why i don't believe in scales

at the conclusion of national eating disorder awareness week, i want to share some of my personal experiences. none of this is scientifically proven, it is based off my own experiences and insights. 

this is why i don't believe in scales, or in weighing myself. 

there was a time when i weighed myself twice a day. once in the morning and once at night. i wasn't obsessed about my weight, but i didn't want to gain.  i wanted to stay at 100 pounds. luckily, my obsession about weight never turned into anything more. i don't know how or when i realized it, but one day i woke up and realized that i hadn't weighed myself in a while. i didn't know how much i weighed! and i really didn't care. as i've gotten older i have weighed myself less and less. i don't own a scale and i honestly worry that if i did that i would become an "obsessive weigh-er" again. as i see girls weigh themselves i see myself in them, and i worry. when did we place so much value on a number that really is quite meaningless? especially when we, for the most part are at a healthy weight and shouldn't worry about it?

in high school i was always a size 1 jean size. i liked the fact that i was the smallest size in the store. it was awesome. somewhere in the two years after i graduated high school, i filled out. it's not that i got fat, because i'm not fat. but my body changed, and suddenly i wasn't a size 1 anymore. i avoided buying pants because i thought i was going to be huge. i didn't know what size i was anymore and was scared of being bigger than a size 1. finally one day i got some pants that actually fit, and surprise! they weren't huge, they made me feel good. and i've learned something valuable. it doesn't really matter what size of pant you wear. or what dress size you are. or your bra size. what matters, is that you embrace your body, no matter the perceived imperfections. 

the truth is, we are never going to be as perfect as the media portrays women to be. [newsflash: that's 95% photo shop. just sayin.] we are beautiful daughters of God! we are worth SO much more than that little number on the scale. or the number on the tag of our clothes. no, this isn't a call for everyone to go out and only never eat healthy or exercise again. this isn't saying we should not take care of our bodies. because we should. but remember that it's ok to be a size 4. and it's ok to weigh more than you did in high school. it's ok to have a piece of pizza for dinner and not feel guilty about it. and it's ok if you miss a day of exercising because you were too busy studying or you had a friend who needed your help. there are things that are more important than being the smallest person. 

"Let’s (quite literally) have our cake and eat it, too. Let’s savor the cake and the kale. Let’s get more exercise by dancing more with friends. Let’s love our bodies because they’re ours, because they’re a gift, and not have our self approval depend on how well they meet some totally arbitrary societal standard."

let's take the challenge. 

be the cake eaters. the dancers. the scale smashers. the lovers.

will you join me?

neda: they say it better

*you are not your body. you are more.*

*your size is not what really matters*

*society has been telling us what is beautiful. define your own beauty!*

*don't let the next generation become entrenched in weight watching, diet cycling, and low body image*

NEDA: food

when did food become the enemy? the thing that we did, but then regretted? a love-hate relationship that provided no comfort?
this is not what food is for! in today's world we are inundated with messages about what is healthy and what is not. what foods are "good" and what foods are "bad." this leads to everyone obsessing about what they eat, counting calories, feeling guilty when they indulge in a "bad" food, and general unhappiness.

it's time to change our attitude about food. 

it's time to remember that food fuels our bodies.

it's time to remember that food can be enjoyable. 

it's time to remember that there are no "good" and "bad" foods.

it's time to listen to your body- eat when you are hungry, and stop when you are full. 

we've forgotten that our bodies are amazing and that they have the capacity to tell us what we need to eat. so, if you're hungry, eat something. if you want a brownie, have that brownie. if you want a vegetarian rice bowl, you eat that rice bowl. find joy in food again.

because it's not the enemy.

national eating disorders awareness week

this week is national eating disorders awareness week. i've decided to honor it by doing a couple posts about eating disorders, body image, and my experiences in life with my own body image and working in an eating disorder facility. i also want to encourage you to love your own body more. today i want to give some general information and statistics regarding eating disorders (ED).

-eating disorders have the #1 mortality rate of mental illnesses. and yes, an eating disorder is an illness, not just something someone gets over. "they are not a fad, phase, or lifestyle choice" (NEDA website). 

- about 20 million women and 10 million men in the US will have an eating disorder sometime in their life. a study found that 80% of female college students struggled with disordered eating. 

- ED are affecting children and younger ages. 40-60% of elementary school girls express concern about their weight or body image. 

- body image is distorted by the media! the body type portrayed in the media is naturally possessed by only 5% of the population.

- the DSM eating disorder official diagnoses include bulimia nervosa, compulsive eating disorder, and anorexia nervosa.

eating disorders are serious! they steal life and the quality of life. they form a fallacy of friendship. they can cause biochemical, hormonal and neurotransmitter imbalances. they are a serious mental illness.

but, there is hope! if you, or someone you know, is struggling with an eating disorder (or even low body image) get help! if it's someone you encourage them to get professional help-- see a counselor-- or even just find someone they can trust to talk to. learn all you can about eating disorder (go here to learn more). be an example to them- love yourself! and probably most importantly- show love, encouragement, kindness and hope. 

i invite you to join me this week in learning more about eating disorders because i promise that you know someone who is struggling with this! and because as human beings we all deserve to love ourselves and be happy in our beautiful bodies.