More Body Love
My migraine is back (hello darkness my old friend) and it’s hard to wax poetic about the miraculous wonder of being an embodied soul. But I did want to check in about our habitude for March.
I’ve taken Jen B.’s advice and adopted a mantra for the month. Every time I eat or drink I say to myself “I love my body as I love a child.” It came to me after I realized I would never treat my children’s bodies the way I treat my own. I don’t always remember to say it, but I often do, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how often I am making good choices without even thinking about it. Sometimes at the end of the day I go over my food and movement for the day and recite my mantra over each memory. I’m learning a lot…I have a lot to learn.
Inspired by the book Intuitive Eating, I’ve also thrown away all my dieting stuff and given up dieting for good. My Weight Watcher’s point counters are tossed and my scale is deprived of batteries and lying in the back of my closet. I’m eating what I want when I want it, as along as I’m hungry. The first two weeks I worried about gaining more, but so far all my clothes fit the same and my favorite pair of jeans fear maybe feels a little looser.The hardest part is determining whether I’m hungry physically, or just emotionally, but I don’t think I’m falling off the wagon too often.
I’m still writing my morning letters to my body about three days a week. It’s been surprising to me how sympathetic I feel towards my body when I treat her (me) as a person and not as a mysterious, manipulative entity to be battled.
Mostly pleasingly, I’ve noticed a distinct decrease in the amount of negative self talk I do about my body. I have this huge mirror in our bathroom which makes seeing my body (me) as a whole every morning unavoidable. Sometimes, I even smile.
What’s your mantra this month?
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March 15th, 2007 at 2:50 pm
My mantra for the whole lenten season as I fast with the Orthodox faithful, abstaining from meat and dairy products: “God is more important than food.”
And oh, my. That’s quite a lesson.
March 15th, 2007 at 6:11 pm
“Listen to what your body is telling you” After years of counting calories, food journals, (which I’ve thrown away), dieting, weighing.. I’m with you. I’m done, finished, with dieting – never, ever again. And, me too, I was afraid I would get out of control but so far I’ve not gained any (or lost any).
I’m not very good yet at the listening, but, I’m trying, and learning.
March 18th, 2007 at 7:36 pm
Hey Rachelle, I am so delighted to hear you throwing away the diet stuff! That is a marvelous gift to your body and your spirit. The Intuitive Eating book is great, not sure if I mentioned to you, The Slow Food Diet is also one I love, not a diet at all (I wish they hadn’t used that word in the title). Thanks for linking to me a few posts back (although you have my last name misspelled :-) ) Love and blessings, Christine Paintner
March 25th, 2007 at 8:26 am
Hey Rachelle, I am doing a series of Monday posts on Love Your Body and I just linked to all your fabulous stuff…..hope you don’t mind! I really believe it takes a village to change this stuff for all us womenfolk. Thanks for all the inspiration and love you provide by example, you are my heroine!
August 4th, 2008 at 5:53 am
[...] my thirties I got hit by a chronic illness involving food sensitivities; gave up dieting for good; and made peace with my body. About that time I also moved from Seattle, Washington to [...]