Those who try to lose weight or tone up, who do so because they are dissatisfied with their bodies, are more likely to end up larger!

This makes sense. The more you like something, the more likely you are to take good care of it. And that applies to ourselves. Clearly, if you are taking good care of yourself, you are more likely to reach health and lifestyle goals.

Yet most of us are afraid that if we accept our bodies, we would become complacent, even lazy, and never reach our goals. The prevailing notion is that we have to hate ourselves enough to change. Even Jean Nidetch, founder of Weight Watchers, has said that women need to loathe themselves enough to do something about themselves.

One peak at Weight Watchers long term success rates kills that argument. Apparently she did not know what she was talking about.

If self and body acceptance is a path to better managing your food and weight, why not give it a try?

Is the Idea of Body and Self Acceptance Intimidating?

Body acceptance can be an intimidating step for many people. For some, it may seem entirely out of reach. Diet culture has bred very narrow views and harsh expectations around how bodies should look, including ideal size, shape, abilities, or conforming to gender stereotypes.

How Diet Culture Affects Body Image

Diet culture pushes the mistaken idea that an ideal physical appearance is more valuable than physical, psychological, and general wellbeing. Diet culture normalizes controlling your body by limiting what and how much you eat. This can lead to disordered eating and disordered body image.

More recently, there's been a shift in attitudes focusing on learning to accept and appreciate all bodies.

Before full acceptance, you may want to land on more neutral ground, where you don't necessarily accept, but you also don't reject your body how it is now.

This leads to less negative thoughts and feelings about yourself in general, making it easier to want to take good care of yourself.

If you experience invasive, persistent negative thoughts about your body that you feel are interfering with your health and wellbeing, or if you are anxious and unhappy, we may be able to help, give us a call to chat about how you might start feeling better.

What Does Body Acceptance Mean?

Body and self acceptance does not mean you are completely satisfied with yourself, or that that is what you want. It means accepting that you and your body are “good enough” right now. For now.

Being in the body and self acceptance camp means you know that being critical of yourself and your body can:

Interfere with your mental and physical wellbeing, and you don’t want that.
Create and exacerbate disordered eating and eating disorders, and you don’t want that.
Sidetrack you when you are trying to enjoy life, and you don’t want that either.

We can all benefit from self and body acceptance, no matter if we are fat-bodied or thin-bodied or in-between-bodied. But, if you don’t challenge fat-phobia, in yourself, and see it clearly in the world, it will be hard to be okay with yourself.

These articles can help.

Enjoy Some Body Positive Vibes

This Is Who I Am: Our Beauty In All Shapes and Sizes - Beautiful book with elegant nude photos of women of diverse size, shape and age. Each woman shares her personal struggles with body image. The strength of these women shine through in every frame.

A Fat Rant - We love this video! Go Joy Nash!!!!
Fat Rant 2 - Another video showing compulsive behaviors, also by Joy Nash.
Fat Rant 3 - How do you respond if someone comments on your size?
Totally Awesome - Appreciating diverse beauty.
Big Girl (You Are Beautiful) - Fun music video by Mika.
She is Fat and Beautiful - Song by Campfire Bob

Commenting on Weight Loss Isn’t the Compliment You Think It Is - I don't believe that complimenting someone for taking up less space in the world is a compliment.

Losing the Weight Stigma - Argues that you can’t assume someone is unhealthy just because she’s fat, any more than you can assume someone is healthy just because she’s slim. Rather, they say, we should focus on health measurements that are more meaningful than numbers on a scale.

Joy Nash and Kelly Bliss Go Up Against MeMe Roth (of the National Action Against Obesity) - I'm glad I wasn't on that show, MeMe (whose name says a lot ...memememe) would not have survived! Part 2. If you think ol' MeMe makes sense, go to Fatness and Health.

BMI: Freaking Out About Nothing - Note comments on ht/wt at the upper right. Can you use this slide show to discuss how insane the government weight standards are?