Kindness is a Requirement
This is the hard part. Or one of them.
Moving away from diet/disorder/body preoccupation is hard work. And work that won’t be likely congratulated or appreciated or largely understood by the humans around you.
Trust that congruence is possible. And acknowledge that congruence means actively challenging the messages that have gotten you to right now. Not impossible, but certainly not simple.
Please be gentle with yourself in this process. Kindness is a requirement.
#haes #bodyimage #eatingdisorderrecovery #dietrecovery #nodiets #dietitianapproved #riotsnotdiets #nourishnotpunish #selfkindness #selfcompassion #mentalhealth #mentalhealthadvocate #dietitiananna
Have a Body? Awesome
Despite the timing, the seeming global pause, spring is happening in the Northern Hemisphere.
Be grounded in the rhythms of the planet. She has us. And this year, let’s skip the horrific body shame show that is seasonal preparation for a thing you already have.
Have a body? Awesome. It’s beach-ready.
And the pools and beaches will open.
And I hope you don’t waste a single second questioning whether or not your body belongs there. Your right now body.
And this message is for all humans.
Anyone who identifies as female.
Anyone who identifies as male.
Anyone who identifies as non-binary.
Thin. Fat. In shape (which is not a look) or not. All races. All abilities.
All bodies.
I haven’t seen any #beachbody preparation BS this year. Yet. I imagine that it will arrive, despite the global pandemic we’re living through. Because diet culture knows no bounds and has continued to demonstrate its lack of integrity or interest in the human condition. Insert middle finger here.
We have better things to do than to aspire for a thing we already possess.
Happy Friday, lovelies.
And speaking of spring, if you live in a space where it is safe to get outside, I would love to be included in your adventure. Tag me in stories to add to the #inaccessibleviews collection!
#spring #seasonalpreparation #dietitianapproved #sandandsun #antidietculture #eatingdisorderrecovery #allfoodsfit #allbodiesaregoodbodies #allbodiesarebeachbodies #antidiet #wellness #dietculture #bodypositivity #bodyimage #bodyautonomy #allbodies #dietitiananna
Be a Rebel
If there were ever a time for rebellion, this is it.
Do the next, harder thing.
Small steps count.
Halt diet culture talk in its tracks.
Log off of conversations, excuse yourself from unpleasant chats. >>> Provide education in support of yourself. In support of those who can’t speak for themselves. Or save your energy.
Commit to eating regularly. And adequately. And in a way that satisfies. Physical restriction and mental restriction result in the same preoccupation with food.
All food is good food.
All food is good food.
Practice self-soothing exercises before you eat. Lots of my clients are experiencing IBS symptoms right now. If you’re feeling the same way, compassion. You’re not alone. And grounding yourself before eating can be helpful: identify 3-2-1 things that you can see, smell, feel, hear. BREATHE. Grab a sensory item: a worry stone, a stuffed animal, a pet. BREATHE.
Create a self-soothing mantra. “This food is safe. My body can handle this food. I am safe.” Or whatever feels right to you.
Get rid of clothes that don’t fit. You don’t have shoes from 3rd grade, you don’t need ANYTHING that served a past version of your body.
Step away from the scale. Or break it.
Break a food rule or two.
Get curious about where the rules came from. Are they yours? Did they start with you? Your guardians? Your friends? How old are they? Would you offer them to someone you love?
Diet culture is loud and dogmatic.
Be a rebel. Magic happens there.
.
Also, I know I’m missing a comma and I hate it. 🤦♀️ A lot.
#antidiet #foodrules #nourishnotpunish #nourishnotdeprive #intuitiveeating #eatingdisorderrecovery #dietculture #dieting #foodfreedom #edrecovery #antidietdietitian #dietitianapproved #dietitiananna
No Feeling is Final
No feeling is final.
(Sigh)
No feeling is final.
(Inhale)
No feeling is final.
(Exhale)
No feeling is final.
(Inhale)
No feeling is final.
(Feel your feet on the ground, your tush in your seat, your body rooted to the planet. The same planet we all share)
No feeling is final.
(Let yourself feel them. All of them.)
Keep feeling. You’re in good company.
#quarantine #haes #healthcoach #healthateverysize #effyourbodystandards #feelings #beauty #selfcaretips #keepgoing #taketimeout #bepresent #goodcompany #nofeelingisfinal #mindfulness #bopo #yourmindmatters #iweigh #supporting #happyearthday #earthsuit #dietitiananna
However You Feel Right Now, That’s Right
However you feel right now, that’s right.
If your pace of life has slowed, I would invite you to lean into that new speed. If your pace of life has slowed, and you are enjoying it, I would encourage you to consider how you might bring this new pace into your life, when the world goes back to normal.
If your pace of life has slowed and you can’t wait to get back to your regular speed, it will be available to you.
Without question, this long moment has taught me things about myself that I have known, but needed to be reminded of. And some, that I didn’t know before.
I need more time for reflection.
I need more time for gentle movement.
I need more time for myself, that is not based in distraction.
I need more time with more humans. This means doing things differently. Bringing my disabled body into the world, more often.
As much as I want the world to go back to normal, my normal is going to be different. And there are parts of my past normal that I most certainly do not miss.
However you feel right now, that’s right.
What are you learning about you in this long moment?
#covid #selfgrowth #selfcare #selfunderstanding #quarantine #mindfulminute #radicalselflove #lockdown #mobility #youhavethepower #growthroughwhatyougothrough #thebodyisnotanapology #embracechange #disableddietitian #dietitiananna
Be Gentle ⎯⎯ Pandemic Edition
There is no right way to navigate this.
AND
Eating with consistency is a fantastic way to create structure in a potentially unstructured time. It also prevents hangry moments and maximizes your ability to show up for whatever you need to show up for. Even if that’s you, alone. Or your kids or partner or roommate or pets.
Eating for comfort is allowed.
Eating comfort food is allowed.
Eating leads to dopamine release. A beautifully orchestrated chemical sequence that is designed to keep us eating. This is not a shameful thing. It is an extraordinary thing.
Getting sucked into concerns about weight change in the context of quarantine is demonstration of the power of diet culture. Bodies change on purpose. And aiming endlessly to be smaller is not the point of you.
Maybe you’re attending @zoom_video_communications dates, endlessly. Perhaps, not. 🙋♀️ Maybe you’re tuning in to Instagram support. Hopefully you’re continuing to utilize therapeutic support; virtual is different, but still valuable.
You don’t need to weigh yourself. You don’t need to try on jeans unless you want to wear them. You don’t need to hang your summer clothes in your line of sight. Just don’t.
Move in ways that feel good. Or don’t. Ask: if I knew my body would not change as a result of this exercise, would I still do this? Movement is a privilege. Not a punishment.
Be gentle.
Happy Monday, loves.
#nourishnotpunish #movement #mindfulness #fatpositive #allbodiesaregoodbodies #mindfulmovement #functionalfitness #bopo #haes #allfoodsfit #dietculturedropout #antidiet #bodyliberation #ditchthescale #iweigh #bodyautonomy #eatingdisorderrecovery #dietitianapproved #dietitiananna
Weight Loss Does Not Confer Immunity to Anything
If you are watching television, listening to the radio, participating in any sort of social media, and/or engaging in conversation with other humans at this time, odds are high that you’ve heard something about boosting your immune system.
You may or may not know this about me, but I listen to sports radio in the morning. Not because I glean wisdom from it, or remember anything of substance so that I may be a sports conversationalist. I am not.
I listen to sports radio @985thesportshub because, in the morning, it’s funny and lighthearted and is often something that allows my husband and me to start our days similarly. (🤍@toucherandrichofficial)
And, now, more than ever, I am hearing these stupid ads that say things along the lines of “lose weight, bolster your immune system, and feel great/healthy/whatever.”
WEIGHT LOSS DOES NOT CONFER IMMUNITY TO ANYTHING.
There is no such thing as a condition that exists in only large bodies or only small bodies. Zero things.
Skimming the research that exists right now about COVID-19 and increased risk being related to body size is demonstrating overt weight stigma, poor scientific practice, and little else. And you might be hearing and seeing things that dispute what I’m suggesting.
Those things, like most things that come out of weight centric research, are skewed heavily and are designed to reinforce systemic weight stigma that blames humans in larger bodies for their health outcomes.
CORRELATION IS NOT CAUSATION.
Bad science is bad science is bad science. This virus is new. We don’t know how to treat it. The statements being made connecting body size to health outcomes are based heavily in weight bias.
Weight loss does not confer immunity to anything.
Being stressed about food and movement changes the body, in that stress itself, results in a dampened immune system. No thank you.
I’m now turning off the radio.
You can do the same.
#weightstigma #weightneutral #immunity #immunesupport #haes #weightloss #stigmafighter #nourishnotpunish #dietculturedetox #antidiet #losehatenotweight #allfoodsfit #sportsradio #diet #dietculture #fatactivism #dietculturedropout #fatpositive #dietitiananna
Exhaustion is Not a Badge of Honor
Move with curiosity.
In ways that feel good to your body. In ways that are directed by instinct. Move. Or don’t. Everything is allowed.
Eat compassionately.
Aim for regular intake of energy. Meals and snacks are helpful to promote structure throughout the day. And to keep you feeling well. Seek out comforting food, if that appeals. Everything is allowed.
Rest with consistency.
Prioritize napping. Prioritize getting rest throughout the day. Practice good sleep hygiene to the best of your ability. Turn off the bloody news. Pour yourself a cup of chamomile. Everything is allowed.
Seek connection, virtually.
And boy, I can’t tell you what I would give to share a meal, or a hug, with anyone, right now. Virtual connection is not the same. It doesn’t do the same energetic refill that real life connection does. And if you are able, I would still encourage you to find a way to do this moment in company. Everything is allowed.
We need you now and will on the other side of this long moment. .
Rest • Rest • Rest • Rest • Rest • Rest • Rest • Rest • Rest • Rest • Rest • Rest • Rest • Rest • Rest • Rest • REST
#rest #mindfulness #movement #eat #nourishnotpunish #exercise #fitness #allfoodsfit #allfoodisgoodfood #ditchthediet #guiltfreefood #sleep #dietculturedropout #edrecovery #relationshipgoals #recovery #haes #connection #dietitianapproved #eatingdisorderrecovery #dietitiananna
Anorexia is Anorexia is Anorexia
Anorexia is anorexia is anorexia.
There’s nothing atypical about it.
Extreme fear of food, fear of weight gain, marked body image disturbance.
These are hallmarks of anorexia.
Thank goodness loss of menses was eliminated from the AN diagnoses because you know, men/boys/trans women/folx who don’t menstruate, get eating disorders, too. The addition of the atypical word doesn’t make up for this improvement.
None of the diagnostic criteria for anorexia should be dependent on weight or body size. I hate the diagnosis “atypical anorexia.”
.
Eating disorders do not have a look.
Eating disorders do not have a look.
Eating disorders do not have a look.
Diagnoses rooted in weight stigma are helpful for no one. And I am not in a position to rewrite the DSM, but if I were, I would slash this diagnosis to bits.
Weight stigma has no place in eating disorder care. Provision of care without regard for human experience is not quality care. This is why Health at Every SizeⓇ based eating disorder care is essential, and not a matter of opinion.
Atypical anorexia is anorexia with oppression included.
I see you.
#weightstigma #edrecovery #eatingdisorderrecovery #haes #bodypositivity #atypicalanorexia #dsm #allbodiesareworthybodies #allbodiesaregoodbodies #dietitianapproved #rdchat #iseeyou #nourishnotpunish #fatliberation #canceldietculture #healthateverysize #dietitiananna
Body Image is Complex
Body image is complicated. And if preoccupation with your body is not allowing you to live a life that is congruent with your values, then it’s time to take a step back.
You have a body. Your body will change. Perhaps in the context of quarantine or not. But change is a guarantee, and a promise. You are alive. Living things change.
I am all for body positivity, but I also feel as though it often misses the mark. (Largely because the expression was taken from a fat-positive movement, and Is now liberally applied in a more universal fashion.) Body positivity is not about #fitspo or yoga pants or a flat tummy or anything visible.
The fact is, you might have a hard time being in your body. That doesn’t mean that you’re doing anything wrong. And it makes me curious about what else is happening in your life. It makes me curious about why your body image experience is at the forefront of your thoughts. And maybe not the forefront, but taking up more space than you would like it to.
I once believed the body image healing was about coming to a place of body adoration. I don’t think that’s it anymore. I think it is possible to have a respectful relationship with one’s body and not feel comfortable in one’s skin.
To me, this is what body image work is all about. It is about noticing and naming your experiences. It is about being in your body. It is about prioritizing self-care, even when it feels difficult. It is about resisting the urge to speak negatively. And finding things to celebrate. It’s about noticing and naming the external forces that are telling you that your body is less than ideal. Telling those forces to back off.
It is about recognizing that your earth suit is only one part of your living experience on this planet.
I’m sorry if you feel uncomfortable, unsafe, unsettled, or maligned with your body. I wish healing for those parts, if that’s possible. And mostly, I hope that you will take good care of your body regardless of how you feel about your body image.
Horndasch, 2018
#bodyimage #bodypositive #bodyneutrality #bodypositivity #allbodiesaregoodbodies #haes #eatingdisorderrecovery #fatpositive #dietitiananna