Damage and the Stigma of Being Fat

I came across this refreshing article on Twitter today which was posted by a fellow Tweeter @VoiceInRecovery.  Every time I read credible information, evincing how you don't have to be thin to be healthy, I am reassured that my professional work to help people learn about Intuitive Eating, Health At Every Size, and respecting your body is the right approach. We've heard it before, about how the pressure from society to be thin has created unrealistic body ideals for women, men and even children. We know this, yet we don't seem to be adapting our ideals or our goals to meet more realistic body sizes. Everywhere I look, from the lap band billboards to the flat belly diet plans - America is still obsessed with thinness. From what I see and hear daily from beautiful, healthy people asking me "how do I get skinny?" or "my life will be so much better if I can just lose this weight" I think we have a long journey ahead of us to really come to terms with what healthy actually looks like. Here's a quote from Dr. Thomas's findings:

Dr Thomas found that obese people believed the constant attention to their bodies was making things worse. They felt anxious and isolated. This generated feelings of low self-esteem and encouraged them to go down more extreme pathways of trying to lose weight “which we know do not work in the long run”.  Read the full article Chewing the Fat Over The Reality of Obesity.