New Year, Same Me? The Path to Moving Beyond Weight Loss Resolutions.
And, the Path Toward Embracing Your Body This New Year and Beyond!
As a child, I was often told to “watch your weight” or “stay away from junk food.” While my family was doing their best with the information they had, all it did was instill in me at an early age that society equated thinness to health, beauty, and success. Therefore, early on, I grew up believing that the goal was to achieve what I thought was the “perfect” body by any means necessary.
As an adult, it’s no surprise that every new year became a new opportunity to focus my attention on becoming (and staying) thin.
Therefore, know that I’m not coming from a place of judgment here but understanding. As a Black woman, I know what it’s like to be warned that Black people experience a disproportionate burden of disease and illness (Strings, 2019). Still, I know that these warnings ignore that health disparities are due in part to systemic racism rather than personal choice.
However, knowing that doesn’t prevent you from experiencing stigma solely because of your weight. Research has shown that weight stigma is associated with lower body image, higher rates of depression, and higher suicidal ideation in adolescents (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Communications). Thus, addressing weight stigma in healthcare is a huge goal for Enhance Black Women’s Health, and helping you navigate it in society is equally important to us.
Something I know to be true is that navigating weight stigma in society starts with addressing our own weight bias.
Whether we want to admit it or not, how we feel about our bodies impacts how we show up in the world. If we constantly try to change our bodies, it becomes increasingly difficult to accept ourselves. Plus, the harsh reality is that weight loss is never guaranteed. Therefore, addressing our weight bias requires us to move beyond weight loss resolutions.
But, you might be asking yourself, how exactly do you do that? If so, I have three tips to support your journey to embrace your body this year and beyond!
3 Tips to Embrace Your Body
Tip 1: Understand Where Your Triggers Come From
Learning to embrace your body is a practice that you become better at when you know the things that trigger you to feel the opposite. By triggers, I’m referring to everything from family members' comments about your body to seeing images of what society deems an “ideal” body.
Once you know what triggers these feelings, you can begin to develop strategies to manage them. For instance, avoiding specific conversations or following accounts on social media that affirm all body sizes and shapes. Whatever it is, knowing what those triggers are helps you respond differently.
Tip 2: Create Boundaries Around Your Body and Diet Talk
Boundaries are critical when dealing with family, friends, or even strangers who may push their diet agendas onto you. You don’t have to explain yourself or change how you want to live your life just because someone else thinks they know best. It is perfectly acceptable (and necessary!) to set boundaries around how others talk about your body and dietary choices.
If you find yourself pressured to eat in a certain way or frustrated by the negative comments about your body, politely but firmly let that person know that their behavior is unacceptable. If they continue to repeat the behavior, be unapologetic about exiting that relationship if needed. Remember that creating boundaries that protect your mental health and well-being is non-negotiable.
Tip 3: Shift Your Mindset By Reframing Your Negative Thoughts
Even though mindset is often dismissed, we all know that our thoughts impact our actions. By this, I mean that all you can see are challenges when thinking about things from a negative perspective. But, when you think about things from a positive place, all you can see are possibilities. For example, “I need to lose weight” is what happens when we think negatively. “My body is fine just the way it is" is the shift we make when we think about the thing more positively.
If you think this sounds overly simplistic, that’s the point. We need to simplify embracing our body, not overcomplicating it. Whether journaling your negative thoughts when they arise or discussing your struggles with a therapist, shifting one's perspective will profoundly impact your ability to accept yourself and your body.
Remember, This Won’t Happen Overnight
Embracing your body won’t happen overnight; it takes time, effort, patience, and resilience. However, once we take back control over our lives by identifying triggers, creating boundaries, and shifting our mindset, we become empowered to choose what makes us happy without needing validation from anyone else.
Ultimately, we invite Black women everywhere to reclaim their power over their bodies and mindsets. By doing so, you can finally break free from the need to change your body and learn to embrace it once and for all!
Reference
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Communications. (2023, January 17). Study finds ‘startling’ inequities in end-of-life opioid treatment. The Harvard Gazette. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2023/01/study-finds-startling-inequities-in-end-of-life-opioid-treatment/
Strings, S. (2019). Fearing the black body: The racial origins of Fat Phobia. New York University Press.