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Declare Your Independence from a Weight-Obsessed World

May 5, 2021   32 Comments

As we come to the end of the pandemic, some of you will have put on some pounds. I certainly have.

Declare Your Independence from a Weight-Obsessed World

But, I don’t think it is time to diet. I think it is time to reflect on how the isolation, grief, and deep level of uncertainty made it hard (some would say impossible) to continue a healthy lifestyle.

Some of you gained a healthy lifestyle! Because of the pandemic, you may have been given the opportunity to stop and reevaluate your habits. You guys are amazing.

Those of us who had trouble keeping our healthy habits now have a choice. The truth is that diets don’t work - lifestyle change does work. My definition of diet? Diet means food restrictions.

How many of us have tried to cut out our favorite food because it has too many calories only to find ourselves completely obsessed with it?

Right now, it is time to forget about the jeans we fit in last year and start to rethink things. Not by name calling the food in our lives but by starting to accept and love ourselves - as we are right now.

Declare your independence from our culture of weigh-obsession.

What a radical idea!

I read about this declaration in a nutrition book and I went and found it to repost here because I believe it is powerful.

I was recently in a dressing room waiting for my daughter to try on clothes. It was large and there was a couch for friends or family to sit and wait. I watched young woman after young woman step out, with a new outfit on, and scrutinize herself in large mirrors.

I found myself (despite COVID) wanting to hug them all and tell them how beautiful they are - wondering who or what they were dressing for…..

Maybe every dressing room in the nation should have this posted next to the mirror.

From National Eating Disorder Association:

I, the undersigned, do hereby declare that from this day forward I will choose to live my life by the following tenets. In so doing, I declare myself free and independent from the pressures and constraints of a weight-obsessed world:

  • I will accept my body in its natural shape and size.
  • I will celebrate all that my body can do for me each day.
  • I will treat my body with respect, giving it enough rest, fueling it with a variety of foods, exercising it moderately, and listening to what it needs.
  • I will defy our society’s pressures to judge myself and other people on physical characteristics like body weight, shape, or size. I will respect people based on the qualities of their character and the impact of their accomplishments.
  • I will refuse to deny my body valuable nutrients by dieting or using weight loss products.
  • I will avoid categorizing foods as either “good” or “bad.” I will not guilt or shame myself for eating certain foods. Instead, I will nourish my body with a balanced variety of foods, listening and responding to what it needs.
  • I will not use food to mask my emotional needs.
  • I will not avoid participating in activities that I enjoy (e.g., swimming, dancing, enjoying a meal with friends) simply because I am self-conscious about the way my body looks. I will recognize that I have the right to enjoy any activities regardless of my body shape or size.
  • I will base my self-esteem and identity on that which comes from within!

What do you think of the declaration of independence from a weight-obsessed world? Are you ready to sign?

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First 20 Comments: ( See all 32 )

I agree - thanks for sharing - I hope many people take that to heart!

I totally agree and have finally realized that I love my body and all that it does for me.

Yep! I’ve done this for years. It’s true- we have all types of body shapes and sizes. And it’s ok. Consider me signed. And I lost weight I had gained after healing from leg issues - because I take care of me FOR me.

I love this. I am in!

I really think this is IT. THE message that needs to be spread. It is only after we have completely accepted ourself, and decided to be at peace with ourself, that change is possible. (If we want it). We need to stop punishing ourselves. Sleep, water, real nutrition, no good food/bad food, stop before you are full.

I think that is the most refreshing and awesome statement ever !!thank you

I can say it. Getting myself to believe it is hard work.

Man-oh-man! Did I really need to see this today! Thanks so much for sharing. Today I will be easier on me.

Love this. Yes I have been beating myself up for gaining 20 lbs and being right at my goal weight for Weight Watchers so I haven't gone back because I'm embarrassed. I was well below for 4 years. I need to read this daily.

And that is exactly why I disagree with intermittent fasting and KETO. They are diets based upon deprivation. I find it much more productive to make a lower calorie version of what I want. Maybe not so lightning fast to lose weight but there is no on or off dieting for me any more. Stop the insanity!

I wish that I could make this declaration. I cannot. I am trapped in disordered eating. As my treatment progresses, perhaps I will one day, be able to embrace this. I am saving it to take to my therapist and discuss how it can help me move forward.

Amen! And amen to the comment I can say it, but believing it is much harder.Acting on it helps belief.

I totally agree. Now I have to put it into practice. I lost 40 before Covid. BUT GAINED BACK 20LB. GRRRR. I don’t even like to go for a walk. Now I just need to put your words into practice. Thanks for the encouragement.

This is fantastic. I am making progress.

Beautiful views to teach my kids and grandkids. So different than I was raised, but it’s such a different world now.

There are a few clothing stores by me and they have something very similar posted in their dressing rooms. It makes me smile each time I see it!

Thank you! Needed this today.

Oh Snack Girl, I am virtually hugging you right now!! I am already in. What sealed the deal for me was reading a book by Caroline Dooner that has a title I cannot print here, but the initials are TFID. Radically changed me. I am healing from the restriction/binge cycle and I feel normal around food for the first time. I also have more energy, I feel healthier, and I don't have migraines anymore! Probably from kicking artificial sweeteners to the curb. Bless you! I am printing this out and reading it daily to continue to heal. Bless you and yours always.

Well said! Time to accept ourselves and love ourselves as we are. Life is short and everyday is a gift from God. Maybe once we stop shaming ourselves, we will accept a healthier lifestyle naturally.

This is awesome! I'm trying. Thanks, and your site is one of the best!

See all 32 Comments

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