Stories of Substance: Body Image Round-Up

bigstock_Megaphone_News_11655422 It’s been too long! Life has just gotten in the way of writing here. I promise to do a longer post soon, but in the meantime, here are some terrific articles you should check out.

Excellent article on xoJane about whether dieting or not dieting is right for the author, and whether we should be apologizing to those around us for whatevever decision we make.

At a California restaurant called Chilly D’s, three women were shocked to receive a bill for their food with “fat girls” typed on it. Read about how they stood up for themselves and what happened to the guilty waiter  here.

Interesting New York Times article about how teenage boys struggle with body image issues and unattainable goals.

Great blog post by Rosie Molinary on shifting self-perspective and how others see us much more positively than we see ourselves.

Timely post on Adios Barbie on maintaining a positive body image during the holiday season.

Love this article on Salon by Melissa Febos about how she’s dealt with her “strong, manly hands” and what our hands say about us.

Stretch marks are a natural part of life, not a “serious health issue”! See how this author comes to term with her own on The Gloss.

Hope you are enjoying the holidays and I’ll write more soon!

Emotional Eating: The Holidays Stress Me Out

I know I should just keep it all in perspective. I want to be an entirely together person who says “ok, I’m just going to enjoy the holidays and not worry about what I eat.” I try not to go completely out of control like I used to do, scarfing down everything in sight like it’s my last meal before going back to watching what I eat. Fortunately, I don’t get those out-of-control urges so much anymore. Probably because I’m not stringent the way I used to be, because I want to be able to live my life without feeling deprived. Overall, I’ve found a pretty good sense of balance.

Deep down, I know it’s the holidays, rather than the food, that’s been getting to me. Complicated family relationships, money worries. Obligations I can’t get out of. I find myself wanting to fast forward to the New Year so I can breathe a sigh of relief. I feel like such a scrooge saying that.

I’m an emotional eater, which I’ve been doing a bit of lately. I’ve gotten a lot better at differentiating when I’m hungry and when I’m unhappy. During the holidays, it feels like it’s been one occasion after the next where I’m deciding “do I really want to eat this?” and “when am I going to cut myself off?” The holidays are stressing me out and everywhere I turn are Christmas cookies and boxes of chocolates waiting to be eaten.

When I’m using food for “comfort,” the food isn’t nourishing or celebratory, but a crutch. And provides fleeting relief. And then I feel guilty. For eating food I’m not even enjoying because I can taste the sadness and resentment in every bite. And more of it that I really want or need. Continue reading

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