped and we stay stuck, and that's not where I want you to be. I don't want you trapped and stuck and trekked and overwhelmed. I want you fulfilled and excited and making choices that are right for you, and that's by you taking ownership of your diet and the words that we use and knowing that you're smart.

Danielle La Rose: 17:22

And, yes, there are good foods and there are bad foods, because some of them aren't even really shouldn't be considered food, if we're being honest. They're just chemically filled things that are delicious and just go into our bodies and you know like there's no nutritional value. Okay, so losing weight happily or just getting healthy happily is all about focusing on the quality of your food and your workouts. It's about simplifying it all and focusing on daily actions and making it part of your life, not your entire life. So when you do those things, your body will do what it needs to do. It will change and shift and go wherever it needs to go. So if you haven't yet, go back and listen to I forget the episode number, but go back and listen to the episode about setting goals for the new year. That will help you tremendously.

Danielle La Rose: 18:13

When it comes to, okay, I understand that foods are good and bad, and I understand that I'm allowed to want to lose weight if I want to, but how can I do it in a healthy way? How can I maintain results? How can I do it in a way that actually brings me joy and is fun and not miserable? That's where I shared five goals five or six goals that you can set that will really help you approach this in a happier and healthier way. So, listen, let's just wrap this up. If you want to diet, do it. If you want to lose weight, fine. Okay. That's your body confidence bestie. That's how I feel, but, just as your virtual bestie and your body confidence coach, just do me a favor, okay, and focus on actual health and stand in your power of making choices that are right for you, not what the world is trying to sell you right?

Danielle La Rose: 19:04

I go through this power method with all of my clients, and one of the first things that we have to do is we have to become aware of where our thoughts come from, right. So, when we're deciding, am I making choices that are right for me, or am I making choices based off of what society has told me to do. And so ask yourself that question and try to figure out am I approaching this and do I want to lose weight because I've been told that my body's wrong? Or do I really actually feel like I need to lose weight in order to be healthier? And don't do it in order to become confident, because, sister, confidence has nothing to do with the way that you look. Okay, so I want you to use diet the word diet as simply what you eat, and let weight loss happen naturally, if that's what needs to happen.

Danielle La Rose: 19:50

Okay, so true health and happiness is found in these moments. Listen, I was extreme in some parts of my life and I was way too relaxed in other times of my life. When it comes to food and fitness, I've been on the entire spectrum, and there's a sweet spot right in the middle, and that's where I hope that you'll find yourself. When you start taking ownership. You start taking control of the words that we use and start approaching food in a way where, yes, I'm smart AF, I know what's healthy for me, I know what's not healthy for me, I know what I want, I know what I desire and my feelings are valid. So go and continue through your journey with those things in mind.

Danielle La Rose: 20:31

And if you are someone who's like, okay, yes, yes, yes, I love this, but I need some small action steps that will help me get close to my goal without focusing, because if you're like how I used to be, you know you're so focused on the weight loss goal that you don't know how to really approach health and fitness in a different way. I want to invite you to join my 75 healthy challenge. You can do it anytime. I do have a lot of us just started it. So if you wish it, if you desire to do it with me, do it with me now. Otherwise, no matter when you're listening to this episode, you can always download the plan or the trackers and go on this journey towards just small healthy habits every single day. That will just jumpstart your health and wellness journey and just help you get more consistent and making healthier choices focused on actions and not necessarily weight loss.

Danielle La Rose: 21:21

All right, sister, that's all I got for you today. Thank you for tuning in. If this supports you in any way and you're like yes, girl, I needed this in my life. I needed this different outlook, or I needed to hear a different viewpoint or I needed whatever you needed. If this served you in some way, please share this with a friend, or, and, or shoot me an email or message on social media and tell me about it. I love to hear from you, so remember that you are pretty powerful. You are smarter than you. You know how to do this. You know that food and fitness is simple. Let's keep it that way. You got this All right. Cheering for you, I want to celebrate you. Keep going. Bye, friend.