New Year’s Resolutions: Listen before you leap into a new diet

00:00:02 Yvie
This podcast is recorded and produced on the land of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. We pay our respects to their elders, past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who may be listening. Hello, I’m Evie Jones, and welcome to let’s Talk, a podcast from Butterfly Foundation.

00:00:26 Yvie
Today we’re talking about the hidden risks behind New Year’s resolutions and harmful health care kicks. From yo yo dieting to placing unrealistic pressures and expectations on ourselves as we head into the New Year, our guest, Jackson Rose from the Butterfly foundation helpline, offers insights on how to approach change with compassion and balance.

00:00:49 Jackson
My name is Jackson Rose. I’m a helpline supervisor with the Butterfly Helpline. I’ve been working here for about a year and a half. Before that, I worked as a helpline counselor with the Butterfly Helpline, and I kind of got into this work just through encountering eating disorders. In my work previously, which was with.

00:01:07 Yvie
Lifeline, we often see weight loss and dieting top the list of New Year’s resolutions. But are these goals helpful or harmful? I asked Jackson to help us unpack some of the common motivations and pressures behind them.

00:01:22 Jackson
I think it’s something that is inherently a positive thing. I think it comes from a place where people want to make positive change in their life, but obviously we can do those things in a helpful way or a harmful way. So it’s kind of really important to work on the underlying motivations of why you want to make these changes.

00:01:40 Jackson
If it’s around exercise or food or body image or these kinds of things, why are you trying to make those changes and how rigid or flexible are you around those changes?

00:01:52 Yvie
While the start of a new year feels like a fresh slate, the pressure to achieve perfection can sometimes turn these resolutions into something harmful. Jackson explains why flexibility and understanding our motivations are so critical.

00:02:08 Jackson
It’s really challenging because on the one hand, I think the motivation, like, underlying them or like the intentionality underlying them is often a positive thing. We go into the New Year, we get to wipe our whole slate clean. We get to a fresh start of the new year. We don’t have to carry the baggage or whatever else happened last year into this new year with us.

00:02:27 Jackson
We get a new opportunity, opportunity to start again. Change can be an inherently positive thing if we approach it in the right way. It’s about, again, those underlying motivations and how flexible or rigid you are in those patterns, the pressure that people put onto themselves and the unrealistic standards of perfection that people often put onto themselves.

00:02:47 Jackson
These are the issues that make change in these directions unhealthy or unhelpful. It can be a positive thing. It’s kind of just how we, how we approach it and how we use it in our lives, I think.

00:02:58 Yvie
And can you speak about the cultural drivers behind so many people wanting to lose weight and get in shape after the holidays?

00:03:05 Jackson
Yeah, I don’t think this has always been a thing. I think if we probably look back in history, you know, there wasn’t always this trend about, you know, that the new year was about losing weight and going to the gym and all these things that usually happen. So it’s definitely cultural and social in nature.

00:03:21 Jackson
Everyone is different, everyone’s body shapes are different, everyone is going to be different because we don’t all come out of the same model. We are all different, unique individuals. And it’s really sad to see that when we’re talking to people on the helpline, sometimes people who are younger than 15, dissatisfied with their body because they say I don’t look like supermodels on Instagram or things like that, it’s hugely damaging.

00:03:44 Jackson
So, yeah, it’s very sad.

00:03:48 Yvie
Before starting any new diet or exercise routine, it’s essential to understand the risk. Jackson discusses the physical and mental toll of rigid routines and restrictive behaviours that are often more common as we head into the new year.

00:04:05 Jackson
When people go into very rigid routines around restrictive dieting or exercise and things like that, that can have serious consequences both psychologically and physiologically. So, you know, restrictive dieting can lead to underweight, that leads to a raft of physical health issues, heart conditions, even death. Like that’s where we talk about that. Eating disorders are one of the most highest mortality mental health disorders in Australia.

00:04:29 Jackson
And that’s from these kinds of conditions, you know, over exercise, especially when people are doing it to an extreme, you know, that damages their joints and their body, early arthritis, things like that. It really damages their sense of self and their self confidence, damages their social relationships, their familial relationships. It’s really about having flexibility.

00:04:49 Jackson
The issues that we see around these things is rigidity. It’s that having that really I have to go exercising every day, you know, I have to eat only a certain amount today and these kinds of things and holding themselves to those kind of really unrealistic standards and not understanding that there needs to be flexibility.

00:05:06 Yvie
What are the long term psychological and physiological consequences of yo yo dieting or over exercising?

00:05:13 Jackson
Yeah, overeating and yo yo dieting. Some of the fundamental underlying causes of People developing eating disorders. You know, dieting is one of the leading predicators of someone developing an eating disorder. So these. These kinds of things are really worrying, and they do have physical consequences. Yo, yo. Dieting can really throw out our hunger cues and things like that.

00:05:33 Jackson
When we are going from, you know, large amounts of food to small amounts of food back and forth all the time, it really throws our metabolism out of cycle. So it’s really important to have a regular cycle of normal eating or common eating just to make sure that you are keeping your body kind of in line so that it’s normal and regulated so your body’s able to kind of have those things.

00:05:52 Jackson
And if you are struggling, like, it’s okay to talk to professionals about these things around food and those kinds of things. Dietitians are great for having conversations around food, especially around dieting.

00:06:02 Yvie
You are one of many counselors on the Butterfly Foundation’s helpline. What kind of things do you hear around Christmas, New Year’s, and how different is it to the rest of the year?

00:06:14 Jackson
This time of the year is often one of the more riskier times of the year that people are really struggling. You know, there’s a lot of pressure there, especially if you’re struggling around eating or body image or things like this. You know, sometimes unhelpful family members mention things about your body or make comments that are unwarranted around those kinds of things.

00:06:30 Jackson
And there’s a lot of pressure to eat more food than you might be comfortable with. So there’s a lot of distress there that we deal with on the helpline. And, you know, all the counselors do an amazing job providing support. So if anyone is struggling, like, please do reach out. We want to be there to support you through those moments and that you’re not alone going through this as many other people around Australia who are struggling, you know, at Christmas time, you know, we’ve got to be a bit more compassionate and forgiving with ourselves.

00:06:54 Jackson
We’re going to eat a bit more than usual. We’re going to, you know, have a bit more of a festive attitude than at other times of the year. So, again, that flexibility is really important to engage in social events in our life.

00:07:06 Yvie
We’ve all experienced feelings of guilt after indulging during the holidays. But how can we manage these emotions in a healthy way? Here’s Jackson with more.

00:07:16 Jackson
Oh, gosh, yeah, I think those feelings are pretty common and pretty universal. You know, a lot of people feel guilty after, you know, having a bit of excess over the Christmas and The holiday period. I think the really important thing is to show yourself self compassion. You know, if your best friend or, you know, a family member was saying those kinds of like really harmful statements or critical statements of themselves, I’m sure you would show them a lot of kindness and compassion and let them know that, you know, this is kind of a one off thing that happens every year.

00:07:47 Jackson
It’s not, it’s not the new normal. Showing yourself that self compassion and being really kind with yourself can be, can be a great starting point. I would also really encourage people to work on their self esteem. A lot of these issues around a very strong inner critic voice come from chronic low self esteem.

00:08:03 Jackson
And that’s a lot of what we see with eating disorders and body image struggles. So we would really encourage people to work on, maybe with a therapist or things like that is to build greater self esteem. Building on other domains of your life, making sure that you have hobbies and connections with people, human beings.

00:08:19 Jackson
We’re meant to live alone, we’re not meant to live in isolation. We’re herd animals. Well, we’re community animals. So we’re meant to have those close family and social connections. So making sure that you have hobbies and things like that can be another great way to connect with those things. And then if you are going to embark down a path of exercise or things like that, finding things that you enjoy that you’re not doing to just punish yourself, but doing things that you want to do, finding something that’s a physical activity, but you’re not doing it just to lose weight or be physically active in some way, it’s something that’s fun and that you want to go and do.

00:08:54 Yvie
It’s important to know the signs of an unhealthy relationship with food or exercise. Exercise in yourself or your loved ones. Jackson shares what to look out for and how to seek support.

00:09:06 Jackson
The most common one that we hear on the helpline, you know, from family members or parents or things like that, is just that someone’s relationship with food drastically changes and that you might notice, you know, really drastic physiological changes as well. Someone, you know, very rapidly losing weight or you know, even very rapidly gaining weight or things like that.

00:09:23 Jackson
You know, maybe someone going to the bathroom after meals or before meals if they’re purging. So just being more like, you’ll notice kind of changes in their behavior and their emotions around food is pretty common and especially around exercise that people are very rigid. They often make very rigid statements, I have to go and exercise today or things like that.

00:09:44 Jackson
It’s not a choice to go and do those things. It’s almost a compulsion. And that their emotions get very heightened when they’re not able to do those things or those behaviors. So if you’re noticing any kinds of those things around family members, please reach out to the helpline and have a conversation. You know, we’re there to help around these things.

00:10:04 Jackson
And, you know, you can always recommend someone who you think might be struggling just to reach out and have a conversation with us. It can be anonymous. They can just have a phone call and talk to someone for 30 minutes and come to try and better understand what’s been going on.

00:10:15 Yvie
It’s just so good to know that it’s there as people just really feel, especially at that time of year, so alone for so many other different reasons.

00:10:25 Jackson
Yeah, I think the anonymity aspect of a helpline and also that’s free to access, you know, that it makes that barrier to entry very low. It allows people to have those conversations that they might not be, you know, ready to have with another health professional, with their family or with their friends, and to come and confront, you know, maybe some of the realities that have been going on for them that they’ve been trying to avoid or that they don’t want to recognize has been going on for them.

00:10:51 Jackson
I think it’s an incredibly valuable service.

00:10:54 Yvie
So, lastly, we’ve just had Christmas and New Year. What advice would you give someone who might be struggling right now?

00:11:01 Jackson
Yeah, especially over Christmas and New Year, there’s going to be a lot of pressures around food and body image and these kinds of things. We’d really encourage people to reach out to the helpline. Our phone number is 1-800-334-673. And you can also come through anonymously or through our online chat service or even just send us an email if that’s that you’re more comfortable with, you know, and just have a conversation about these things and honestly explore them.

00:11:26 Jackson
We want people to feel like they’re supported around these issues and that they have a safe space to come and talk about them. There’s a lot of shame and guilt and stigma around these kind of issues, and we just want to make sure that people feel comfortable that they can come into this safe environment and talk about it without fear of judgment.

00:11:43 Yvie
Thank you for listening to today’s episode of let’s Talk. A heartfelt thank you to Jackson Rose for his insights and incredible work he and his colleagues do on the Butterfly helpline. If you’re concerned about an eating disorder for yourself or for someone that you care about, please reach out to the Butterfly national helpline at 1-800-334-673.

00:12:06 Yvie
That’s 1-800-ed-Hope for a free confidential conversation with one of our specialist counsellors. Alternatively, you can chat online by visiting butterfly.org au and following the prompts at the top of the page. You can also download your own support script to take with you to your GP or other healthcare professional, personalized with your needs and requirements for a better experience.

00:12:34 Yvie
To find out more about today’s episode, check out the helpful links in the show notes and on Butterfly’s website. Just head to butterfly.org au forward/podcast and click through to this episode. Let’s Talk is produced for the Butterfly foundation by Evie Jones and Annette Staliano from Classic Me Productions with the support of the Waratah Education Foundation.

00:13:01 Yvie
Our Executive producer is Camilla Becket, with support from Melissa Wilton and Kate Mulray.