How Do You Think About Your Body?
posted on: October 06, 2020. posted in: Weight loss, Nutrition
"Hi I’m in a good financial position now, just joined rebel weigh! looking forward to changing my life for the better. I joined slimming world at the age of 13 as I pilled on the pounds through emotional eating by being bullied constantly at school... I started putting the weight on at age 7 and at age 14 I knew I was different to my peers, and some of them made it well known that it was because of my size (5ft7 and 18 st) I went with a family friend to my local slimming world group, I got down to 12.5 stone for my prom, I was so happy! Then it creeped in, stone by stone, rejoined, lost the weight and put it back on countless times, I have thrown out 10 slimming world books that’s how many times I had re joined! Now I’m in my late 20s and 23st I am the heaviest I have ever been. I am in a good place tho, great support network around me, I feel quite happy and content with life, but lacking in confidence due to my size. I’m hoping rebel weigh will put everything into perspective for me to be healthier, more confident, and to have a great relationship with food.🤞"
Hello and thank you so much for sharing your story.
I'm very excited about getting you started on Rebel Weigh™, but to give you a head start here's a very important lesson.
Your relationship with food starts with your relationship with your body.
If you have a negative relationship with your body, you will have a negative relationship with food. If you have a positive relationship with your body, you will have a positive relationship with food.
So what is your relationship with your body?
If we trace it back, we can see that you have been bullied and fat shamed, and that will have contributed to a negative relationship with your body from a very early age. This isn't your fault. This is diet culture's fault.
The weight on your body is effectively the accumulation of every negative comment, criticism and act of bullying you've ever been subjected to. Which makes your weight your bully's fault not yours.
We actually have the science to prove this. "Weight stigma" is real, and it is scientifically proven to drive weight gain.
Sadly this is incredibly common...
• Young girl gains some weight
• Young girl gets fat shamed
• Young girl starts her first diet
And that moment, that first diet, represents the end of her healthy, positive relationship with food, and the start of a self-destructive relationship with food that (via several rounds of dieting) leads to obesity long term.
You now need to start the process of healing your relationship with your body, and by healing that relationship with your body, you heal your relationship with food.
Body negativity breeds disordered eating. Body positivity breeds healthy eating.
The challenge is trying to be positive about a body that has been the subject of years of fat shaming, discrimination, bullying and abuse. Which is why we don't expect newbie rebels to be "body positive" straight away, if at all.
Body acceptance comes first.
So it works in this order...
Body negativity >> Body acceptance >> Body positivity.
"Body negativity" is the state of hearing those negative voices in your head about your body, and those negative voices creating stress, anxiety and disordered eating patterns that drive further weight gain.
"Body acceptance" is accepting how your body is and not allowing your thoughts to create stress, anxiety or disordered eating patterns. It isn't loving your body, it is making peace with your body.
"Body positivity" is making the positive, loving, kind voices in your head louder than the negative, hateful, unkind voices in your head. This is the dream, the end goal, but it isn't always easy.
By the sound of things you're a fair few steps along what we call The Acceptance Path already! So well done! I'm very confident the next mission will take you that little bit further :)
Liam
p.s. For anyone following who is in a place of body negativity that is driving their disordered eating, we can help! Rebel Weigh™ launches on 19 October, Book Now! »
