Does anyone else have this problem?
As a 21 year old female, I know I don't need to ask that
question.
I opened up honestly with a friend recently about this topic
- expressing the struggle that is every day in the life of the food-obsessed.
Constant calculations of when I'm next going to eat, how can I make sure that
it's healthy, what is my backup healthy eating plan, would it be better to eat
now at uni something averagely healthy or to wait until I get home, or would
that be too late to digest? Should I just not eat?
In a world where every food on the planet is available to us
in a nearby supermarket, the suggestion that we be health-conscious is not easy
to dismiss. We have access to the ingredients, and thus no excuse not to
subscribe to this lifestyle.
How about when we're in Uni 12-8, and there is no time to
prepare a home cooked meal? Do we 'cheat' and buy a wrap or meal deal from
Sainsbury's? And not really enjoy it because we feel too guilty as we check the
scientific nutritional breakdown and wince at the numbers in red. I can't help
feeling that despite the numerous
benefits of a healthy lifestyle, the national obsession may be going too far.
Things I have done in the name of 'health':
- got distracted in 70% of lectures while planning
nutritious meals
- obsessively scoured menus in advance to avoid
choosing an unhealthy option in a
rush/under pressure
- felt unable to enjoy 'bad' foods due to 'guilt'
association
- felt disappointed in self for eating 'bad' foods, also
associated with lack of restraint, willpower and weakness
- eaten 3 slices of cake to replace meals for fear of
calorie overdose
- panicked at the thought of going to a restaurant socially
- no one wants to be the girl with a salad, or get plate envy, or spend the
entire evening thinking about food/weight when the real purpose of the event is
the interaction (supposed to be enjoyable)
The last one is tricky. I'm sure people experience varying
levels of food anxiety, and I have felt envious of those who seem to have got
it down - nonchalantly ordering what they fancy and eating as much as they feel
like. In public, I have previously felt obliged to choose something that
doesn't say 'I'm on a diet' and even points more towards the 'I don't give a
---- about weight loss, look at me feast'. I would then eat more than my
stomach was asking for, thus enlarging it and my lack of confidence.
So what is the solution? Maybe menus and quick conveniences
need to universally cater for the health conscious. Maybe.
Maybe we all just need to chill out.
I think the real issue here comes back to the notorious size
zero/photoshop perfection that is
forcefully present across advertising.
Does anyone feel good when they see these images? How many
people look at clothing posters in shops, try on the model's outfit and think
'yes, I look like that' in the changing room mirror? Bodies come in so many shapes and sizes and the world needs
to be more aware of that. Health is an important factor in life but it stops
being healthy when the need for it becomes a mental obsession.
While I'm still personally trying to find the balance with
this, I'd like to share some ideas for maintaining a healthy and nutritious
mind as well as body:
- Enjoy every meal, whether it be healthy or not - you need
food to survive and you shouldn't feel guilty about that
- You are your own harshest critic, no one is judging your
'imperfections' in the same way as you, positive people look for positive
things
- Work on your personality over your image. it's easier to
change a personality flaw than an appearance based one
- Not being a certain size or weight does not make you
inadequate
- You are beautiful, and happiness comes from within
These are very important things to remember. Of course I
believe in healthy eating most of the time, but I also think we need to be
assured that it is okay to have something that does not necessarily satisfy the
recommended quota of our daily amount.
As long as you are a healthy weight for your height and make
sure you apply a reasonable amount of restraint at the urge to eat entire trays
of brownies, tubs of ice cream and third helpings of chips, you should be
happy. A basic knowledge of what's good for you and what isn't should be held
on to, but the moment food starts affecting your confidence, social presence
and ability to focus on other tasks, then it is time to rethink.
Why are so many of us aiming for this elusive 'perfection'?
Confidence is the biggest form of attraction, and it can hide a world of
complexes than can eventually lead to their eradication. So you have excess fat
on your thighs, is anyone else going to change their opinion of you based on
that? If they are, do you want to be associated with them? Same goes for
stomach, arms, hips, chin, neck, ankles etcetera etcetera; the list of
potential body-anxieties is virtually infinite.
This is a socially constructed anxiety which should not
exist. The problem of obesity and binge eating cannot be ignored but the
negative effects of the opposing side are not as openly discussed. Something
non-existent can actually hold us back in life, make us sad and even loathsome
of ourselves.
We should stop aiming for perfection and view that it's
already there, right now. Look in the mirror and see a bump or a bulge? Embrace
it, it's you, it's alive and natural and not stopping you from doing anything.
It doesn't make you any less of a person than the photo-shopped model with a
thigh gap and a flat stomach. Not to say that she isn't beautiful too.
That said, if we want to choose something less calorific at
a restaurant, we should not feel embarrassed to make that choice. The friendly
urges of 'go on, treat yourself' actually exacerbate anxieties with regard for
the need to please others whilst caring for the self. We should all be more
open about this topic and I would not be surprised to find that many of our
consciences are alike. Having the perfect body is not a competition; there is
no prize. Live for yourself, make your own choices and be comfortable with who
you are and what you decide to do.
We're all beautiful for who we are, not what we look like. Let's
be proud of that and get on with the more important things in life.
