Do you ever look back on a choice you made and say to yourself, “Self, what were we thinking?!” Whether it was a pair of skin-tight acid-washed jeans, a giant poster of David Hasselhoff, the Cabbage Soup Diet, or a Mike Brady perm, we’ve all made some questionable decisions in our lives.
(This relates to BFD, trust me.)
When I first started losing weight, I read any and everything I could about weight loss and fitness. Pretty soon, there were certain websites that I visited every day to get my fix. Now, a year into my BFD journey, I still subscribe to one of those websites, and every day the headlines make me roll my eyes and wonder what the heck I was thinking.
Here’s a sampling of the headlines from the site from the past few weeks (along with some commentary from yours truly):
- 17 Best and Worst Foods of Summer (How about we stop applying morality to food, eat a variety that pleases us, and stop punishing ourselves for our choices?)
- Work Your Butt Off — Literally! (Literally? I do not think it means what you think it means.)
- Eating in These 5 Places May Be Making You Fat (Funny, I bet it’s my fat making me fat. But by all means, make us feel bad about where we’re eating as well as what we’re eating. If there’s one thing we all need more of in our lives, it’s guilt!)
- Don’t Blow Your Diet on Vacation! Nutritionist-Approved Breakfast Tips (Crazy thought here, but… how about enjoying your vacation and not even thinking the word “diet”?)
- How to Rough It and Still Look Red-Carpet-Ready (I had no idea we were supposed to worry about looking Oscar-worthy while camping.)
- Get Sexy Summer Shoulders Fast (I have shoulders. It’s summer. But I shouldn’t show them unless they are “sexy,” apparently.)
There are some decent articles on this site, including some great recipes and interesting workout ideas. But every. single. picture. is of thin women. Which just perpetuates the completely false notion that skinny = healthy. Also, they love to recommend workout clothes – all of which are for already-thin bodies. This site is a perfect example of how to alienate people with non-thin bodies from pursuing and embracing health and fitness. I can’t believe they don’t realize this.
I just have to shake my head that I used to think this site was the best resource for my food and fitness needs. I also used to think Shape was a good magazine, too. Sure, if you’re looking for more of the same – unrealistic bodies, diets, and expectations, and a complete disregard for bodies that aren’t skinny.
These days, I subscribe to a host of body positive blogs. They are so much better for my mental health. They offer a completely different take on food, fatshion, and fitness that is a breath of fresh air in this world of bodily perfection at all costs.
What questionable decisions have you made in your life? I’d love to hear about them. They don’t have to be about BFD issues, either. If you were completely obsessed with Donny Wood from New Kids on the Block, or you had an addiction to Sun-In, I want to hear about it. Share in the comments!
