Apples, rectangles and pears, oh my!

Hi Nutrinutters!!

First I’d like to thank you all for the amazing support in taking your time to read what I have to say. Also, thank you for all the great suggestions on future posts! Keep them coming ;)

 Since a topic that frequently comes up is “how to lose those extra pounds” followed by “how do I gain weight to look like that guy”, I thought we could start this section with body image...how we perceive ourselves…am I really the person I see in the mirror? Oh gosh! Say it ain’t so!

Body image is the representation we create in our minds of what we believe we look like. Whether it is in fact how others see us, may or may not be accurate. Body image distortion used to be a topic that was mostly associated with women; however, we see that it extends to the men as well.

It seems like people are rarely satisfied with their bodies. How could we when all we see is the “perfection” of models and actors? It happens to all of us. A while ago as I flipped through a Victoria’s Secret catalog, was I looking at the clothes they sell? (Yes boys, Victoria’s Secret sells clothes) No I was not…the only thoughts going through my mind were “tomorrow I am biking all day long” followed closely by “fruit and salad diet starting ASAP!!” and I’m a nutrition major! Whether it’s trying to look thinner or gain extra pounds to “fit in” better with what society standards consider perfection, we must stop and reflect.

For starters, everyone has a different body shape….there is no superior or inferior shape…we are all unique. Here are some shapes..find yours and embrace it ;)

So how do we know if we are suffering from body image distortion? For starters, you may always ask friends and family where you stand in the following picture, see if it matches how you rated yourself. Also, an excellent option that I strongly recommend is seeing a nutrition counselor. These professionals focus on helping people see themselves realistically as well as helping make changes if necessary in order for you to be healthier and love your body.

Now that we understand better what body image is, we can move on to losing weight in a healthy way. We must keep in mind that our goal should always be directed towards improving our health. In the next few posts I’ll be discussing this along with why we try infinite diets that initially work but never get us where we need to be.

I’ll be posting some healthy recipes during the week to try at home…so stay tuned for more!  ;)

-The Nutrinut-