We are taught from an early age that our bodies are not thin enough. Just last week I mistakenly looked at the comments for a video of an adorable chubby baby who was exclusively breastfed on TikTok and people were telling the mom that she was “killing her baby because it was ‘so fat'” — like we can see that that’s crazy; who could fat shame a BABY?
And yet we fat shame ourselves. We fat shame one another. We read someone fat shaming a baby and go “well, scientifically they’re right” because we have bought this line that Fat = Death.
We allow the world to guide us — shape us to believe that our fatter bodies are our fault — hapless victims to our laziness and self indulgence — and that, if we don’t do something about them, we will die. And we will have no one to blame but ourselves.
How many years have you been dieting for? 1? 5? 30? 35? How many of those diets failed?
The diet industry is deeply vested in making you believe that you are to blame for those failures. At this point you might be asking, “How can an industry survive when its product doesn’t work and most people fail at their goal?”
The answer is quite simple. Repeat business. People are so desperate to lose weight that they refuse to believe that there is no quick fix. They believe the message that they are to blame and they repeatedly try one diet after another.
The diet industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. Over the past twenty years, the diet industry has tripled its gross annual income to approximately $60 billion. Central to their success is our belief in the following:
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It is impossible to be fit AND fat at the same time
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All large people MUST lose weight in order to improve their health and fitness level
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All large people are in poor health
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Everyone can lose weight IF they just follow the proper diet and regular exercise program
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The main reason people regain lost weight is THEIR failure to comply with prescribed diets or make long-term commitments to weight loss.
So I am going to try and target what some call the “opportunity cost” — the cost of doing one thing rather than doing something else.
Today, instead of feeling bad about yourself, and what you didn’t do, and what you ate that you feel like you shouldn’t have, stand in front of your mirror and think of three things that you like about your body.
Write them down. Think about them during the week. Don’t make it conditional, like “I’d love my butt if…”
Things that are great about your body, just as it is.
Mine are:
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My body carried two people healthily to 37 weeks and it fought and beat cancer
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My hip to waist proportion is banging.
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My shoulders are super cute.
Every time you pass a mirror and want to think about something you don’t like, try thinking about those things instead.
A healthy mind and healthy self image is really important not only for you but for your kids.