Stop Chasing Skinny

This Week in Body Image News (5/22/13)

JL Fields, Editor @ Stop Chasing Skinny — Wed, 22 May 2013 15:06:37 +0000

This week in Body Image News

Body image battles: do we ever get comfortable in our own skin?

Kombucha and SweeTARTS by Erica DeSimone

JL Fields, Editor @ Stop Chasing Skinny — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 16:31:48 +0000

Today, a community post from Erica DeSimone who blogs at Cult of Kale. You can follow Erica on Facebook and Twitter.

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Yesterday, I bought a bottle of kombucha with Chia Seeds. When I purchased it, I didn’t know a thing about kombucha or the possible benefits of drinking it. I was just drawn to the strange looking drink. I opened the lid to take a whiff and almost instantly capped it and stuck it in the fridge.

A few hours later curiosity over came me and I pulled it out to take a sip. The taste was different, but not unbearable. The texture with the chia seeds caught me off guard. I was unsure if they should be chewed or swallowed whole so I attempted an awkward chew/swallow combination. The drink went back into the fridge right away.

Then again after a few hours passed I found myself drawn back towards the fridge. I managed to drink half of it this time before putting it away, settling on swallowing the seeds whole.

I decided to set aside time to look up the benefits of kombucha, which came with a lot of bickering about the true facts of kombucha and while some claim it has been untested a simple Google search yields numerous lab tests that have shown kombucha may be beneficial, including this one about repairing damage caused by environmental pollutants.

For me, the kombucha represents further change in my life and my health. Old Erica never would have even considered drinking it, drinking anything that didn’t come with a heavy dosing of sugar or had the consistency of melted jell-o.Which brings us to the SweeTARTS. A gift from my Mother-in-Law, it sat unopened at the top of our pantry until a night when I was feeling especially lonely and sad. It called to me, and I hopelessly pulled it down and brought it with me to the couch.I ate five pieces before I had an epiphany: binging on food does not make me feel better. I guess that seems pretty common knowledge for most people, but for someone who has always self-medicated with food it was like becoming vegan all over again. The realization was emotional, admitting to yourself you were wrong is one of the hardest things to do. I tossed the candy out. It wasn’t about my weight, it was about making a kind and compassionate choice for my own body.Suddenly I’m the kind of person who drinks kombucha and passes over candy, and I think that is something I can live with.

Hey, where’s JL? Plus: Body-Loving Yoga in New York

JL Fields, Editor @ Stop Chasing Skinny — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 14:01:45 +0000

Here I am, friends! I’m adjusting to life in Colorado Springs and loving every minute of it. In March I’m launching a 3-session vegan lifestyle class in downtown Colorado Springs and am really excited about it! I’m offering in-person coaching in the Springs, too.

Today I want to announce that a fellow vegan lifestyle coach and educator, Ximena Savitch, is offering a body-loving yoga class in New York, NY next week. BodyMutki – Liberation Practices for Body Image:

“Mukti” means release and refers to how yoga teaches us how to liberate ourselves from the cycle of repetitive, negative thinking that keeps us from expressing our full potential. This BodyMukti workshop will explore how yogic practices can be used to release us from the negative thinking and stuck patterns that keep us from fully accepting and loving our bodies. We will engage in practices to affect all five of our “koshas” to include asana, pranayama, chanting, meditation, and a sharing circle.

Whether you are simply interested in learning to love your body more, struggling to accept your body’s shape and size, or currently doing battle with an eating disorder, this workshop will allow you to explore the many ways yoga can set you free from your own limitations, and make you happy in your own skin.

Get registration information here.

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Have you stopped chasing skinny? This is a community blog and your experience matters. Submit your story!

2013: Wishing you a year of compassion, health, and happiness beyond the scale.

JL Fields, Editor @ Stop Chasing Skinny — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 11:00:19 +0000

Happy New Year!

May we place more value on what we say and what we do than on what size of clothes we wear.
May we strive for health and happiness that extends beyond the scale.
May we be kind and compassionate to others, as well as to ourselves.

Wishing you a compassionate 2013!

Your Stories in 2012

JL Fields, Editor @ Stop Chasing Skinny — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 18:37:40 +0000

Thank you writers and readers of Stop Chasing Skinny! Thank you for sharing so much of yourself as we explore finding happiness beyond the scale.

As the year draws to a close, I would like to share the five most read posts in 2012:

5 Hey, brain, leave my belly alone
4 More body shaming to “promote” veganism
3 If You Want to Quit Barfing by Jennifer Molica
2 Fat, gay, vegan and happy {Skipping the January Diet}
1 Shannon’s Story: Am I Really Fat? (the nude photos)

Share your story in 2013!

Weight-loss hot pants? No, thanks.

JL Fields, Editor @ Stop Chasing Skinny — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 16:55:31 +0000

I just got a Groupon offer today for weight-loss hot pants. No, thanks.

I choose to enjoy the holiday season guilt-free, love my life, and feel comfortable in my body.

Happy holidays, friends!

New Year, New You? Bah! We’re awesome already.

JL Fields, Editor @ Stop Chasing Skinny — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 17:40:23 +0000

The “New Year, New You!” messaging has begun.

SOURCE

I’m awesome already.

Are you?

In January, let’s fill this blog up with body stories that are the opposite of typical new year messages of deprivation and shaming.

Let’s talk about being happy, healthy and fit at a variety of sizes.

Share your story.

I’m here! What’s missing is YOU!

JL Fields, Editor @ Stop Chasing Skinny — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 15:58:37 +0000

Hi dear readers! I am here, your ever faithful editor, but I’ve been a bit preoccupied! I am moving to Colorado in a few short weeks and shortly after that a manuscript is due to my publisher. All wonderful things!

It could explain why things have been a little slow here on Stop Chasing Skinny. But there’s another reason. This is a community blog, in which I share your stories about how you have stopped chasing skinny – or how you hope to stop – and I need those stories.

This blog is full of remarkable transformations from you. Grab a cup of tea and read them here…

…and then submit your own story.

Body Image Warrior: Jennifer Livingston pushes back.

JL Fields, Editor @ Stop Chasing Skinny — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 09:31:35 +0000

What a response!

Video here.

Eating for Health, Not Weight

JL Fields, Editor @ Stop Chasing Skinny — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 12:57:45 +0000

Each week I sit down to look for vegan news you can use for my other blog (JL goes Vegan). Today I stumbled across this OpEd piece from Dean Ornish: Eating for Health, Not Weight

Photo: New York Times

From the OpEd:

Yet being thin and being healthy are not at all the same thing. Being overweight is not necessarily linked with disease or premature death…What you eat affects which diseases you may develop, regardless of whether you’re thin or fat.

On this blog I have long contended that health and fitness should not be measured by size so you can imagine my delight with this piece.

How about you? I would love to hear what you think about this opinion piece.