I’ve struggled with body image as much as the next woman. In certain influencer, nutrition and health circles I find “skinny” is confused for “healthy”. When we talk about health and wellness, people assume we mean “thinness”, or weight loss.
And I want to confess something: I hate treating weight loss.
I love love love when people notice positive side effects from their treatment plans: they’re sleeping better, more relaxed, have better skin and yes, have even noticed some weight loss, but when weight loss is our primary goal, something we’re aiming for at all costs, (and this is the key point) beyond the weight OUR BODY WANTS to be for health, then I’m often stumped.
My goal is to support the healing process of the body, and to do no harm.
Fat, while vilified in our society, is not a 4-letter word. (I also mean that literally… it’s… a 3-letter word).
Our bodies love fat. Fat is stored energy. It’s your cushy bank account—resources saved for a rainy day.
It’s mental, emotional, and physical protection. Our cushioning protects us against falls.
It’s a storage reserve for reproductive needs (growing a baby’s brain and breast-feeding).
It’s the rubber insulation of the electrical wiring of our nervous system and brain. It’s brain mass.
It’s a layer of warmth.
Stress, famine, lack of sleep, inflammation, and hormonal resistance, are some common signals that tell the body to store and maintain fat.
Our bodies also have a set point range at which they feel most comfortable—and this set point, unfortunately for our Instagram followers, may be higher than society tells us it should be.
I have found in my practice that if we treat the underlying causes of fat gain: the inflammation, poor sleep, chronic stress, insulin resistance, etc., we might notice weight loss as a happy side effect of improved metabolic functioning.
Sometimes our bodies have experienced mental, emotional, physical or metabolic trauma and need to hold onto their protective layer a little while longer.
Maybe your body thinks you need a little softness…
I created a course: Intuitive + Mindful Eating, body image, metabolic health, hormones and more.
So, if another diet “failed”, trust me, that’s normal. It’s not your fault.
Diets don’t work.
In fact, in the long run they do the OPPOSITE of what their supposed to do: improve our metabolic health.
Instead they DAMAGE our metabolic health, through cyclical restriction (which often leads to binging and weight gain). And this leads to guilt, shame, and a poor relationship with our body image and food.
The solution is to work with your body where it’s at.
– Understand how your metabolism works, and learn about your Set Point Weight.
– Listen to your cravings and hunger cues and use them as tools for communicating with your body to heal your metabolism
– Make peace with your body size through developing Body Neutrality (easier to achieve than body positivity for a lot of people) and becoming more “embodied”–feeling at home in your body vs. trying to change it.
– Recognizing that you can feel at peace with your body where it’s at right now: and that losing weight (if it means working against your metabolism) won’t make you healthy. And it won’t make you happy.
– Making peace with food through Intuitive and Mindful Eating.
– Practicing gentle nutrition that honours hunger cues and cravings and keeps you fuelled throughout the day.
– Self-compassion
– Understanding how hormones play a role in body size and metabolism and how to nurture them to feel your best.
I cover all of this in more in my course You Weigh Less on the Moon.
Because it’s true, you do!
