Will-Power Number Nine

To continue our series on the 10 will-powers, here is will-power number nine:

"I WILL surround myself with people and things that make me feel good about myself and my abilities. When I am around people and things that support me and make me feel good, I will be less likely to base my self-esteem on the way my body looks."

Who are the people and things that support you and make you feel good?


EDCT thanks NEDA for contributing to this post.

More on "Will-Powers"

Last week, we began a series on "will-powers."

Here is "will-power" number seven: I WILL think of three reasons why it is ridiculous for me to believe that thinner people are happier or "better." I WILL repeat these reasons to myself whenever I feel the urge to compare my body shape with someone.

What are your reasons? Share below!

(P.S. In case you missed the explanation last week: More than 20 years ago, researchers Michael Levine, PhD, and Linda Smolak, PhD, developed a list of "10 'Will-Powers' for Improving Body Image." Check out the whole list.)

EDCT thanks NEDA for contributing to this post.

What are your "Will-Powers?"

More than 20 years ago, researchers Michael Levine, PhD, and Linda Smolak, PhD, developed a list of "10 'Will-Powers' for Improving Body Image." Their list continues to be relevant today.

Here is "will-power" number seven:
I WILL list five to 10 good qualities that I have, such as understanding, intelligence or creativity.
I WILL repeat them to myself whenever I start to feel bad about my body.

What words would make your "will-power" list? Please share below!

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EDCT thanks NEDA for contributing to this post.

Fat? Who Says?

Has someone told you that you are overweight, obese or fat? Who was that person, how did they arrive at that conclusion, and what was their purpose in making that statement to you?

I recently has a 14 year old girl come in for a session in tears because her pediatrician told her she was "overweight". The doc actually wrote the declaration out on a prescription pad! She is a fit, athletic girl in the midst of puberty who is clearly anything BUT fat. I sat there wondering why in the world someone who is suppose to be an expert in dealing with children and adolescents would make such a statement. He had not asked her about her exercise level or nutrition. The physician had used the (in my opinion) useless Body Mass Index (BMI). There has been several studies within the past year that have questioned the use of BMI as a determinant of "fatness". In March 2009 a study was published in Medicine and Science in Sports Medicine that indicated that use of BMI measurement as an indicator of fatness in athletes gave no credit for muscle mass. Many top athletes would be categorized as overweight or obese with this measurement. Dallas Cowboy quarterback Tony Romo has a BMI of 28.8. That places him in the "nearly obese" category. Another study completed at the Baylor College of Medicine in April of this year demonstrated the weaknesses of the BMI when used to evaluate fatness in Asians, Hispanics and African Americans.
I am of the belief that talking about fatness is useless. If someone is genuinely obese, giving them a BMI report is about as helpful as telling them that their hair color is brown. They have that knowledge. We need to talk about health habits, behaviors and attitudes. For someone that is at a time in their life that telling them they are fat could trigger disordered eating behavior, that fat talk is dangerous in addition to being useless. Labeling people according to body weight or size is not health promoting.
Let's change our conversation!

When Did "Plus" Become "Less"?

As we approach the annual EDCT "Fashion for EveryBODY" celebration, I have been pondering how our societal views size. (http://www.fashionforeverybody.org/) There have been several incidences in the news lately where "plus- size" models were the topic of conversation. Surprisingly, the context of the conversations were positive! When Lizzie Miller graced the pages of Glamour recently a tidal wave of grateful responses flooded into the magazine applauding the photo of this plus-size model. Women were grateful to see someone who looked real, had curves and appeared to be genuinely happy in her skin. So ... why do the words plus-size wreak havoc in the minds of my clients struggling with eating disorders and disordered eating. When did plus become less. Less acceptable? Less beautiful? Less desirable?

In an interview on "Good Morning America" this past week a 23 year old model told her story of recovering from an eating disorder to becoming the highest-paid plus-size model in America. Her name is Crystal Renn and her new book is "Hungry: A Young Model's Story of Appetite, Ambition and the Ultimate Embrace of Curves". When she was a 14 year old small town girl in Mississippi she was approached by a scout for a New York modeling agency. She was 5'9", athletic and fit. He promised her he could make her a top run-way model and she would have all the fame and fortune she could handle. The catch was that she would need to lose about 9 inches from her hips! Crystal embarked upon this endeavor with great enthusiasm, lost over 70 pounds and arrived at the magical size of 00 along with the diagnosis of anorexia nervosa. She did have a few modeling gigs. Thankfully,0 she woke up one day and said "enough". She quit abusing exercise, started eating and weight restoring. She appreciated the return of her curves, her energy and her personality. At size 12 she has achieved far more in her modeling career than when she was starving. In her words "And I did it all at the weight my body wanted to be." Plus-size has meant more of everything for Crystal not less. More work, more fame, more LIFE!

Conversations About Weight

Consider the conversations you have heard regarding weight, fatness or thinness during the last week? What have you read about these issues lately? Here is a sampling from my archive:

• A client of mine who is a handsome, bright, and kind college male told me that he fears becoming fat because he believes no one will like him. (I reminded him that Santa is quite popular.)
• Ashton Kutcher was quoted as saying"If the fat people gave the skinny people more food we could just eat ... we could solve obesity and hunger at the same time". Brilliant!?! God help Demi Moore if she ever gains weight!
• I read a quote from Susan Wooley, PhD, Past President, American Academy for Eating Disorders stating "If shame could cure obesity there wouldn't be a fat women in the world" How true. I thought of my client who has dieted to a weight of over 300 pounds. She cried tears of shame as she recounted her past diet failures. I assured her that it is the diet industry that should be ashamed.
• Several sources report that young girls in our country are more afraid of becoming fat than they are of nuclear war, cancer or losing their parents
• Many magazines have taken polls that show most women would rather lose IQ points or one of their limbs than become fat.

Let's be a part of changing these conversations.

On the other hand ... what positive conversations, articles, quotes, etc. have you been privy to lately. Please share! We can encourage each other!

Fighting Obesity without Causing Eating Disorders

There was a great letter to the editor published in the Tennessean recently. Pat Ballard quoted from many of the recent articles warning of the obesity epidemic American children are facing. She mentioned that several articles identified listing calorie counts on menus as a very proactive effort to shrink the growing waistlines of our children. I appreciated her candor as she went on to describe how exposure to height/weight charts, calorie counting information and diet articles in women's magazines at age 11 began her descent into a 22 year battle with eating disorders. What might have seemed like benign information distribution nearly ended this women's life. How many others have similar stories? Will more conversations about calories, fat grams and BMI measurements enhance the health and well being of our children or ourselves? I feel very certain that we need to change the conversation. Let's talk about the need for kids to limit screen time, move their bodies more and have fewer menus in front of their faces in the first place. None of us need more things to obsess about in relation to food, eating and weight. Calories on menus will not cure obesity and may contribute to disordered eating.
What do you think?