Tales of a (Recovering) Disordered Eater

This is not an original image, but I saw it over at Roni’s Weigh and just had to share it here, since it is so on-message, I think, with my blog, too.

Talk about a powerful message.

I read it several times and let it sink in. So often (ok every day), we’re bombarded with images that make us feel like we’re not good enough, not thin enough, not pretty enough. That we aren’t ok how we are. Ads tell us our skin is too splotchy, it’s not dark enough, we have “thunder-thighs” and we’re covered in “unsightly” cellulite … (ok, what woman DOESN’T have it?!)

We can choose to be bold and ignore these images and say, “I’m ok with not being a size X” and “I love my thick, muscled calves.”

Or we can look at magazines, movies, images and hate on ourselves, wasting hours of our day in a narcissistic bubble. (more…)

I don’t know what it is about a sexy LBD (little black dress), heels, and fun jewelry … but this weekend I felt good in my own skin. Confident, even.

It doesn’t happen often, but I know that when it does, I ought to embrace it and capitalize on it. I haven’t weighed myself in a really long time, but I don’t really care to, either — especially with my monthly guest, which arrived Monday.

The thing is, I shouldn’t necessarily need a fancy dress or an occasion to spark confidence. That magic can stick in my daily life, if I listen to my body and remember how good it feels to feel good and obey my hunger queues, obey my body’s limits, obey my cravings. (more…)

I think you’d have to be living under a rock to not know who Susan Boyle is, the Scottish woman who has won the hearts of millions around the world with her emotionally-charged rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream” from one of my fave Broadway shows, Les Miserables.

Like everyone else, I was absolutely blown away with her stunning performance … and had I not seen her video, I — like anyone else — would probably just think she was another amazing Broadway star with awesome pipes.

But when we see Susan, we see an ordinary woman who you’d pass on the street and probably not give a second glance to; a woman who admits she’s never been kissed and lives in the house she grew up in, who took care of her ailing mother until she passed away. A woman, just like you or me.

And what is bothering me the most is how she’s being coined “the unlikely star” … simply based on her physical appearance. (more…)

This month’s SELF magazine, which focuses on the notion of finding your “happy weight,” has a great quote about body acceptance that I shared a couple weeks ago.

“Life is far too rich, interesting and short to waste on hating your body.”

I re-read the magazine in its entirety last night at the gym … and seeing that quote again just reinforced the message of really loving yourself as you are … hard as it may be for me (and so many of us) some days.

As I read, I found myself drawn in particular to two articles.

The first one (which I can’t find online) features six nude (but modestly/strategically covered up — it’s not pornographic or sexual at all) women of all different shapes, races and body types.

As I looked at each woman’s shape, I was able to see a bit of myself in each of them … in spite of their own variance. (more…)

I thought I’d share this inspirational quote today in honor of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.

I found it in Courtney Martin’s book, Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters, which I finished this past weekend and probably will be talking about quite a bit going forward.

The quote was in relation to one young woman suffering with an eating disorder who finally one day snapped (in a good way) and “woke up” during a yoga class when the instructor shared those six small words with such ginormous meaning.

“Meet your body where it is” (more…)