Here is the secret diet culture doesn't want you to know: The stress of chronic dieting raises cortisol levels, disrupts gut bacteria, and leads to disordered eating patterns.

The pursuit of weight loss at all costs often destroys the very behaviors that create wellness—like a trusting relationship with food and a love of physical activity. We have been sold a lie. We have been told that our bodies are projects to be fixed, sculpted, and minimized. We have been told that wellness is a punishment for existing in a larger form.

You do not have to love your body every day. But you can absolutely choose to stop fighting it.