Guest Blogger: IAmGuiltless on Body Image

Today’s blog is brought to us by Elizabeth Jarrard, social media diva and co-owner of the blog “Guiltless", my favorite positive body image blog out there!

When was the last time you looked in the mirror and loved every part of your reflection? Who among us has not compared themselves to our peers? Can you honestly say you have a very positive body image? The siren song of "Perfection" calls out to us from every magazine, tv show, billboard ad and website. It is very easy to start second-guessing yourself, and comparing yourself to this bombardment of images.

Stomachs can always be flatter, waists smaller, and thighs slimmer. Positive body image is seen as egotistical, and arrogant. You are much more likely to hear "Does this dress make me look fat?" than "I look great tonight!" We are bombarded with messages that our bodies are not good enough, that we should be ashamed of them, that they need to hidden until we emerge from a 60 day “miracle cleanse” with Jennifer Aniston’s rockin bod. This infects the entire country with a sense of debilitating self esteem, and creates an environment which fosters self-destructive behaviors and disordered eating. We are constantly being sucked into the media’s tornado of beauty and perfection, and it creates a perfect storm.

We must love ourselves and our bodies before we can create positive change. Love is the foundation of healthy weight maintenance, weight loss or achieving new fitness goals. If you hate yourself or your body you will not want to treat it right, with the respect and love it deserves. This hatred can manifest itself in obsessive exercise, binge eating, disordered eating practices, low self esteem, depression or restriction, or any combination of the above.
On the other hand, if you love something you will want to nourish it, respect it, help it to fulfill its greatest potential.

I have decided to block all fat, negative talk from my life. I challenge you to bring some more self love and body appreciation into your life!

• Say It-Shout it from the rooftops, or whisper it to yourself in your bathroom mirror. “I am beautiful, I love me, My body is perfect just the way it is.”
• Write It-write yourself a love letter. Graffiti it on your mirror. Make a list of things you love about yourself, both physical, mental and spiritual aspects of the self!
• Live It! Don't put yourself or others down-stay away from negative comments, and always accentuate the positive.
• Support Yourself! Find a friend and make a compliment challenge-commit to creating a positive body image for the both of you.
• Step away from the scale If your weight needs to be monitored, leave that up to the doctors. Don’t let the number on the scale define you-How much you weigh should never affect your self-esteem or your sense of who you are.
• Take some time for YOU: Put yourself first One a month get a massage, a manicure, or a facial. Pamper yourself to long hot baths by candlelight. Get together with a friend and give each other pedicures. Buy lotions that feel and smell good and treat yourself to some perfume or body mist. Take naps when you need to, just because you can!
• Spread the love! Tell your best friend that she is beautiful, just the way she is. Compliment a stranger. Check out Operation Beautiful for inspiration. Don't tolerate criticism of your body or your friends. Stop Fat Talk in its tracks, maybe even start a Fat Talk Free Week!

Elizabeth Jarrard, BS Nutrition Sciences, co-founder of Guiltless.
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Product No Case: HCG Supplements

January 16-22 is Health Weight Week. I love their 3-fold mission:
1. Celebrate diet-free habits
2. Prevent eating & weight problems
3. Work towards being accepting, happy, and healthy at our natural weights

On the Healthy Weight Week website, they name their 2010 "Slim Chance Award Winners" for the worst weight products of the year. These horrible weight products has inspired this month's "Product No Case" post.  And here it is folks: HCG Supplements. Let's agree together to never support a product that offers empty promises, a 500 calorie a day diet, and horrific side effects. 

HCG Supplements

In a resurge in popularity of HCG injections among some practitioners and spas, this 1950s weight loss method has spawned excitement in the supplement field, as well. HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), a hormone produced during pregnancy, is claimed to reset the hypothalamus, improve metabolism and mobilize fat stores. However, there is no scientific evidence supporting HCG treatment as a weight or fat loss strategy. In its herbal versions, HCG drops are placed under the tongue (5 drops times 6 times a day or 10 drops, 3 times). Advertisers claim, “You easily can lose 1-2 pounds per day safely! Shed Excess Fat … HCG resets your hypothalamus so that your weight loss is permanent!” “HCG will melt fat permanently while maintaining muscle tone.” HCG does all this, it is claimed, without exercise. The caveat: the program requires a semi-starvation diet of 500 calories a day, with attendant severe risks to long-term health and almost guaranteed weight rebound. Further, the HCG program often begins with a liquid fast detox period. Common short-term effects include fatigue, headache, mood swings, depression, confusion, dizziness and stomach pain.

NO THANK YOU!
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Dare to be Different

Trying to lose weight (or at least talking about trying to lose weight) is a popular thing to do. It's culturally acceptable and even socially obligatory to be dissatisfied with the size and shape or your body.  One client recently said to me "I feel like a freak because I'm the only grad student NOT on a diet."  Say WHAT!?!

And with the start of a new year, all of the diets are being advertised and sold with a vengeance.  If you have been reading my blog and don't already believe me when I say diets don't work, check out this stellar post by rock start dietitian Evelyn Tribole.  She nails it with research and practical advice.

So you may be asking, what does work?  It's not sexy, but slow/sustainable changes you can manage over a lifetime does work.  In fact, my brother said it best as we were enjoying some cinnamon rolls over the holidays. "So Marci, what you are talking about on your blog is eating one of these cinnamon rolls, rather than skipping it or eating three?"  You've got it!

So here are some more specific strategies to get you started:
1.) Start listening to your body. You can use this scale as a guide.  Notice how often you are in the white zone.  Strive to steer clear of that zone as often as possible.
2.) Prioritize your health by committing to at least 7 hours of sleep each night. Learn more about how sleep affects your weight here. 
3.) Join the #MeMovement with fab RD Rebeccah Strictchfield! Commit to putting you and your health first, no apologies.

So dare to be different by letting go of body and weight obsessions.  Dare to be different by taking care of yourself, trusting that as you do so, a healthy body will naturally follow.  Dare to be different...and you just may find a much happier and healthier you.

Your very different dietitian in Cambridge
Marci
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Fat-Free Talk Week Part 2: Marci's Rant

Over a week ago I blogged about Fat-Free Talk week, which many of you were inspired by.  And a conversation I had with a client actually sparked a memory of a recent talk I wanted to blog about!  

The intelligent, vivacious, and inspiring Naomi Wolf (see here and here) gave the keynote address at The National Eating Disorders Association conference in Brooklyn, NY.  Naomi is the author of several books and came to the scene in the 90's with her best-selling book "The Beauty Myth." A must-read for every woman.  It's considered to be "the groundbreaking best-seller that changed the way we think about “beauty” and female identity."

Naomi's talk was filled with inspiring messages about how we as women can stop participating in the body-bashing that is so inspired by the culture we live in.  She encouraged us to think outside to box, to expand the vision of what it means to a successful woman, without having to prove her worth by looking a certain way.

But one specific point she made has stuck with me. She suggested that we, as women, do one thing to make a positive difference for future generations of women: stop complaining and speaking negatively about our bodies, especially in front of other women and girls.  It may be socially acceptable to bash your body, but it is certainly not attractive.  And it sets an unfortunate standard that women are expected to be unhappy about how they look.  Let's agree,  you and I, to stop it right here and now.

So if you can't do it for yourself, do it for another women.  KNOCK IT OFF!  Fake it if you have to.  You know what our Grandmother's taught us "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. "  Who knows, if you start giving yourself some positive feedback, it just might start to feel true.
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Fat-Free Talk Week

Hallelujah!  Starting today, a ban on fat talk has been initiated and I invite all of you to participate.  Check out this Time article.  How would you feel if you were given permission to take a break from nagging on yourself for a week?

"The anti-fat-talk campaign is designed first to help people identify the "thin ideal" — essentially a pre-pubescent girl's body, plus boobs — that is perpetuated by the media and pop culture, and then learn how to reject it in favor of a healthier, more realistic attitude."

The fat-free talk week is based on research out of a program from San Antonio's Trinity University.  And the research is fascinating! "The program's philosophy is based on research by Eric Stice, a clinical psychologist at Oregon Research Institute, who found the most effective way to prevent eating disorders is to enlist the theory of cognitive dissonance. As humans, we tend to align our beliefs and our actions; helping young women speak and act against the thin ideal creates an uncomfortable psychological state that leads to a change in beliefs. In a 2008 study published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, Stice reported a 60% reduction in the risk of developing eating disorders for female high school and college students who spent just three hours critiquing the thin ideal; the risk in reduction persisted over a three-year follow-up."

So take a stand.  Let's not just commit to a week of abstaining from self-criticism.  Why not take a week to commit to a few kind words about ourselves?  Makes me wonder what the impact could be.
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The F Word

I feel that this NY Times article is too important to pass by.  We live in a society that values thin and derides fat.  We live in a society where a woman shows her strength and ability by shrinking herself.  We live in a society where fat embodies all that is wrong and thin embodies all that is right.  
Picture Source

"Our collective fear of fat and idealization of thinness has resulted in a seriously askew notion of the physical self that has produced an epidemic of body-dysmorphic illnesses like anorexia and bulimia." I know this to be true, because I work almost exclusively in the field of eating disorders. And I have a wait list.  Food, weight, and body concerns are an epidemic.  And the culture we live in feeds the illnesses.


This article does not necessarily answer the tough questions and doesn't offer to solve any problems.  But it is open, honest, and gives all of us an opportunity to think.

• What if we spent more taking care of ourselves, rather than hating ourselves?
• What if we lived in the pursuit of making a difference in the world, rather than shrinking the number on the scale?
• What if we felt good about the essence of who we are, rather than how much we weighed?
• What if we were as liberated as the women in this picture appear to be?

Free Renfrew Workshop for Those in Recovery

Are you or is someone you know working on recovery from an eating disorder?  The Renfrew Center is offering an excellent (and might I add free!) workshop/webinar.  Topics include goal setting, body image concerns during the summer, and coping with the challenges of vacations. 

Here's a link for more info.
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Book Review: Goodbye Ed, Hello Me

I just finished reading "Good-bye Ed, Hello Me" by Jenni Schaefer and I am a HUGE fan.  Jenni wrote about being "in recovery" in her first book "Life Without Ed" (which is also a phenomenal book that I highly recommend).  But in this follow-up book, she talks about what life is like and what life has to offer post-eating disorder recovery.

Things I loved about the book:
Guides to developing a new identity that isn't connected to body, weight, or an eating disorder
Short chapters that can be read in 5 minutes- easy to pick up and put down
Practical self-help tools and exercises
Importance of incorporating spirituality into your recovery
Suggestions and insight for friends and family of those struggling with an eating disorder

I highly recommend this book for anyone hoping to recover from an eating disorder, those in recovery from an eating disorder, as well as family/friends who are trying to support someone through their recovery.  Happy reading!
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Oprah: Says She'll Never Diet Again

In March I wrote a blog post about Oprah's interview with Geneen Roth.  And just last week, she had Ms. Roth on her show.  Unfortunately I missed the show but have been thinking a lot about her vow to never diet again.  And several questions came to mind:

* How many billions of dollars will the dieting industry lose now that Oprah has hopped off the band wagon?
* How many women will decide that they are tired of going on/off diets?
* If not dieting, what will Oprah have time to think about instead?
* What will happen to Bob Green, her nutritionist?
* She may not be dieting, but is she dealing with her emotional/compulsive need to eat?
* How do we define dieting and are all diets bad?
* What's the difference between dieting vs. embracing a healthy/balanced lifestyle?
* Does giving up on dieting mean total self-indulgence?

One of my colleagues noted that Oprah is heavier now that she has decided to "stop dieting."  I will just say that there is a big difference between ending a diet and actually dealing with the underlying issues of emotional eating.  Oprah may be feeling less emotional stress now that she doesn't have the stress of dieting in her life, but she will likely continue to gain weight if she isn't dealing with the triggers which encourage her to reach for food.

I fully believe that Oprah, along with anyone else who can identify with her emotional connection to food, can work through this emotionally painful stuff, learn to cope without food, and begin to embrace a much physically and emotionally healthy way of living.  

And most of us will be interested to watch her along the way. Let's hope that she is on to something permanent this time.
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All Women Worry About Getting Fat

So my Dad sent me this article from Yahoo! News.  A recent research study shows that women who have a normal perception of body image based on psychological screening tests still have brain scans that reveal they are concerned about getting fat.  In fact their brain scans are similar to women with full blown eating disorders.  On the other hand, the brain scans of men showed no indication that they were concerned about body image.

What's the difference between the sexes?  Social pressure.  Women spend so much time fretting about their physical appearance because we are expected to look a certain way.  What a waste of energy and time that could be spent in more productive and worthwhile pursuits!

So ladies, next time you have an obsessive body thought come in to your mind, here are some alternative thinking patterns that may help you get on a healthier track:
1.) I'm not entertaining this thought, I have more important things to think about, like (fill in the blank).
2.) Rather than obsessing about how much I weigh, I'm going to focus on doing positive things for my body like giving it nourishing food when it's hungry, sleep when it's tired, a hot bath when it's sore, and exercise when it's sluggish.
3.) Instead of berating myself, I'm going to list 2 positive things my body has done for me today (then list them).

I know this sounds awfully cheezy, but we have got to stop this body hating obsession.  Negative body thoughts do nothing to improve our appearance, physical health, or emotional well-being.  But learning to speak to ourselves in a positive, loving, and healthy way can improve all of those things.  And it's just one positive thought at a time.

If you feel consumed about body fearing and body hating thoughts, you may want to think about getting some support.  I have a list of resources.  To get you started, my friend and colleague Deb Schachter has an upcoming workshop to help you improve your body image on May 8th.  Contact her for details!

Your dietitian in Cambridge, 
Marci
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