Hmmm...how do I love the body I have, which is about a size twelve on top and about a size fourteen or sixteen on the bottom? With spider capillaries and cellulite on my thighs, and those fatty things on my upper arms that continue to wave after I've stopped waving
( ... )
I love this story. So when you have occassional thoughts of body self-hatred--if you do--what do you do to talk yourself out of it?
This is key for the story, because we really want to give people practical things they can do.
I know for me, knowing that I'm probably attractive, by objective measures, and seeing myself that way day-to-day, when I'm deciding what to wear, etc., are two different things.
*snort* I don't have body hatred, because having two chronic diseases and another disease that is eating some of my bones, I'm just happy that it works at all, and I feel like I have to be very, very nice and appreciative to it because it's brave enough to even get out of bed in the morning.
OK, well, I don't have *body* hatred, but I have trouble with my face and features. My skin depresses me sometimes, because if it weren't so scarred and didn't wrinkle so easily, I'd be a lot more attractive; and I have a big ol' Eastern European nose and a high hairline and wispy hair.
I guess when I'm feeling that way, I focus on another feature that I do love. And when all else fails, I focus on the perspective that there are things that are more important.
I think this is an easier exercise when you're 46 and people aren't focusing very much on your looks, than when you're 26 and it's a big factor in how you get around the world.
*thinking more about it* I don't know if this is practical for other people. I always did like my figure, even when other people weren't impressed. But a lot of it now has to do with the perspective of age and the fact that I've been a death counselor and spent time with a lot of dying people. I've just developed a keen appreciation of mortality, and the fact that my body won't last forever; so I feel like I need to cherish it. It's another spin on "my body is my temple." I don't know if I feel like it's sacred, exactly, but I feel like it is beloved. Physical selves need love too. On the cusp of menopause, I love my curves because soon they will shift; I love my breasts, because soon they will lose their roundness; I love the fat layer that makes my limbs solid, because not so far in the future they will get soft and wrinkly. And when all that happens, I'll probably have to continue loving myself simply because I'm managing to be alive
( ... )
I actually think my attitude about my body was BETTER before I lost weight. Before, I could afford to ignore it, but now I feel kind of perpetually tied to worrying about this action or that action making me gain weight.
Ha! Same here. I'm overweight now, but I used to be obese. At my highest weight, I just sort of accepted it and gave up on the misery of my teen years because it seemed unfair and counterproductive - not just towards weight loss, but towards general quality of life. So I sort of stopped CARING (and kept overeating).
Now I've experienced "being attractive to people who don't already love me," and having a body that's somewhat easier to dress. Now I'm a LOT more conscious of it. Sort of a blessing and a curse. :-/
Feel free to email me, _e_g_, if you want an interview. Heck, I could count it as a program call! ;)
I lost 140 lbs and had to totally reenvision my body, and it's been a long road and I'd be happy to talk about it I fit into your plan! The first step was losing the weight, and the second has been realizing that this body I'm left with, while healthier, isn't the perfect one I imagined it might be. That's been a whole different path of enlightenment, but equally rewarding. Anyhow, if you need!
Hi Laura, thanks! I think I have the interviews I need for this story, but I reserve the right to send you a crazy-desperate email asking for details on your story later if I need it.
Hey, I just friended you and hope you'll friend me back. We're both members of bladderaid and I read your request from back in August on dealing with incontinence. Sorry I didn't see it sooner, but it's something both myself and my daughter deal with. Mine is neurological nos, and my daughter's is spina bifida. If you need any more subjects for your articles, just ask.
Body image? Don't get me started. I am one of those people who are overweight, but currently losing weight. Not because I hate the way I look. That's why I USED to diet.
What changed for me was seeing my body as a piece of equipment, a precision machine that is both beautiful and special. Yoga helped as well, because I reconnected with my body that way. Also, meditation.
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This is key for the story, because we really want to give people practical things they can do.
I know for me, knowing that I'm probably attractive, by objective measures, and seeing myself that way day-to-day, when I'm deciding what to wear, etc., are two different things.
Reply
OK, well, I don't have *body* hatred, but I have trouble with my face and features. My skin depresses me sometimes, because if it weren't so scarred and didn't wrinkle so easily, I'd be a lot more attractive; and I have a big ol' Eastern European nose and a high hairline and wispy hair.
I guess when I'm feeling that way, I focus on another feature that I do love. And when all else fails, I focus on the perspective that there are things that are more important.
I think this is an easier exercise when you're 46 and people aren't focusing very much on your looks, than when you're 26 and it's a big factor in how you get around the world.
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Now I've experienced "being attractive to people who don't already love me," and having a body that's somewhat easier to dress. Now I'm a LOT more conscious of it. Sort of a blessing and a curse. :-/
Feel free to email me, _e_g_, if you want an interview. Heck, I could count it as a program call! ;)
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LJ
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Okay?
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What changed for me was seeing my body as a piece of equipment, a precision machine that is both beautiful and special. Yoga helped as well, because I reconnected with my body that way. Also, meditation.
Hope this helps and is not too late...
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