aww... I have kitties, lol, I have 3 kitties and their daddy's have "custody" of all but one, my ex has the littermate to the one I have at home, and my bf has our baby boy, Salem... pure black and born of Friday the 13th (last July) We hand raised him from about 3 wks... poor little guy was starving and dehydrated, but he's great now!

Hey All,
I found this article on-line which links Body Acceptance with increased healthy eathing.

Rae

Body acceptance tied to healthy eating
Body acceptance tied to healthy eating - Medicine Online
By Megan Rauscher

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who accept their bodies, flaws and all, are more likely to eat healthily or intuitively, new research shows. This suggests that women's typical reasons for dieting -- dissatisfaction with their bodies -- may backfire.

"There is a lot of negative body talk among women; women think that they can best lose weight and feel better if they are first dissatisfied with their bodies," Dr. Tracy Tylka told Reuters Health. "Rather, this research shows that adopting a positive body image is more likely to be associated with intuitive eating."

Intuitive eaters don't diet -- they recognize and respond to internal hunger and fullness cues to regulate what and how much they eat, Tylka explained. Intuitive eating has three components: "unconditional permission to eat when hungry and whatever food is desired; eating for physical rather than emotional reasons; and reliance on internal hunger/fullness cues."

Tylka, an assistant professor of psychology at Ohio State University's Marion campus has conducted several studies on the concept of intuitive eating. In one study published in April involving 199 college-aged women, Tylka found that women who followed intuitive eating principles had a slightly lower body weight than women who did not.

"Intuitive eating was negatively associated with body mass, such that people who ate intuitively weighed less than people who dieted," she said.

In her latest studies presented this month at the American Psychological Association meeting, Tylka and her colleagues examined who was most likely to follow intuitive eating principles.

They found, among nearly 600 college women, that those with higher levels of appreciation and acceptance for their body were more likely to be intuitive eaters.

Intuitive eaters spend less time thinking about how their body appears to others and more time considering how their body feels and functions, Tylka observed. They "perceive the body as an agent of action rather than an object of attraction...focusing on how the body functions rather than its appearance," Tylka told Reuters Health.

Intuitive eating, Tylka's found, is "positively associated with psychological well-being, such as self-esteem, positive emotions, adaptive coping, self-acceptance, optimism, and resilience in the face of stress."

Intuitive eaters also reported receiving more positive messages from parents and others regarding their bodies.

Well, I want to say how much I enjoy hopping on the forum and finding others who are interested in pursuing taking care of themselves in creative ways. Thank you for what you have been sharing.

Juliette, I am happy to hear about the cat you are going to invite into your life. My little ones bring me so much joy...as do their momma and g-momma. It certainly helps me feel loved and loving each day.

I am also enjoying the names that have been put forth. I have a few to add to the list.

BODY WISE CIRCLE
or
BODY ELECTRIC (see Fame video for a flashback to the song ) YouTube - I Sing The Body Electric (From The Original Motion Picture)

Just some ideas.

Off to bed!
Rae

Hey all

Rae thanks for sharing the article! I'm still trying to learn that if we can't accept and love ourseles, how can we expect others to accept and love us for exactly who we are.

Danielle I hope your recovering well and taking good care of yourself.

I started riding again as a way of giving back to myself - there's something about being around animals that is so different to being around people.
Does anyone have any ideas of how I can get out of a period of self-sabotage? Although i'm exercising, which will obviously have an impacty on the scale the junk food is currently back in my eating in style - its almost a safety net. I want to break through this, but the original ways of dealing with this are no longer working (eg complete abstinence, being strict on myself etc).

Finally I love the name Body Electric (also love Fame!). I think it somes up all we're trying to achieve both inwardly and outwardly. Great suggestion Rae!

Hope you're all having a good weekend

Count me in too Rae. I would love to be part of the group.

Hugs,
Sandi

I am so excited about our dialogue. Do I say that everytime I post?! hehehe Well, I am.

Tina, I bet you miss your kitties. Mine are starting to roam...and that scares the fire out of me. But I am practicing letting go...and letting the grow up. Not easy.

Danielle, let us know how you are feeling. I sometimes think stuff like that happens when our life says...pardon me missie! You need a break. I hope you can enjoy some part of it.

Sandi, WELCOME! I am excited to have you as part of our troupe (I am an actress...so that's what we call it when we have a group...today I am acting out loving myself...and for the most part, I think I am LIVING the part!)

Jordan....ideas about reversing self-sabatoge....hmmmm. Here are some ideas...take what you like and leave the rest.

I like to create one place in my home that reminds me to love myself...or befriend myself. I have a piece of granite in my kitchen with some of my favorite things, a candle and messages of hope. When I see them there...beside the place where I prepare my food, some part of my mind is reminded....re-minded...to think in this new way.



Also, sometimes when I am stuck in a behavior that is hurtful, I pretend that the behavior is personified....I make it into a "Teacher" and I try to ask it what it is there to teach me. What wisdom can I learn from it? When I have learned the lesson, I no longer need the teacher.





Hope that isn't too weird. I am an artist, so I think in strange but hopefully interesting ways.

Rae

Great idea Rae! Have you read the book, Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch? I am giving it a good read and I finally have my own copy so I can write in the margins and underline the important thoughts for me.

I think this is a great way to approach change and love for ourselves. I know how I want to be, gentle with myself, but I still struggle sometimes. How can we be a gentle and loving group? Hehe...... You have me thinking. I want to go into the New Year REALLY loving me. It has been a passion until the book and your group, but just curious about HOW. Thanks for the heads up with the group. I do believe i am in. I feel like I am worth it today. I really want to hold on to this worth while kind of thinking. Thank you so much.

Originally Posted by 11046

Having mindfulness about our food in its nutritional value, the conditions of its life, and of how it comes to my plate is part of the journey I want towards a healthy relationship with my food and body as well, Juliette. Thank you for framing that thought so nicely .

This is also important to me too. Thank you ladies. I see I have some reading here to do.

[quote=11887;119599]I have taken myself off of Buddy Slim in the past because of the obsession it creates in my mind over losing weight, counting calories, "militantly exercising", and all the other obsessions that come with the read-out of that little digital monster that can make or break my day. I have been gone from BuddySlim since Spring because the obsession was leading me toward dangerous habits. ]



This is me too. I mean I have never left BS for long, but I really have not liked that restrictive thinking and obsession with the scale. I know when my body is feeling good and my mind is inline and no scale reading has ever brought me true happiness. In fact when my partner sees me getting on I think he fears. Well what kind of a mood will she be in? Well sometimes it has been this bad. Not so much like this lately.

Thank you Rae for sharing your artistic and self loving mind.

I must remember to uncheck the weight ticker..... who needs that number...hehe