GPS-Grace Power Strength: The Body Of A Woman: Eating Disorder

Friday, April 26, 2013

The Body Of A Woman: Eating Disorder

Thinness

As women we all want to look nice. We want to look our best and with that we may often sigh about an extra five, ten, fifteen, thirty or plus pounds.

We have all been subjected to unhealthy images of females in magazines and on television, in movies etc. Whether teenage girls or grown women, we know that the pressure today to be thin is huge.

Where does an unhealthy mindset begin?

When we are focused on the...

Scale

Numbers

The word "Diet"

We can consciously remind ourselves that the word "Diet" is a four letter word and one that shouldn't be used in our vocabulary, homes etc. Women may use it freely but it's a dangerous word to speak and not one we should ever let our daughters hear us say. Studies have shown that the risk of an eating disorder rises in girls who live in a household where other females use the word "diet", talk about food restriction and obsess with the digits on the scale. For some reason in our society today we have been erroneously led to believe that by saying "Ugh, I need to diet! If I can just lose five pounds..." we are being humble and modest. But this is backward thinking and we can replace it with healthy thinking.

It's really difficult to have a healthy view of what we are supposed to eat when we are bombarded daily by ads for bacon cheeseburgers and curly fries alongside glossy photos of polished models who don't look like they've eaten much but lettuce all week. But when we ditch the grocery cart full of cabbage and energy drinks and actually buy a weeks worth of balanced foods that will nourish our body with the protein, calcium and vitamins it needs to stay strong.... we will be nurturing our bodies, not depriving.

Weight monitoring is just that.... monitoring. It's another word for control. It's really attempting to control something... anything... because we may feel so out of control in other areas of our lives. You don't have to be ashamed of this! Everyone goes through stressful times in their lives and sometimes we may turn to unhealthy ways to manage or control our stress. So we may choose to control our weight. It's dangerous because very quickly we can lose sight of what we truly look like.... our image in the mirror may become inaccurate due to our own distorted mental view of ourselves. In our unhealthy minds we may believe we need to lose weight but the reality is we may be dangerously thin. It's important that as women we monitor our monitoring.... if we find ourselves beginning to judge our bodies with a negative internal dialogue we need to say "Stop." And then pause and review what we are saying to ourselves....

Because if it's not kind, if it's not something you could or would say to one of your girlfriends, then you shouldn't say it to yourself.

As women we may feel the need to strive for perfection in our weight.... but more than likely the perfectionism is based on society's standards. The sooner we ditch what society believes is right for us the happier we will be and that much sooner we can live an authentic life.

We can look in the mirror and say:

"I am blessed with a strong body and no matter what frame, height, etc I am... I am going to strive for my healthiest.... not thinnest!"

God blessed you with a strong healthy body. He wants you to nourish it each and everyday. He wants you to appreciate your curves and muscles. He wants you to glorify Him. He wants you to care for your body and feed it well... as we are each wonderfully made by Him.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
Psalm 139:14