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Go Girl:
Satisfying the Girl Inside
by Robyn Tellefsen
Have you ever held a baby? Chances are, you've oohed and aahed over chubby cheeks,
pudgy thighs, and that adorable baby potbelly. You've kissed, squeezed, and
loved all those parts, affirming their beauty with your touch. Now, switch
gears to your body. When was the last time you celebrated your cheeks, admired
your thighs, or enjoyed your belly? Never?That doesn't surprise Jessica Weiner, actionist (one who
inspires others to take action in their lives) and author of A Very Hungry
Girl: How I Filled Up on Life... and How You Can, Too! (Hay House, 2003).
In fact, she believes the majority of Americans suffer from disordered eating,
which involves assigning emotional labels to our food. (e.g., "I was
good because I ate this,"or "I was bad because I ate that.")
While those of us who hide from our thighs may not be in imminent danger,
we might be on a perilous path. Jessica knows from personal experience.
"I was a laxative and exercise bulimic," she admits. "Both
my parents have been dieting for as long as I can remember; my mom put me
on my first diet when I was 11." But that's only part of her story. "I
went to a competitive performing arts school in junior high and high school,
and there was an incredible focus on my body at a young age because of it.
Plus, I had a nontraditional body type -- I was never skinny. And I grew up
in Miami, where there were lots of blonde, blue-eyed girls, and I wanted to
be that. I was just waiting to be pretty enough for somebody.
"Finally, after years of dieting on baked chicken and a low self-esteem,
Jessica began her journey to a healthy body and attitude. Through group counseling
in college, she learned how to satisfy her true hunger by filling up on life.
Here's how you can, too:
1. Serve others. "The biggest way I feel full every day is by trying
to be of service to someone," shares Jessica. Serving someone can be
as simple as stopping and giving someone directions when asked, really listening
to a friend instead of giving advice and leaving, or helping your parents
when you don't feel like it, she says. "This allows me to get outside
myself."
2. Watch your language. "I don't fill my mouth with words that
are hurtful to me and to others," she informs. "I fill up with good
experiences and people." Discussions with the girls over lunch about
how fat you are doesn't help matters -- it only makes you feel worse.
3. Don't diet. "Dieting doesn't make people feel good," insists
Jessica. "We need to take good care of our bodies, and remove the word
'diet' from our vocabularies." Linguistically, she explains, "diet"
means "a little death" -- and that's why it doesn't work. By dieting,
she says, we only set ourselves up to fail.
4. Be honest. "If you feel overweight, look at how you got there.
How you feel about your life affects what you're eating," she asserts.
"You have to be willing to look at the truth of your life." She
recommends taking a personal inventory of where you are now, and where you
want to be.
Ultimately, she encourages you to think about your life from a different perspective
than how big or small your body is. "Ask yourself, 'Am I living a life
that makes me happy? Am I expressing my talents and passions?' Life is so
much more than the body," she emphasizes. "You have the power to
change your life, right now, today." |
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