Tuesday, December 13, 2011

My New Commitment

A couple weeks ago I got called to work with the young women in my ward. I was SCARED, but they have been very welcoming and sweet. I've been thinking a lot about what lessons I hope they learn growing up and how I can help them learn those lessons. One big thing I've been thinking about, and one thing that has become an increasingly dangerous problem, is weight management and weight perception. I've talked about this before, but it's such a prevalent problem that it needs repeating.

Yesterday, Becky, our new student employee, was talking about this one class she took about addictions. She was saying how drug addictions can take years to clean out of your system. For example, cigarettes (which aren't even the worse on the drug pyramid) takes 8 years for all the mental effects to leave your system. 8 years! She then mentioned that the worse addiction, even more than drugs, are eating disorders. Bulimia and anorexia are so harmful in the fact that it not only affects their mental state but it also attacks the physical system. She was saying how even though a person can mentally get over bulimia or anorexia, their body cannot. Their body will still respond to food as it had when the person was actively engaging in the eating disorder.

I think that is so depressing. Bulimia destroys your body in so many disgusting ways. And I've noticed that the problem of physical appearance has been getting worse and worse. I was talking with some people in my ward and one person was saying how their friends mother was always on some type of diet. What is sad is that this type of thinking is heritable. Daughters who grow up around mothers who talk about their weight or dieting are more likely to develop eating disorders or will mentally be more inclined to worry about their weight and eating.

I know that I am one of the biggest culprits of this type of thinking. I am constantly thinking about how I need to lose weight or how I "shouldn't have eaten that". I'm tired of it. I'm tired of feeling fat when I'm not. I'm tired of looking at pictures of skinny girls. Most of the guys I've talked to don't even like skinny girls. Most of them say that skinny girls are disgusting and look sick. Why then, do we try so hard to look nastily skinny?! I have decided to take a vow starting yesterday (I probably should have written this post yesterday...) that I will never talk about my weight in a negative way. I do not want to raise my kids or expose my kids to me being negative about my weight. I want to set an example to my kids and to the young women that loving your body is freedom. Taking care of your body in a grateful manner shows respect not only for yourself, but for Heavenly Father's creation.

Showing that you are proud of your body, no matter what shape or size, is one of the biggest displays of courage women can show today. Screw the media with their nasty skinny girls. I'm tired of beating myself up.

If I want to eat a doughnut, so help me I will!

Here is a pinterest picture I died laughing at:


Have a great week :).

2 comments:

  1. I think you'll like this: http://empoweringldswomen.blogspot.com/2011/11/guest-post-from-lexie-at-beauty.html

    :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Go Paola!!!! Can I eat donuts with you? You are not fat at all and I'm glad you're gonna embrace your body! I always was thinking about food too before I was pregnant bc I thought I was fat and now after having a baby and being 10 lbs heavier than my pre pregnancy weight I have never felt better! Nothing like carrying another human inside you to make you appreciate you body!

    ReplyDelete