1. Stop weighing yourself. Shift your focus from weight & body fat to healthy behaviors & fitness.
2. Fire the food & body police.
3. Stop critical self-talk. Would you speak to a friend or loved one the way you do to your body?
4. Increase positive talk. Talk to & treat yourself & your body the way you would a cherished friend, loved one, or child.
5. Clean out your closets. Give or throw away everything that doesn’t fit, is uncomfortable, or that you haven’t worn in years. Fill your closets with beautiful, comfortable clothing in your present size.
6. Eat well & mindfully. Enjoy your food. Let nothing be off-limits. There are no forbidden foods. Don’t restrict what you eat in order to lose weight, as those behaviors and attitudes have negative physical and emotional consequences. Focus instead on eating & living well.
7. Be active. Find, create, or discover activities that you enjoy, and engage in them regularly.
8. Listen to your body. It is the means by which your subconscious communicates with you. Noone can discern your body’s messages better than you can, although you may need to re-learn its language. Pay attention to “gut feelings.”
9. Respect your body. It is a manifestation of and a conduit for your soul. Ensure that others respect it, too.
10. Reconnect mind & body. Increase your body awareness through yoga, walking meditation, Tai Chi,Qi Gong, massage & bodywork, and/or movement therapy (such as Feldenkrais). Focus on what your body can do and how good it can feel.
11. Address any emotional eating independent of weight change.
12. Invest in and support yourself rather than the weight loss, pharmaceutical, healthcare, fashion, or beauty industries.
From Dr. Elam: “I love these steps because they are a concrete guide to treating yourself - your SELF and your body - well. It’s good advice no matter what size you wear and no matter what physical condition you are in. Because HAES is individual. It doesn’t judge according to ‘the ideal.’ That’s why it is health at EVERY size.”
Thank you to Dr. Peggy Elam for allowing More of Me to Love to post these important steps here as a resource.
They can be found in their original form on Pearlsong Press. If you would like to learn more about Dr. Elam’s radio show, titled, Health at Every Size, please look at this More of Me to Love event.
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