Weight Stigma

Sticks and stones can break my bones but words will never hurt me. Right? Words like “fat” “obese” get tossed around a lot in our society. Unfortunately they are often also associated with words like “gross” or “lazy.” These words do hurt. The stigma of weight hurts not only the person at which they are directed, but our society in general.

Learn more about weight stigma on my guest post on MarciRD's Blog!

Talking about Weight Stigma

Marci Anderson is an RD who specializes in eating disorder treatment whom I hold in very high respect. She's a wonderful person both as a friend and colleague. Once a month, she and other individuals interested in ending eating disorders gather on Twitter to talk about topics that relate to self-esteem, body image and food. This twitter chat is called #ended and it's a fantastic way to share your opinion and connect with others who want to make this a more body-positive world.

This Wednesday (September 21st at 8:30pm EST) @MarciRD and @BEDAorg will be addressing the topic of weight stigma.

You might be asking what exactly is weight stigma? Weight stigma is bullying, teasing, negative body language, harsh comments, discrimination, or prejudice based upon a person’s body size. Weight Stigma is something that shames and hurts many people (of all shapes and sizes) and it is time to spread an awareness of how harmful it is to all and talk about it.

About BEDA
Binge Eating Disorder Association (BEDA) was founded to help those who have binge eating disorder, their friends and family, and those who treat the disorder. BEDA provides individuals who suffer from eating disorders with the recognition and resources they deserve to begin a safe journey toward a healthy recovery. To learn more about BEDA check out: http://www.bedaonline.com/ Marci's website and blog are also fantastic-look at Marci RD

RSVP on Facebook and we hope you join in!

What 6 year olds talk about: Weight, and Fat.

In case you haven't seen it yet, this panel of 5-8 year girls discussing weight is very depressing



At an age when kids should be playing, learning, and growing into their bodies, healthy kids shouldn't be worrying about being fat at age 6.

A recently released study confirmed common sense-disordered eating practices in adolescence continues into adulthood. Those little girls are going to continue to be fat-phobic, thin-obsessed teens, and young adults.

The things we say about ourselves and those around us in the presence of little ones is reflected directly to them. We need to stop disowning and hating our bodies around children, not just for our health and happiness, but for theirs and their futures.

Maybe it's starting off small-thinking a couple less negative thoughts about our bodies a day. (The average woman thinks at least 13 a day!) Maybe it's celebrating our strengths, both inside and outside, more often.

Something needs to change.

how did this video make you feel? what can we do??

Think Thin

RD Sarah Butler dropped this little bar called Think Thin landed on my desk the other week and asked me what i thought. ThinkThin bar promising "deliciously natural weight management"- a gluten free, high protein bar with 0g of sugar. Turning it over to read the ingredients label on this "Chocolate Covered Strawberries" bar I counted 38 ingredients, 4 different types of soy, malitol (a sugar alcohol that cases gastrointestinal distress for most people) and not a single mention of strawberries. It must be hidden in that "natural flavor" part.....The sample serving size looked anything but satiating

Can you have you cake and eat it too? Yes I may have a blog called Don't White Sugar Coat It, but I truly believe you can enjoy your favorite desserts and indulgences in moderation. It's a lot easier too thoroughly enjoy a bite of something real, delicious, homemade, than to try to find a substitute, that's loaded with refined and processed protein, and supplements. Want "deliciously natural weight management"? Reach for a piece of fruit, and add some more veggies to your day. There's a lot to be said for real food and that satisfaction that can be garnered from that.
I highly doubt this bar will make you thin, not matter how much you think about it. The only way to have sustainable life-long weight loss and maintenance is through an overall healthy diet and exercise, that includes balance, and yes maybe even a cookie or two. And even if by some total miracle it did make you thin, would you be better person? Would you have more friends? Would you save the world?

Why is it that we lust after thinness so much, that we buy into weight loss scams, hoaxes, and snake oils? That we fill our bodies with "weight-loss" junk food, and ban away all healthy fruit, starches, nuts and seeds, because oh they're too high in sugar/carbs/fat?

I don't know the answer, but I'm hoping to open up some eyes.

What is the most ridiculous weight loss claim you have heard lately?

The Self Compassion Diet-An interview with Jean Fain

Jean Fain, is a licensed psychotherapist and a teaching associate in psychiatry at Cambridge Health Alliance, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. She has dedicated her work to helping others keep physically, emotionally and mentally fit. In her book The Self-Compassion Diet, Fain synthesizes the cutting-edge research and current psychological theory, as well as sharing guided meditations and visualizations to increase self-compassion for greater health.
“Most dieters try to ‘kill cravings’ and break habits with self-discipline,” Fain says, “but only self-kindness can help quiet the shame that traditional diets instill and establish a harmonious relationship with food.”We interviewed her for Guiltless, and she shared some of her top suggestions for increasing self-compassion in YOUR lif!

-What is your expertise?

I'm a Harvard Medical School-affiliated psychotherapist specializing in eating issues.

-What are the basic principles of the self-compassion diet?

When you treat yourself like a friend or a loved one -- with self-compassion --- you're more apt to eat when you're hungry and stop when you're full; rest when you're tired and move when you feel energized. Do that, and you'll lose weight naturally.

What prompted you to write this book?

My clients. They're really hard on herself. They feed themselves a steady diet of self-criticism and expect that'll somehow inspire them to lose weight once and for all. But they've got it backward: self-criticism -- calling yourself "fat," "disgusting" and other mean, nasty names -- that's a recipe for emotional overeating and weight gain. Self-compassion, on the other hand, is the missing ingredient in every diet and a simple recipe for decreasing emotional eating and losing weight.

-Why is self compassion necessary for permanent weightloss/health?

A steady diet of self-compassion helps you feel calmer, less reactive and better able to take care of yourself.

-Can you lose weight in a way that maintains self-care and respect?

That's exactly what I prescribe: self-care and -respect. Eating without care, treating yourself disrespectfully, that's a set up for overeating and gaining weight.

-What is one thing we can all do to foster a more positive relationship with our bodies and food?

Treat yourself like a friend. Rather than calling yourself "fat" or "disgusting," ask yourself: "How ARE you?" "What do you need?" "How can you help??"

Fain’s asserts that kindness, not discipline, is the missing ingredient in every diet and most other weight-loss plans is supported by a growing body of scientific evidence. Research psychologists have found that, for veteran dieters, a little self-compassion goes a long way toward curbing the self-critical thoughts and emotional distress that fuel overeating. For example:

• A landmark 2007 Wake Forest study found that subjects who cultivated self-compassion did not indulge in emotional overeating. In contrast, rigid dieters with their characteristic critical mindset, reflexively overindulged despite their best intentions. This reflex to reach for food in the face of self-criticism helps explain why yo-yo dieters end up with more weight gain than loss.

• A group of University of Wisconsin neuroscientists conducted MRI brain-imaging studies of Buddhist monks meditating on loving-kindness. Compassion, it turns out, is literally mind-altering! Not only does cultivating an attitude of loving-kindness stimulate the parts of the brain associated with empathy and maternal love (the insula and the temporal parietal junction) in men and women, it promises to dampen activity in the brain areas associated with depression and anxiety.

• Indeed, while most researchers have measured the difference self-compassion makes in a single day, Kristin Neff, the University of Texas professor found that ongoing self-compassion training, worked like antidepressants without the side effects over the duration of the study.

If you are looking for other ways to increase self-compassion, Fain recommends the following techniques and meditations:

1. Metta or Loving-Kindness Meditation

Although books have been written on this traditional Eastern meditation, it can be boiled down to the following phrases: “May I be safe. May I be happy. May I be healthy. May I live with ease.” The meditation starts with “I” phrases; continues with “you”; then finishes with “we” — extending loving-kindness to others only after first bestowing it upon yourself. Note: Feel free to customize Metta to your liking. The idea is to compose short, meaningful statements that convey the universal wish for happiness and freedom from suffering. Easy to remember, Metta is a ready response to the fear and self-loathing that can and so often does derail diets.

2. Compassionate Advisor

Here’s a powerful guided visualization based on the assumption that a wise, compassionate advisor lives within us all. By imagining a guide (and it can be anyone who embodies compassion—Mother Teresa, Gandhi, a sister, maybe a pet) and then focusing on his/her loving qualities, subjects have gained new perspective, greater self-acceptance and a much-needed sense of relief.

3. A Compassionate Note to Self

Getting deep concerns down on paper is not only a great way to ease emotional distress, it’s a proven method for bolstering a positive outlook. This practice calls for 15 to 20 minutes of uninterrupted writing per day in which you unload personal angst about a current predicament, and follow it with comforting words from an imagined pen pal.

4. Compassionate Glasses

This practice teaches practitioners how to view the body with an objective, forgiving and even appreciative eye—imperfections and all. It calls for trying on two pairs of imaginary glasses—one with distorted lenses and one more compassionate pair. The distorted pair with its hyper-critical view is all too familiar, but the contrast between the two is notable. The loving lens provides a more balanced, healthier perspective as well as a greater sense of calm and well-being.

Thank you Jean for sharing all this valuable information!

Do you think self-compassion is the secret to weight maintenence and overall health?

A Letter to my Scale

click to enlarge

Guest Post: A weight-y issue

The Theme for Guiltless. this week is WEIGHT, something that is (literally) a weight-y issue for almost all people. My friend Thais wrote this guest post for us, and so we're reversing the post schedule for this week, by starting with her take on weight.

Hello everyone, my name is Thais and I write a blog titled Living in the k(N)ow. Elizabeth asked me to write a special post for this blog and I was more than happy to oblige. I think this blog is doing powerful things and I am happy to be a member of the movement.

This morning I went to the doctor’s office for a normal check up and first thing they asked was for me to step on a scale. I immediately felt repulsed and asked if they could please not state the weight out loud. I cringed for the duration of the process and kept my eyes squeezed shut. Next they asked for me to step up against the wall to check my height. I attitude was noticeably different and I was filled with curiosity to know how much I have grown.

Why is it that our society has programmed us girls to be embarrassed about our weight? Yet finding out how tall we are can be an exciting adventure. When people state I have small wrists or a small feet I don’t consider that a compliment- just a fact. But if someone were to tell me I look skinny or how good those jeans fit, I feel like a million bucks. Does this make sense? If you are a size 6 or a size 16, does it ultimately matter? If you are eating healthy, exercising, and overall treating your body the way it deserves to be treated- why is there such a heavy conscience when it comes to weight?

The bottom line is that the obsession we place on food and weight is simply unhealthy. There is more to life than just a few numbers on a scale. And to think- just a few hundred years ago the fatter you were the more you were considered regal and well enough endowed to not have to work for your wealth. Our media has placed a huge burden on us and technology has not helped.

A great way to change our focus back to the important things in life is to breathe. The general response I receive when I say that is “but I breathe everyday!” This type of breathing is a bit more specialized. It involves attuning ourselves back to our bodies. Feeling ourselves and being in the present moment. Only through this attunement will we discover what we truly desire- whether it be that chocolate cake or an extra mile in our morning run. Breathing and focusing our attention on the now will slowly shift the mentality towards our friends, our families, our studies, and away from society’s obsession with pounds. It also truly helps feeling lighter and guiltless. We deserve the very best of this world!

If you’re interested in reading up more about spirituality and how it connects to our daily lives check out my blog! And remember- you are beautiful.

Love, Thais

Thank you Thais! Do you let the number on the scale define YOU? how does checking your weight affect your self-esteem? check back later this week for Stephanie and Elizabeth's take!