Camila Mendes is “done with dieting” after spending much of her life obsessing over being thin.
The Riverdale star, 23, says she decided to change her mindset after talking to a naturopath about her “anxiety” about food and an “obsession” with dieting.
“She phrased a pivotal question in such a way that struck a chord with me: what other things could you be thinking about if you didn’t spend all your time thinking about your diet? I suddenly remembered all the activities I love that used to occupy my time,” Mendes writes on Instagram. “At some point in my life, I allowed my obsession with being thin to consume me, and I refused to make room in my mind for any other concerns.”
The actress, who previously revealed that she once had an eating disorder, realized she was no longer enjoying her former pastimes — her “passion for education, cinema, music” — because she was too focused on being thin.
Instead of continuing to feel “miserable,” Mendes says she will no longer diet.
“I’m done believing in the idea that there’s a thinner, happier version of me on the other side of all the tireless effort,” she says. “Your body type is subject to genetics, and while eating nutrient-dense foods and exercising regularly will make you healthier, it will not necessarily make you thinner, and the current system fails to make that distinction.”
Plus, Mendes adds, there’s a false idea that “being thin is the ideal body type.”
“A healthy body is the ideal body type, and that will look different for every person,” she says. “I’m #donewithdieting.”