When we spend our lives in the present moment, with what we already have (the other side of wanting), we lose control. The things we love get lost or shattered or stolen. People leave us. People die. As soon as we realize the preciousness of what we already have, we realize someday we may lose it.

The Body Police Quiz is a tongue-in-check look at body image in our culture, but also hints at how to deal with those Body Police in real life. Take some time to shake up any negative body thoughts you have. Perhaps new perceptions can help you feel better in your body.

Body checking is a plague on the modern individual. Reflective surfaces have become the enemy. From the glass panes on passing cars to our cell phones (the REAL metaphorical ball-and-chain!) to the poorly lit changing rooms in our favorite shops, we are forced to view ourselves to the point of being even beyond what might be comfortable. However, when it becomes too much, uncomfortable - vulnerable, even - we start to no longer see ourselves staring back at us.

Are you afraid that if you accept yourself, that you would become complacent and never reach your goals? We can all benefit from self and body acceptance, no matter if we are fat-bodied or thin-bodied or in-between-bodied. But, if you don’t challenge fat-phobia, in yourself, and see it clearly in the world, it will be hard to be okay with yourself. These articles can help.

Medical professionals often fat shame and blame medical conditions on weight. Find out how to deal with it, and how to find a doctor that will treat you with respect so that you can get good medical care. (And fat shaming hurts thin people too). Includes list of recommended doctors in the Gainesville FL area.

Who doesn't want to feel better? Isn't that why we monitor our food and manipulate our weight? How many times have I heard a client say they they don't like themselves and will be happy when they reach that certain weight.

Cross-culturally, conditions and situations that are outside the norm are often viewed as social problems, and social control is often seen as the solution. These days, our culture views fat individuals as not normal, not okay. Medicalization was the inevitable result.

You want to feel better, and every weight loss ad promises you will feel better, and be happy, when you lose weight. And you probably do feel happier when you start your new eating program. But when you’ve lost your resolve, the good feelings go away, so you figure if you just lost a bit more weight, you’d feel better. But then it goes away yet again! How can you sustain that “better” feeling?

The “change your body” approach to joy and happiness fosters the very disconnection that is causing the distress. The combination of connection and gratitude is the key to feeling happy and joyful. Here's why.

But there is another aspect of the body that most of us do not pay attention to—when you focus on what your body LOOKS like, you’re not paying attention to what your body DOES.

“I feel so fat.” “My thighs are disgusting.” “My stomach sticks out.” “My butt is too big.” “I feel huge.”  We hear these comments so often, including within your own thoughts. But, these thoughts are not facts, are not feelings, and are not even truths. Even those who have lost weight have found that these thoughts, feelings, and beliefs either do not change or return down the road.

Do you constantly “check” your body to see if you look okay? For any sign of weight change? To see if your hair and clothes are perfect? Constantly checking yourself can contribute to negative body image and eating disorders. Find tips to overcome body checking, develop a more positive body image and feel better.