Your body image is NOT your body, rather how you think, act and feel towards your body.
Fat loss does NOT increase your body image, shocking to read right, especially when your favourite charlatan influencer on the gram is portraying such a message,
In fact what we know from the literature is your body image is not responsive to your BMI, losing weight doesn’t bring a wild influx of confidence, actually it can decrease your body image if you diet from a place of shame and guilt.
It’s also unrealistic to expect that even if you lose weight from a place of acceptance and peace that you will never have a bad body image day, you will and they will continue to come.
Because that bad body image day is not necessarily to do with your body, rather to do with how you feel, and we are all humans who feel right?
The issue is not having a bad body image day, but rather how you respond to it.
Rebecca in her mid-twenties was frankly an arsehole to herself, if I woke up one morning and felt bloated i’d shame my body, validate the feeling by stepping on the scales, isolate myself, cancel plans, punish her with excessive exercise, and a wildly restrictive diet.
Safe to say we never attained body confidence here 🙃
These days are long gone now, but I do still have bad (or rather low) body image days, even a decade on.
The most recent one was last weekend, Saturday morning, I’d just finished pottering about for the morning,
There is NOTHING better than a potter morning IMO.
I was getting ready to join my hero Dad on a shopping trip to find a suit for his upcoming nuptial’s (I know, I could cry with excitement) 💒
Pulling out some leggings from my wardrobe,I put them on, until I couldn’t put them on,
They no longer fit me.
Think Regina George “Nothing fits me anymore” I was basically living out the scene.
My initial reaction, shit I am gaining weight…. This is bad!
Pause, Stop, Breathe.
Instead of berating and critically analysing my body, I did something different.
One hand on my heart,
One hand on my tummy,
Prolonged exhale breaths,
Gratitude for my body,
For her breathing, digesting, moving, feeling, healing, her senses.
Gratitude for my life,
For my connections, for the safety, for the availability of other clothes.
I took off the leggings and pulled my “safe clothes” which are a collection of clothes I’ve acquired for when I have days I feel bloated, out of normal sorts, low in my body. They are baggier, softer, comfier, in colours I feel comfortable in.
I continued with my skincare routine, taking just that little bit longer, I ate my breakfast, in usual fashion without restricting, instead “How am I gifting my body by eating this meal?”
I voice noted my friend, to just recognise where I am at and share on common grounds the feelings, this validated me and made me feel safer. Let me tell you, that support network is fundamental.
Dad picked me up, we had the most magical day, enjoyed a meal out, together, connected, and never at any one point did my body consume me.
I’d moved on from the morning.
The feeling was so insignificant in the entirety of my day, and I sure as hell devote now NEVER to punish myself from feeling low in my body,
Absolutely not,
Most people with a low body image tend to believe if you’re an arsehole to yourself you’ll be more motivated to exercise and lose weight, which is incorrect.
And actually what we know from the literature is that those who are more compassionate have a greater intrinsic motivation to exercise and eat well, to live a live of intentional joy, connection, and health.
I was in the former camp, a legit arsehole to myself, and probably to others too, projecting outwardly my own insecurities.
Now we respond with compassion, with respect, mindfulness.
Why?
Because in reality, my body, your body, is not your entire worth, nor is your only purpose on this planet to look a certain way.
There are things far greater, far more interesting than consuming yourself with your body all day.
And in reality you can look a certain way and still be said arsehole.
I got here by doing the work on my body image.
The reason I have maintained a now changing 85kg weight loss for a decade is because I learnt the art of compassion, body acceptance and healed my food relationship.
You can continue to berate your body or you can do the work now to feel confident, worthy, accepting in your body by Summer.
Here at Thrive with Life we work through your body image using evidence based strategies, mindset development and behaviour change whilst nurturing and developing your food relationship to attain a life of food and body freedom, in a health, compassionate and honest manner.
Ready to begin your journey?
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