Culture Wars: Body Shaming vs Fat Celebration
The conventional cultural “diet and exercise” model is the root of all pain, shame, drama and dysfunction surrounding food, exercise, your body and your weight – AND it is the source of the confusion and acrimony in the “culture wars” surrounding health, obesity and fat pride.
The diet and exercise model suggests that your body’s size and shape is simply a result of what you eat and what you do for exercise. But the fact that you are responsible for what you eat and what you do for exercise, does not mean that you can therefore control your body’s weight and shape through diet and exercise – that is a fallacy.
Both sides are using the diet and exercise model and a framework and both sides get stuck. One side gets tripped up on the control fallacy side of the coin. And the other side gets tripped up by not accepting the responsibility that they DO have to honor and respect their bodies by working to create optimized health and well-being. And this side gets all twisted by rejecting of the cultural standards of health – without rejecting the diet and exercise model. So everyone remains stuck.
The key to finding freedom from food and creating true healing and transformation is to reject the “diet and exercise” model and embrace a relationship-based, body-centered approach.
Time To Move & Shake with Zibby Owens
My guest episode for Zibby Owens’ podcast. In this podcast, I teach actionable strategies to create more time for busy moms who deal with food, exercise, and body-image issues. Sharing personal insights gleaned from my own painful and life-threatening struggles surrounding my body and my weight, I outline a path for optimizing health, vitality, well-being, joy — and time!
The Inspiration & Insanity of “Fat Pride”
It is my contention that all of the pain and dysfunction surround food, exercise, weight and well-being can be traced back to the core, conventional, cultural diet and exercise model.
This discussion illustrates that argument by comparing and contrasting Lizzo’s reality show “Watch Out For The Big Grrrrls” with a practical joke perpetrated by Steven Crowder. This episode also demonstrates the differences in responses to physical conditions society deems “medical” versus conditions popularly seen as a result of consequences of choice. True healing and transformation – both on an individual level – and collectively – is possible.
Health, Obesity and Happy Calories®
The inspiration for this episode was a video clip someone sent me of Bill Maher discussing American obesity with Ben Shapiro. Among the social, political, cultural issues at play regarding body positivity and weight – making a discussion of health a challenge – they also mentioned the idea of a “caloric deficit.”
I hate to break it to them, but a simple caloric deficit (or simple therapy to help one overcome obstacles to beginning and staying on a diet) is not the answer. Most of the contestants from the infamous “The Biggest Loser” show not only failed to keep the weight off – many gained more.
What is needed is a completely new paradigm for weight loss and well-being. This episode describes the unique challenges of obesity and how the Happy Calories Don’t Count® model can help.
Mental Health in a Sick Society
“It’s not really a measure of mental health to be well-adjusted in a society that’s very sick.”
This is one of my favorite quotes from the television show The OA, and it describes this episode well.
This podcast episode was inspired by an advertisement for an eating disorder clinic that I saw on the side of the bus.
In this episode, I deconstruct the underlying psychological assertions of this ad and illustrate the manipulative messages contained therein.
Learning to develop media and marketing literacy skills is an essential component to finding freedom from food drama – especially in the guise of “professional help” for something as serious as an eating disorder.
Enjoy!
Your Pain Is Not Your Fault – Your Healing Is Your Responsibility
Your weight is not your fault. It’s not to your credit either.
Your pain is not your fault. But your healing is your responsibility.
An important episode for anyone struggling with food, exercise, weight or body image issues – whether you have been diagnosed with an eating disorder or not.
Discover the two parts to an eating disorder and why this makes them so difficult to truly overcome and put to bed.
Learn how certain mindsets keep you stuck in “recovery” when true freedom begins when you have “recovered.”
Influencing Thought & Normalizing Dysfunction
How do you create true freedom from food drama? How do you claim your personal power?
You are allowed, you have the right, you have the freedom to be who you are and do what you want to do and exist how you want to exist – and to want to look how you want to look.
Part of standing in your personal power comes from understanding how other people are trying to influence your behavior, influence your pocket book, influence your mindset – all of those things. When you can stand back and you can really look at a situation eyes wide open, and see what’s going on – then you can decide from a place of empowerment, how you want to engage.
People try to influence behavior all the time. Everyone does it. It’s it’s part of life. What is really important is where it shifts from trying to influence behavior to influence how you think – especially about yourself.
How Diet Culture is Normalized
Are you in charge of your own thoughts and beliefs about your body and yourself?
Are you sure?
This episode illustrates how complex systems – including economic profit motives and slick psychological marketing – influence your thoughts and sense of self like you never imagined.
“Empowered” Emotional Eating and Weight Loss
Why is it so hard to come to a place of peace and acceptance around your body and your weight?
This episode offers a conversation on “emotional eating” like you’ve never heard before.
By the time you are done listening, you will never think of “emotional” eating in the same way. You will have all of the nuanced perspectives and mindset shifts – and perhaps even the skills and tools – to heal this painful issue once and for all!