5 Things I Learned About Body Image and Food Issues This Year

I’m constantly learning new things and trying to share them with you as often as possible. While writing two new books this summer, I’ve spent time studying, learning, and uncovering new concepts around body image issues, why we struggle, food issues, eating disorders, intuitive eating, fasting, feasting, and so much more. In this episode, I discuss 5 things I’ve learned about body image issues and food issues in 2022:

1.  My Opinion of Myself and My Body is Not What's Most Important. This topic has come up with many clients this year and as I've dug into it more, I recognize this as one of the hardest aspects of overcoming body image issues. How do I let go of my own opinions of myself and my body? We dig into the realities here.

           Episodes referenced:

          https://comparedtowho.me/letting-go-of-the-need-to-always-be-right/

           https://comparedtowho.me/help-my-husband-hates-my-body-featuring-dr-juli-slattery/

 2. We've Lost the Meaning and Purpose of Fasting. When Amy Carlson, eating disorder specialist and non-diet dietitian, and I dug into the Daniel Fast, you'd never believe what we found. Did you know that Daniel and his friends were fatter after their fast? It seems like the church has used Daniel's fast as a pattern to thinness--but what if we've distorted what fasting is really about and blended it with diet culture's rules that we should all look thinner? 

     Episodes referenced:

     https://comparedtowho.me/should-i-fast-if-i-had-an-eating-disorder-a-look-at-fasting/

    https://comparedtowho.me/feasting-and-fasting-with-erin-davis/

3. Aging is Real. But, the reasons we struggle with it may not be. As I wrote on the topic of aging this summer, God showed me a number of things that were playing into my struggle. 

  Episodes on this topic: 

  https://comparedtowho.me/feeling-awkward-around-food-and-aging/

4. Lessons from the Models: Those Who Look to the Lord Become Radiant (Psalm 34:5). You'll enjoy the story of how scripture came to life for one of the models I interviewed in a series last Spring. Also, check out the other model interviews they were revealing--models still struggle with body image issues!  Episodes referenced: 

  the-model-and-the-mirror-fast-featuring-jennifer-strickland

   https://comparedtowho.me/models-have-body-image-issues-too/

 5. We’ve gotten it all wrong on gluttony. Food is a gift. Have we distorted gluttony to mean over-eating? What if gluttony was never intended to be about food at all? Over-eating was rarely a problem for the common man in ages past. More will come next year on this topic, but this may offer some interesting context as you think about gluttony. 

http://comparedtowho.me/are-you-afraid-of-satisfaction-intuitive-eating-coaching-call/

Episodes to listen to again in December:

 Hot or Holy: https://comparedtowho.me/holy-or-hot-how-to-make-holiness-what-we-really-desire/

What is Self Control? https://comparedtowho.me/is-self-control-really-the-solution-to-our-food-issues/

Body Image Assessment: https://comparedtowho.me/summer-body-image-assessment-how-are-you-doing/

Episodes to Help You Prepare for New Year:

What Journey are You On? https://comparedtowho.me/what-journey-are-you-on-why-thin-is-not-a-destination/