It would be great for everyone to always feel wonderful about their body and how they look.
Today, more than ever, it seems that people judge a book by its cover - and it is taking a toll of everyone. Women and men of all ages, from children to adults. Sadly, children as young as three have body image issues while four year olds know how to diet and lose weight. So it’s no surprise that we have an entire culture of people who are not happy with their bodies….But we strive for…
Body confidence - mostly positive feelings about your body shape and size - is the goal. For body confident people, all food is seen as fitting into a healthy diet, without feeling that some foods are “bad” and some are “good.” It is difficult for most people to feel confident about their bodies - every day, we hear what we “should” look like.
And so, many people suffer from…
Body preoccupation - frequently thinking about food, eating, and your body. Is this food bad? Am I allowed to eat this? You may feel guilty about eating something, or may think you have to “make up for” something you ate. You may also not like the way certain parts of your body look or may consistently feel that you should lose a few pounds. Or tighten up here or there. But in general, these feelings do not interfere with enjoying life.
Eating or body image distress - preoccupation with eating and body size & shape interferes with daily activities. You think about food and your looks a lot. You may be rigid in your eating patterns, or you may feel out of control with your eating. You may be working hard to change your body shape & size and may compensate for eating (i.e., fasting, extreme exercising).
Eating distress many times leads to…
Eating disorders - the most common being anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, bulimarexia, and binge eating disorder.
Anorexia - significant fear or gaining weight and a restriction of food intake to
the point of significant weight loss.
Bulimia - binge eating episodes, feeling out of control, and behaviors used to
offset the food eaten (vomiting, use of laxatives, over exercising). Diagnosis,
cycles of binge eating and compensating occur at least twice a week for three
months. Extremely critical of body size and weight.
Bulimarexia - a syndrome in which the symptoms of both bulimia and anorexia
nervosa are present, characterized by distorted body image, excessive weight loss, and use of compensating activities to alleviate periods of binge eating.
Binge Eating - binge eating, occurring at least 2 days a week for a 6 month
period, without compensating behaviors. Binge eaters may or may not be
obese. They may eat in response to emotions, and may binge secretly.
Eating disorders are emotional disorders in which an individual maintains unhealthy attitudes and behaviors towards food, eating, and body image. The overemphasis on thinness and personal appearance, without regard for genuine health, nutrition, or fitness, can lead to eating disorders.
The goal, once again, is to be healthy.
Here’s how to do it:
Head to your Members Page
Search for the member you want to make a writer
Click on the member’s profile
Click the 3 dot icon ( ⠇) next to the Follow button
Select Set as Writer.
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