Welcome

My calendar tells me it's practically May (and it is May by the time you read this), but the weather hasn't figured that out yet! As I write this, we are having hail storms and it looks like it's been snowing outside. I really like the rain and colder weather, so it's not that big of a deal for me. But I'm sure many of you are looking forward to warmer temperatures and getting outside.

Warmer weather generally brings with it opportunities to be more active. I'm all for this! It's great to get out the old gear that's been collecting dust in the garage all winter. But summer brings swimsuit weather and the anxiety starts to increase for those who feel they need to lose weight before hitting the beach or even going on vacation. The thought of "bathing suit season" is diet mentality's best friend. It also motivates (aka causes panic) people to start exercising to lose weight, along with going on whatever the latest and greatest diet is for the moment.

My masters degree gives me the title of "Exercise Physiologist". Despite this, I have been known to suggest to certain people to NOT exercise. It comes down to the reason why you want or need to exercise. If you break out the running shoes because you've gained weight during the winter and it's time to start being "good" and burning calories, you may want to think again before starting. When you exercise to lose weight, burn calories, undo a binge, etc., you are using exercise as a punishment. No one likes being punished, and this makes exercise feel bad, seem like a chore, and not something you really want to do. Who wants to punish themselves several days a week?

If this is the case, I recommend you put exercise on the back burner for a while. If exercise becomes a negative thing, it's very likely that you won't stick to it, or worse yet, never want to bother again. That's why I will tell people to not exercise. While you are committed to not exercising, you may come across some kind of activity that you love. Examples could be any kind of dancing, riding a bike to work, walking outside, and endless other ideas.

When "exercise" becomes a "fun activity", you will have a more pleasant association with it and be more motivated to continue. If you don't find that activity that gets you going, consider reasons why you could exercise - other than for burning calories. Do you get the exercise "high"? What does it do for your stress level or your mood? How is your energy throughout the day? Any positive reason you can find to workout will be a wonderful reason to get moving and will keep you going.

So as summer begins to creep up on us, don't think about it as "bathing suit season", why not think of it as "having fun and feeling great season"!

Is It Time for a New "Look"?

 

But in the interest of continuing to work, I finally checked out some reading glasses that you can buy at the drug store and of course, all of a sudden my world was clear again. I've been using them for about a week and a half now and my headaches are gone and my productivity has increased. Looking back it seems crazy that I resisted getting glasses. If a client were to tell me that she needed but didn't want to get glasses, I would probably remind her that getting glasses and protecting her eyes is a part of self-care. It's interesting how we often resist things that make such a positive difference in our lives. I can only imagine how much more I may have accomplished if I had bought glasses sooner, not to mention saving myself quite a few headaches.

This reminds me of a similar situation I see with the intuitive eating coaching clients I work with. Like many chronic dieters, some clients try to wear their smaller clothes they don't really fit into any longer. They are so caught up in that number on the label and they don't want to give it up or admit that they need a bigger size. So they squeeze into clothes that are too tight, uncomfortable, unattractive, and a constant reminder that they've gained weight. When this subject comes up, in addition to getting the clothes that don't fit at least out of the closet and away from daily sight, I recommend purchasing clothes that fit and look good on you right now. In the words of my mentor, get clothes that make you feel "hot and awesome". This one recommendation creates more resistance with my clients than anything else I suggest. It's like me getting glasses - I don't want to admit I need them (or admit I'm getting older), and my clients don't want to face the label on the clothes that fit them well, at least at this time.

Here's the thing - just like I had a positive experience when I finally got glasses, when they start wearing clothes that fit and feel "hot and awesome", my clients also have amazing changes. If you don't have tight clothes reminding you that you've gained weight, you aren't as focused on your body all day long. When you are wearing clothes that fit and that flatter your shape (which can be done regardless of your figure), your confidence increases and others around you take notice and see you differently. When your "skinny" clothes aren't mocking you from your closet every morning the guilt and shame disappear and the obsessive bad body thoughts start to fade away. Ironically, this if often when weight starts to disappear (I am living proof of this! I started losing weight shortly after I bought clothes that fit...expensive clothes, too! :) ).

Can you relate to this situation? Are you still resisting buying clothes that fit great and feel great? I can assure you that buying clothes that fit now isn't a signal to your body that you've given up on losing weight. It doesn't mean that you're going to gain more weight just because you have accepted your body the way it is now. It means you are ready to make peace with your body and start living your life now, instead of waiting to live until you lose the weight. I got my glasses, is it your turn?

A New Favorite of Mine

I came across a wonderful group while looking around Facebook a few weeks ago. The group, PeopleofSize.com, was talking about intuitive eating and looking for someone with expertise in that area to participate in the discussion. So I jumped in! :) They are a group that are all about self-acceptance and living life fully now, so you know I'm a fan!

Their new website and blog will be launched very soon. But I encourage you to check out the discussion on their Facebook page and even press the "Like" button so you can stay connected with what's happening. (For those of you who haven't seen the big changes on Facebook, one change is "Become a Fan" buttons have been changed to "Like" buttons which still means the same thing.)

 

PeopleOfSize.com and sister sites FittingInKids.com and FittingInTeens.com is an online community that provides information, support, and interaction for "people of size" of all ages. We are not a diet site, though health and fitness are part of what we address. We focus on all aspects of life, from medical to fashion, relationships to daily living, entertainment to emotional well being.

We provide comprehensive information and access from many perspectives and offer a forum for discussion and social interaction. All subjects include a social networking function; people of size can communicate about their favorite plus/large size fashions, size friendly vacation spots, health questions and concerns, job, family, and relationships, political and social issues, and everything in between. Our youth sites are age appropriate and geared toward the particular needs of kids and teens and their parents.

The PeopleOfSize.com, FittingInKids.com, and FittingInTeens.com e-community is a welcoming place for all people of size, recognizing everyone should have the opportunity to live life to the fullest, learn and grow, be healthy and happy. We are a community with no judgment, just opportunity.

The Psychology of Weight Loss Ads

Have you ever had a sneaking suspicion that advertisers had secret tricks that influence us to buy without us knowing it? Of course we all know about advertisements that stretch the truth about results or that tell you amazing stories with "results not typical" printed in small letters beneath the testimonial. I've even heard of a health club that tilted the locker room mirrors just slightly so the members looked bigger than they were, in the hopes of keeping the members coming and purchasing extras like personal training.

But here's a new one for me. Advertisers know that your perception of your own possible results can be manipulated by the way others' results are presented. Here's the full story, I think you'll be quite surprised.

http://www.drsharma.ca/obesity-how-old-was-gandhi-when-he-died-or-why-testimonials-sell.html