A plastinated human from Gunther von Hagens' Body Worlds
If I don’t include the horrible way I’ve been eating over the holidays, I’ve made some pretty excellent changes in the kinds of things that I eat, and was doing really well with going to the gym fairly regularly.
This is a slippery slope for me, because it kick starts some serious body-image obsession, and some not so healthy patterns of thinking. I’m consumed with guilt because I’ve been “bad”, even though it’s the time of year when everyone does this kind of thing.
I never weigh myself, but over the holidays I got on a scale, and though I was happy to see that I’ve lost about ten pounds since the last time I’d weighed in, I still have about ten to go before I’m happy with the numbers. Next, I will measure myself and compare to some earlier measurements.
Rather than feel proud of my success, I start to think about how I can axe those last ten pounds quickly. Anyone who knows anything about nutrition and health knows that there is no healthy way to quickly loose weight. I know this too, but sometimes I just don’t care.
I see photos of myself, and can see the difference, but all I fixate on is how much further I have to go before I’m satisfied.
New Year’s Resolution Number Two:
I will treat my body beautifully, and stop comparing myself to other women. Nutrition will be important, and exercise, and I will know that I look the way I’m supposed to because I am mindful of these two things. I will not do stupid things to myself for the sake of being smaller than I currently am. I’ll check in daily with my journal to keep myself on track – not weighing, measuring, or listing food that I’ve consumed, but writing about how I think and feel about my body.
Schnoo,
You are so wise to tackle the issue of body comparison! We often catch ourselves thinking about how we measure up compared to other peoples’ bodies. Then we start the sick cycle of dieting, bingeing, purging (for some) and overexercise (for some). But this always leads into the undercurrent of shame, which leads to more despair. We have seen 250,000 ads before the age of 17 that scream, “To be thin is to be beautiful, and beauty is everything.” This causes us to obsess and compare until we feel sick and turn to food or dieting as a drug of choice.
I am a licensed mental health counselor and have had the honor of helping people work through their body image/food issues. Of course these issues are much more about our hearts and our stories than they are about food. Until we have the courage to face the underlying issues, we will not fight the body image bandit and win. I am writing a book and blog about these underlying issues, and what we can to create real and lasting change. Fannies (my book and blog) is a collage of humor, psychology, story, research, and narration which helps people to make peace with their fannies. I hope you get a chance to look at it. I would love to know your thoughts. And bravo on your decision to stop the cycle of comparison! Cherrie http://www.cherriemac.wordpress.com
Comments like these are why I keep writing. Thank you Cherrie, I made a quick visit to your blog, and loved it thus far. Everyone should read it.
Cherrie, how did you discover Schnooville?
I clicked on the “tag surfer” on the wordpress.com site. Then I typed in “body image” and 4 or 5 blogs were featured, including yours. š
Schnoo,
Sorry, but I think I may have actually typed in “dieting” on the tag surfer. Maybe my last comment didn’t make sense to you.
Check out my new article on the Real Reasons for Food Addiction if you get a chance (even though it doesn’t appear like you struggle with that issue).
Happy New Year! Cherrie
http://www.cherriemac.wordpress.com
Fannies: Reflections on Cookie Dough, Life, and Your Derriere