Lotta Dann's new book skewers our skinny worshipping culture and the diet industry that feeds off it. She talks to Emily Simpson.
Lotta Dann first got New Zealand's attention in 2011 when she began an (initially anonymous) blog about her recovery from alcoholism called Mrs D is Going Without. She went on to write two books that highlighted our toxic drinking culture and become the community manager of Living Sober. Now, with the same steely intelligence, eye-watering honesty and bona fide personal experience, Dann is tackling the diet industry and the helpless cycle of self-denial and over-eating that it perpetuates for many. The book is called Mrs D is Not on a Diet.
ES: Which felt more exposing to you personally: Coming out in public as a recovering alcoholic or a recovering yo-yo dieter/binge eater?
LD: I felt really exposed when I first opened up about being addicted to alcohol because my dysfunctional drinking had been so secretive and hidden from everyone, and there's still so much stigma and misunderstanding associated with addiction. With this new book, well - people can already see the fat on my body so there's no surprise there! But what I am newly exposing is the internal dialogue of shame and disgust that I've had about my body, and my unhealthy behaviours when trying to be thin. Those things are very revealing and I do feel somewhat vulnerable about sharing it all. The saving grace is that I know from having already opened up about my alcohol addiction that it's incredibly freeing and empowering to 'out' yourself and shine a light on things previously hidden. It takes some of the power away from the negative thoughts and feelings, and connects me with others who can relate, which is such a beautiful thing.
ES: Which privileges do people (especially women) who’ve lost weight in our society get to enjoy?
LD: Oh my gosh, the unbridled, overwhelming praise, adoration and warm regard I got from people when I was in a thin body was incredible. I felt like I was floating on a skinny cloud of joy. Mostly what I experienced was non-stop comments and praise, although clothing store salespeople were more forthcoming and helpful with me and I got more random smiles from people on the street. I've heard from other people who have lost very dramatic amounts of weight (more than I did) that what they noticed the most when they got thin was the end of insults, faux concern or condescending advice. Weight stigma is real, noisy, problematic, damaging, and needs to stop. We need to stop automatically thinking that fat people are unhealthy (they're often not), unattractive (why are jutting bones so appealing?), and weak willed (far from it). Check your fat bias daily!
ES: So how, in this skinny-worshipping culture, do you cultivate body acceptance?
LD: Firstly, you need to be very aware when negative thoughts about your body arrive in your mind. See them very clearly for what they are - unhelpful thoughts that serve no purpose other than to keep you preoccupied and unhappy. Actively work to push those mean thoughts aside and replace them with more affirming ones. "My body is the least interesting thing about me" is one of my favourite replacement body-image thoughts, along with the feisty "Who says I can't have a soft tummy?!" I also like "My body is not a problem if I don't think it's a problem" and "What other people think of me is none of my business".
Next, look around at other people with fat on their bodies who look foxy and confident - there are so many! Draw strength from them, channel some of their confidence and take style tips on what works for a curvy figure.
Thirdly, train your social media algorithms to serve you lovely anti-diet, body positivity content. There are so many fabulous content creators generating posts that are hugely strengthening and inspiring and the right post at the right moment can literally turn your entire day around. Follow, like and comment up a storm and a world of great affirming content will open up to you.
Finally, make all of this an on-going project. It takes time and effort to push back against all the diet culture and fat-phobic messaging out there and turn your own deeply embedded thinking around. But it is possible and I now have far fewer bad body image days and shame spirals than I used to.
ES: What does walking away from the binge-diet cycle look like for you? Like, how do you eat now? Are there rules?
LD: No rules! At first when I consciously abandoned dieting and intentional weight loss I ate a lot. A LOT! Huge quantities and loads of foods that had previously been forbidden. It was delicious but also terrifying because I gained weight. This was hard (see above regarding how I learned to live with a softer body), but I had to go through that permissive phase so that my body and mind relaxed about food and trusted that it was going to always be available. Now that my dieting days are long gone and I have healed my relationship with food, my eating has relaxed hugely and I'm able to tap into my natural hunger and fullness cues. I follow no rules at all. None! And those previously forbidden foods have become less appealing. Go figure.
ES: What's your advice to life-long dieters who say that without the strict rules of a diet they "have no willpower" ?
LD: What does 'having no willpower' even mean? That you're going to eat too much and get fat? That's diet culture talking. Diet culture tells us we should control and limit our food so that our bodies stay as thin as possible. Stuff diet culture! Feed yourself and live wholeheartedly! Move your body and exercise your mind and push back against the messaging that tells you softness is to be avoided at all costs. Like me, you will probably find that when you first let go of strict food rules your eating will be extremely hearty, but trust me it will calm down to where you're freely living without being influenced by the bullshit cultural norm that is diet culture.
ES: What's your view of drugs like Ozempic? Would you consider taking it (or the equivalent if it was available here)? And how do you think it will impact the diet industry?
LD: Ozempic and those other GLP-1 drugs are amazing for people for whom weight actually is a serious health issue. The fact that loads of other people are taking it (in all sizes of body) is no surprise given the diet culture we live under that tells us to be considered attractive and healthy we must have zero fat on our bodies. Why wouldn't you take a drug that causes you to lose weight if you've spent your whole life hating how you look and all the diets you've tried haven't worked (because diets don't work 90% of the time). The problem isn't the drug, it's the culture.
Will the drugs make a dent in the billion dollar diet industry? Potentially, but not everyone can/will buy them, so all the other bullshit diet products (that again, usually do not work) will keep getting spruiked... and new ones will spring up (Ozempic causing you explosive diarrhea? Try our new special laundry powder for removing poo stains...).
I'm not considering taking them. I've grown to love the soft parts of me, and the fact that I can freely eat what and how much I want. I also love being on the 'right' side of the push back against diet culture, embodying support for anti-fat bias. No appetite suppressants for me thankyouverymuch.
Mrs D is NOT on a Diet, by Lotta Dann (published by Allen & Unwin NZ) is available now.
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