There has been a lot of talk in recent years about body positivity and how we should love and accept ourselves at any weight and in any form we come in. So if you are on a weight loss diet, does that mean you are not body positive?
What is Body Positivity?
The body positivity movement encourages us to celebrate our bodies and also makes society take a hard look at the way we view bodies, particularly ones that are at the extreme ends of the BMI scale, big or small.
It aims to help everyone build confidence and accept their own bodies – no matter their shape or size without the necessity to diet, exercise or change themselves to be loved or love themselves.
The movement wants to show us how mainstream media has shaped our views of bodies, showing us that you don’t need to be slim or be on a weight loss diet to be loved or to love yourself.
Why is Body Positivity Important?
Body positivity is really important because it plays a key role in how people feel about themselves, accepting themselves as they are and improving their self-worth.
It is well know that having a negative body image about yourself can lead to a higher risk of developing serious mental conditions such as:
- Depression
- Low Self-Esteem
- Eating Disorders
- Body Dysmorphia
All of which can lead to weight gain and a lack of care for yourself and your physical health.
Watch our video about the links between weight gain and depression: HERE
Body Positivity and Weight Loss
But if the body positivity movement is about accepting yourself as you are, no matter what shape or size, can you be body positive and still want to lose weight and improve your health?
Part of the journey to loving and taking care of yourself is accepting yourself and how you look along every step of the way.
But we also see a negativity saying you cannot be body positive and want to lose weight and that, actually, the two ideas contradict each other.
We think this couldn’t be further from the truth!
We think there is room for you to be body positive and still want to improve your health, weight and body and how it feels and moves.
In fact, moving more and eating well are amazing ways to be body positive and show just what incredible things your body can do when you look after yourself and work hard for your health.
Deciding to lose weight, or add more movement to your routine, or feed your body with healthy, nutritious foods and looking after your mental well-being is a form of body positivity and, importantly, self-love!
Struggling to get back to a healthy weight loss mindset? Find out how to build a healthy routine: HERE
One Size Does Not Fit All
The journey to loving yourself and being body positive is a very individual one.
For some, it might be learning to accept yourself at any size and loving yourself as you are, appreciating all your body does for you on a daily basis, no matter what number is on the label in your clothes, or what society tells you you should look like.
For others, the path to body positivity might include making more health-based decisions for the well-being of their body and mind.
When it comes to how to be body positive, there is no ‘right’ way to approach it.
What is right for one person, is wrong for someone else.
How Can You Be Body Positive at Any Size?
The best way to be body positive at any size is to start from a neutral place.
It is really important that you don’t implement changes in your life because you hate yourself, as any diet or exercise regime you start when you start from a place of hate or disgust will feel like punishment to you.
If you’re looking to implement body positivity and lose weight, start with small elements of self-care like:
- Eating well and nourishing your body with healthy, delicious, unprocessed foods.
- Moving more and adding activity to your daily life.
- Taking 30 minutes to yourself to do something that makes you feel better.
- Showing respect and appreciation to your body and what it does for you every day.
Focussing on areas that make you feel good and that you can keep up in the long term will help you on your journey to body positivity and losing weight.
It is important to note that by adding smaller, sustainable changes to your life, it may mean that you don’t obviously notice week-to-week that you’re losing weight or shaping up or improving the way you see yourself, but we bet if you look back after a few months, you’ll really see how far you’ve come.
This way, you’ll focus less on changing your body and how you look and focus more on maintaining the healthy habits you enjoy.
Once your new healthy lifestyle has become second nature, you’ll keep going with it regardless of whether your body is changing and find the body positivity and respect for your body that you deserve to give yourself.
Find out how many calories you should be eating to fully nourish your body: HERE
The Points to Take Away
We don’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but losing weight, unfortunately, won’t automatically make you happy and body positive.
When it comes to losing weight and being body positive – it is important to think healthy, not skinny!
Planning your healthy lifestyle and weight loss diet based on how it will make you feel and not how it will make you look is a great way to show respect and appreciation for your body, but will also see you losing weight, if that is your goal.
We know that loving yourself isn’t easy and lots of us start losing weight because we don’t like what we see in the mirror.
But we think it is important to love and respect yourself, regardless of how you look.
If you want more support when it comes to losing weight, finding confidence in yourself and feeling better, let us see how we can help.
Our weight loss doctors are here to support you in any way you need them and are able to work on goals that not only incorporate losing weight, but feeling incredible about yourself along the way!
Find out how much you can love yourself on the journey to better health with the support of weight loss doctors and experts.