I have a confession to make. The other day I put on a pair of black dress pants and they were a bit snug. My first thought was “Wow. I’ve gained weight.” And my sentiments about the fact that I’ve gained weight since we started this blog were a bit troubling. Here I am encouraging women to eat cheeseburgers (and eating a few myself) and yet I’m feeling a little uneasy about the weight I’ve put on. I could fake myself out and make logical excuses for not liking the weight gain such as “Well, I don’t want to buy a whole new wardrobe so I need to watch the scale.” Or “I need to make sure I stay healthy so I should really watch my weight.” These are natural sentiments for a girl who lives in a world where she has been taught to avoid fat at all costs. But I know better.
I know that deep down that I’m not concerned about my health nor am I concerned about my wardrobe. The problem with gaining weight for me stems from an addiction I used to have. No, not an addiction to drugs or alcohol. It’s an addiction that is prevalent among women in Western Society, one that many of you are familiar with I’m sure. It’s an addiction to wanting to be thin.
You see, in my pre-cheeseburger days I suffered from what I call a thin addiction. Like any addiction, the addiction to thin is one that makes us feel good. It is closely linked to the Weight Loss Fantasy. The fantasy that thinness can bring us a better life is one that we have a very difficult time letting go of. What is it about the fantasy of thin that we love so much? Why are we so enamored with the idea that thinner is better?
The thing about thin addiction is that you can be a thin addict and not even know it. In our world today, thinness is completely normalized to the point that we don’t even think twice about wanting to be thin(ner). So many of us walk around thinking that our obsessive desire to be a Size 2 is completely normal.
Like any addiction, there are relapses. And my moment of fear of the weight I have gained was just that, a relapse of my former addiction. The good news is, the fear soon dissipated and was replaced with self-acceptance.
After talking with a friend the other day about weight issues, I realized that although this incessant need we have to be thinner is not something that will go away over night, it IS something that in time can change if we work towards thinking differently. So if you find yourself obsessing over your weight, the first step is to admit you have a problem. And then come right back to EAC (Eat A Cheeseburger) for more body acceptance talk. 🙂
tiffabee.wordpress.com 
Eep. To me EAC means Evil Atheist Conspiracy, kitten barbeques and general snickery. Took me a minute. The perils of the TLA.
Great post. It helps to know that the automatic thought processes we’ve all been exposed to can be fought. Thank you.
@Piffle: To me, EAC is the Editors’ Association of Canada, of which I am a member. LOL
@Tiffabee: In my experience, as someone who’s been a size 8 to a size 16 and everything in between, the urge to be thinner is always there. That’s why I’m a part of FA now and why I read these blogs every day, to help me to remember that I don’t need to be thinner. I don’t! You don’t! We don’t!
Thin doesn’t equal Fit.
One of my former clients was a member of Canada’s womens hockey team.
She was amazing. Strong, fast, agile. Fit. Incredibly low resting heart rate. In fact, all of her medical tests were nearly off the charts
She also was a ‘big boned’ girl who naturally carried some body-fat.
It’s too bad that our society perceives her body to be inferior to that of someone who fits into a size zero pair of low-rise jeans.
Just my opinion.
…speaking of sports…historically, I love the olympics, and when I was a tot & already conditioned to scrutinize my body I thought that the GYMNASTS were ideal! So tiny! Such power! so light-as-air!
But now, as a full-grown woman…if I had my pick….you know, of a body-type to “trade” for….give me a volleyball girl’s slammin’ bod when I incarnate next time, please!!!
~ whoa. ~ those women are talllll….with a truly athletic build, IMO. Can’t you just picture 3 or 4 of those professional volleyball women sitting down to lunch…they have to EAT because, daayyum! they’re running around in the heat, on the beach, playing volleyball, so yeah, they need a couple sandwiches! Maybe some whole milk, too! *hahaha!* Not like the little gymnastics dollies at all….(although there’re slight variations in body-types a gymnast can have) I would rather be 6’3″ with muscles and a tan. *hahaha!*
((((hopey will now be returning to her own body))))
* : )
After reading through this article, I feel that I need more information on the topic. Can you suggest some more resources please?
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