Thank you for pointing out the athletic syndrome, I was vaguely aware of how some girls/women stop having periods when they overtrain, but I had no idea it could get so serious, and how it's basically a sign of starvation, which makes total sense.
Many years ago I heard a silly quote that may have been on to something.about our size obsessed culture. A woman was asked if she was on life support would she want them to pull the plug. Her reply, "Yes, but not until I'm a size 8."
It just seems weird to me that we are supposed to love or not love our bodies. I’m not my body. I’m my mind. My body is just the mechanism that carries me around.
I like for my body to feel healthy. It’s a bonus if it’s attractive but we all lose some of that as we age.
I’ve never loved or not loved my body. It’s like saying I love or don’t love my liver or tibia.
Anyway, I’m super glad GLP-1s exist because now a much healthier mechanism is carrying my mind around. I hope to live a longer and better life free of pain because I’m finally at a healthy weight. I couldn’t achieve this level of health without these drugs. It has nothing to do with loving or not loving my body.
My old car won’t operate if I don’t provide it with reasonable care and the same is true of my aging body.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I don't think you have to love your body or not love your body. There are experts in this space who argue we should be aiming for body neutrality, which is a shift away from the preoccupation with body image in general, I think akin to what you're describing here. And it's generally more accessible for most people than body positivity. In my early days transitioning to intuitive eating, my therapist told me the goal should be neutrality, and I can't argue with that.
But there are a whole lot of women who equate their fundamental worth with their body image and appearance, and don't treat their bodies or themselves with kindness and respect because of it. I'm not saying they need more love, per se, but I do believe there is power in acceptance, and the hate sure isn't helping.
I'm glad to hear being on a GLP-1 has improved your health. I'm not against GLP-1s across the board, I think everyone needs to make the right decision for themselves.
Equating your worth with your appearance is not going to end well. Believe. me, I am 59 and I’m watching my body change in all kinds of ways. It’s folly to try to fight it with creams and surgeries and everything else.
I agree with your stance 💯 Kirsti! Thanks for writing this. I believe like you we must love our bodies no matter the size; as you write: ‘Shouldn’t the goal be to treat all bodies with kindness?’ Yes! But too often the world doesn’t and women often are unkind to ourselves.
"Real acceptance isn’t something you only allow yourself after you’ve shrunk, starved, jabbed, or reshaped yourself into something more palatable. . . It’s choosing to love your body even when you don’t like it."
The disonance between disliking ourself when we are fat and liking ourself when thin is to big to make this jump possible. I know because I did this. You are 1st are happy because you reach a goal and you fit and the compliments, but really, your body has changed but your body has not. So you have a smaller body but you still can't ve happy because you have the same mind
Anyone who appreciates beauty and also want to avoid diabetes will welcome the new GLP-1 drugs. Before there was a solution to nonstop hunger it was smarter to accept the result. No reason now. Once there were no antibiotics and so illness and death was often the result. This wha gives people hope that there will be solutions. No one was sized obsessed 60 years ago.
They absolutely were (size-obsessed). The old black and white TV shows frequently involved mocking people's body sizes. Many people had eating disorders; they just were not labeled as such. When my mother, who is in her late 70's, lost her period in her early 20's, she had no idea why, until she went to the doctor and realized she had anorexia. Weight loss fads have been around for centuries.
Larger body size does not equal bad health.
Non-stop hunger is something to explore through psychotherapy.
People in all body sizes have diabetes.
Beauty is NOT equivalent to smaller body size. I'm stunned by your comment about "anyone who appreciates beauty".
So many good points here! Beauty comes in all sizes, but many unfortunately are not able to see it.
Regarding the point about nonstop hunger, I will say that when I was chronically under eating and overexercising, my food noise was out of control. All I could think about was food! When I stopped restricting, hunger was no longer a constant companion. Now, it comes and goes, and I view it as a valued signal, not a negative.
I have to disagree. Sixty years ago, my mother was 18 and absolutely surrounded by size-obsessed messaging, which she later transferred onto me and made me start dieting as a school-aged kid even though I wasn't overweight. "A minute on the lips, a lifetime on the hips" and so on. I'm working hard to de-program that.
Excellent headline!
Thank you for pointing out the athletic syndrome, I was vaguely aware of how some girls/women stop having periods when they overtrain, but I had no idea it could get so serious, and how it's basically a sign of starvation, which makes total sense.
Many years ago I heard a silly quote that may have been on to something.about our size obsessed culture. A woman was asked if she was on life support would she want them to pull the plug. Her reply, "Yes, but not until I'm a size 8."
Exactly! But today, it wouldn't be a size 8. It would be a size 6 or a 4.
So true
It just seems weird to me that we are supposed to love or not love our bodies. I’m not my body. I’m my mind. My body is just the mechanism that carries me around.
I like for my body to feel healthy. It’s a bonus if it’s attractive but we all lose some of that as we age.
I’ve never loved or not loved my body. It’s like saying I love or don’t love my liver or tibia.
Anyway, I’m super glad GLP-1s exist because now a much healthier mechanism is carrying my mind around. I hope to live a longer and better life free of pain because I’m finally at a healthy weight. I couldn’t achieve this level of health without these drugs. It has nothing to do with loving or not loving my body.
My old car won’t operate if I don’t provide it with reasonable care and the same is true of my aging body.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I don't think you have to love your body or not love your body. There are experts in this space who argue we should be aiming for body neutrality, which is a shift away from the preoccupation with body image in general, I think akin to what you're describing here. And it's generally more accessible for most people than body positivity. In my early days transitioning to intuitive eating, my therapist told me the goal should be neutrality, and I can't argue with that.
But there are a whole lot of women who equate their fundamental worth with their body image and appearance, and don't treat their bodies or themselves with kindness and respect because of it. I'm not saying they need more love, per se, but I do believe there is power in acceptance, and the hate sure isn't helping.
I'm glad to hear being on a GLP-1 has improved your health. I'm not against GLP-1s across the board, I think everyone needs to make the right decision for themselves.
Equating your worth with your appearance is not going to end well. Believe. me, I am 59 and I’m watching my body change in all kinds of ways. It’s folly to try to fight it with creams and surgeries and everything else.
I agree with your stance 💯 Kirsti! Thanks for writing this. I believe like you we must love our bodies no matter the size; as you write: ‘Shouldn’t the goal be to treat all bodies with kindness?’ Yes! But too often the world doesn’t and women often are unkind to ourselves.
"Real acceptance isn’t something you only allow yourself after you’ve shrunk, starved, jabbed, or reshaped yourself into something more palatable. . . It’s choosing to love your body even when you don’t like it."
Making me think this morning. Thank you.
The disonance between disliking ourself when we are fat and liking ourself when thin is to big to make this jump possible. I know because I did this. You are 1st are happy because you reach a goal and you fit and the compliments, but really, your body has changed but your body has not. So you have a smaller body but you still can't ve happy because you have the same mind
Anyone who appreciates beauty and also want to avoid diabetes will welcome the new GLP-1 drugs. Before there was a solution to nonstop hunger it was smarter to accept the result. No reason now. Once there were no antibiotics and so illness and death was often the result. This wha gives people hope that there will be solutions. No one was sized obsessed 60 years ago.
They absolutely were (size-obsessed). The old black and white TV shows frequently involved mocking people's body sizes. Many people had eating disorders; they just were not labeled as such. When my mother, who is in her late 70's, lost her period in her early 20's, she had no idea why, until she went to the doctor and realized she had anorexia. Weight loss fads have been around for centuries.
Larger body size does not equal bad health.
Non-stop hunger is something to explore through psychotherapy.
People in all body sizes have diabetes.
Beauty is NOT equivalent to smaller body size. I'm stunned by your comment about "anyone who appreciates beauty".
So many good points here! Beauty comes in all sizes, but many unfortunately are not able to see it.
Regarding the point about nonstop hunger, I will say that when I was chronically under eating and overexercising, my food noise was out of control. All I could think about was food! When I stopped restricting, hunger was no longer a constant companion. Now, it comes and goes, and I view it as a valued signal, not a negative.
I have to disagree. Sixty years ago, my mother was 18 and absolutely surrounded by size-obsessed messaging, which she later transferred onto me and made me start dieting as a school-aged kid even though I wasn't overweight. "A minute on the lips, a lifetime on the hips" and so on. I'm working hard to de-program that.