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One of the many things that I dislike about diets is that they’re so all-consuming.

Personally, I think that dieters need to think and talk about their diets all the time because it’s really not a natural thing to be on a diet. I know that when I stopped dieting 5 years ago, I started noticing that my mind felt less cluttered. It took some time, but it was lovely to have a meal and not think about how many points or calories I was eating. It’s a wonderfully freeing feeling.

In honor of my upcoming talk at The Lose the Diet, Gain Yourself Telesummit, I’m sharing the excerpt below from my book Stop Dieting Now: 25 Reasons To Stop, 25 Ways To Heal. I hope you find it helpful!

So here’s Reason #16: Diets Don’t Let You Think About Anything Other Than Diets.

Diets cause dieters (who are often women) to build their lives around food rather than other things that may really matter to them (relationships, careers, social issues.)

When you’re on a diet, how much time do you spend thinking and talking about dieting? Do you talk to you friends about points, calories, carbs and fat grams? Do you find yourself working out complicated math equations in your head just to decide what to eat?

Now, imagine a world where you talked to your friends about their lives, their dreams, and their desires. Take a moment to think about how much time per day you think about dieting, how much time you take to weigh or measure your food, how much time you spend thinking about fat grams, carbs, calories, points, etc. Add that to how much time you spend worrying about what you ate or what you will eat and whether you’ve gone off your diet or not. How much time per day is that?  If you’re like most dieters, you probably spend at least an hour a day, if not more, thinking about, talking about and feeling guilty about your diet.

Tip #16: Envision Your Diet-Free Life

If you’re a dieter, imagine what you could do with all the time that is taken up by dieting. You might use it to meditate, to get your work done more efficiently, to spend time enjoying your friends, or to think about causes and concerns that are really meaningful. In other words, imagine spending that time envisioning and creating a better life for yourself—one that doesn’t revolve around diets. Keep envisioning your world without dieting until your reality and your vision become one.

Golda is a certified holistic health counselor and founder of Body Love Wellness, a program designed for plus-sized women who are fed up with dieting and want support to stop obsessing about food and weight. To learn more about Golda and her work, click here.