Avery, Jamie and Lucy get pretty vulnerable in this episode. We each talk about our own experiences with diet culture, self-acceptance, and self-compassion. We review some of our favorite sources of inspiration and information on this topic and talk about a few helpful questions to consider: How much space do thoughts about diet and body size take up in your life? If you were able to clear some of that space, what else would you be thinking about? What do you value? What are your top priorities? At your funeral, what will people remember about you? What do you find beautiful in other people? Bring 5 people to mind that you love and adore – why do you love and adore them? 

We also talk about strategies that help us to pull our focus away from our bodies: Writing love notes to yourself about things that are not body-centered (I am strong, I am grateful, I am loving) and paying close attention to who you are following on social media can really make a difference in how you see yourself. Following a variety of individuals with a variety of body types helps us recognize that there really is space for every BODY. 

Do try this at home:

• Steps to having a swimsuit ready body: Have a body, Put on a swimsuit
• Put yourself in situations that challenge your notion of who is able to do what. When you see what you are capable of doing, it can help you to see yourself in a broader view. 
• Diet culture is woven into many aspects of our lives and we are often not aware of it. If you haven’t heard the phrases “diet culture” or “anti-diet”, you may want to get a better understanding by looking them up or checking out the resources below. As you start to intentionally notice all the ways that diet culture shows up in your life (advertisements, conversations), you can shift away from it and challenge it. We invite you to be an advocate for change in your own life. 

Resources:

• Maintenance Phase https://www.maintenancephase.com/ 
• Food Psych https://christyharrison.com/all-episodes 
• The Body is Not an Apology https://thebodyisnotanapology.com/
• Fuck It Diet https://thefuckitdiet.com/ 
• Beyond the Shadow of a Diet https://judithmatz.com/books/beyond-a-shadow-of-a-diet/