FOOD, BODY IMAGE, AND THE WHOLE DIET-AND-EXERCISE DRAMA
There’s a lot more to our struggles with food and our bodies than calories, willpower, or trying harder.
Here, I explore the assumptions behind the traditional diet-and-exercise model, why so many familiar solutions keep us stuck, and what changes when we approach food, exercise, and our bodies from a completely different perspective.
Some posts are personal. Some challenge conventional wisdom. And some might make you laugh.
Browse the articles below. Start wherever you're curious.
The Doctor’s Office Question That Reveals Everything Wrong With Diet Culture
The first question on a medical intake form wasn't about heart disease or diabetes. It was about "unplanned changes" in my weight. That word — unplanned — stopped me cold. Here's what it assumes about you and your body, and why it matters.
The Yoplait Ad That Accidentally Proved Everything Wrong With Diet Culture
My husband told me about a Yoplait commercial he thought I'd love — a woman doing mental gymnastics over a slice of cheesecake while a thinner woman just reaches for the yogurt. He was right. It perfectly illustrates the difference between the diet mindset and food freedom. Then the ad got pulled — and that's where things got interesting.
Why Fighting Your Food Struggles Makes Them Worse
A friend's mom had fallen multiple times without breaking a bone — because she learned to stop fighting the fall and just let it happen. Here's why that's some of the best advice I've ever heard for anyone struggling with food, their body, or their weight.
What Acting Taught Me About Healing Your Relationship With Food
Will Smith memorized everyone else's lines because he was too nervous to just be present. Sound familiar? Here's why the art of acting is actually the perfect analogy for what it takes to truly heal your relationship with food and your body.
Why Women’s Clothing Sizes Are Meaningless — And Why We Still Let Them Define Us
A police officer told my friend she was "lucky they just took clothes." I had to respond. He had no idea what it means for a woman to have her gym bag stolen — or why that number on a clothing tag carries as much weight as the number on a scale. Here's the absurdity we've all accepted without question.
Photoshop Isn’t Causing Your Body Image Issues — This Is
Everyone blames Photoshop for unrealistic beauty standards. But here's a question nobody asks — what if those images were real and achievable? Would the body image problem disappear? Here's why the answer is no, and what's actually causing the pain.