This is cool

http://www.cockeyed.com/photos/bodies/heightweight.shtml

This is such a cool idea-unfortunately my spot was empty so I'm thinking of submitting :O)

Happy

I have been busy studying this morning and I keep looking up at the gorgeous peach coloured roses I bought yesterday. They must activate the pleasure centres in my brain or something because every time I look at them or breathe in their spicy rich scent I feel like I am in heaven. They are just divine! :O)

Perhaps I am just feeling extremely optimistic or something lately because I seem to be taking more pleasure out of everything in my life. This morning I enjoyed the luxury of a steaming hot shower and clean & fluffy winter socks & I am waiting for haydn to return with some fresh milk so I can dunk a piece of 70% cocoa lindt into my cup and make rich hot chocolatey goodness.

I think my renewed focus on the principles of IE is more likely than optimism to be behind my pleasant mood. I think i have said it before but to me IE is about so much more than food, it's about intuitive living & loving. Loving my life and loving myself in every way I can

and it feels good xoxo

A timely nudge from the universe...

You know those times when it feels like the universe, karma, god, (whoever pops your cork) is speaking directly to you, reaching out with a lil nudge (or sometimes a great big shove) in the right direction. This link http://kateharding.net/2007/11/18/changing-the-conversation/ found it's way to me today and I know it was for a reason.

I was sitting with my lil sis, chatting about all things POLYVORE and lamenting the state of our current respective closets. Do you guys ever look in your closet and wonder how half the things made their way in there? I commented that I had spent half of my life buying clothes that I like to call "temporary". Either ugly tent like numbers designed only to cover my abundant flesh with nor regard to aesthetics to tide me over until I hit the size zero holy grail , or clothes that were "temporary" in that they temporarily squished and squeezed my flesh until I (again) hit the previously mentioned size zero holy grail. Very few clothes were ever bought because they fit nicely now or felt beautiful against my skin.

My sister agreed (sort of) and then launched into some spiel about how she would be happy to buy a size 14 but hated buying new clothes in a size sixteen (god forbid!). I started to tell her (and not for the first time either my dears) that I refused to wait anymore to live my life and that means buying new clothes that I love too, right now even with my huge boobs and bum. If for some reason in the future my body shape changes so dramatically that my current clothes cease to fit then by George I will have to buy more, just like I have to do every year for my daughter.

You should have felt the tension in the air. I might has well have said that I might chop off both my arms and legs. I tentatively said that I didn't believe in dieting and that no one that I have known my whole life has dieted and kept the weight off for any statistically significant amount of time, but almost everyone I knew had dieted and often more than 3 times. She thought for a moment and said " oh i don't know my friend ebony is very health conscious and exercises regularly and...."

Ok WTF?

Ebony is teeny tiny, ebony's mother is teeny tiny as is her brothers. They are a petite family, always have been always will be. I said that I doubt Eb would ever get noticeably overweight as she she genetically slight build, my sister replied that oh no everybody can get fat. Well yes, they probably could but again, highly unlikely for this girl.

So
A) she is not fat, never has been
B) because she is health conscious and she exercises then she must automatically be dieting and weight conscious.

What a load & quite frankly what a silly argument. How can one look at naturally thin people and compare them to dieters? It doesn't make any damn sense.

What struck me the most was that it was almost as if I had said something really taboo when I suggested that dieting to reach a certain dress size was just a little bit stupid. Her reaction made me a little peeved and just a little bit sad. My sister is gorgeous and generally a size 12 up top/size 14-16 on the bottom=hardly a heifer. Certainly not when compared to me who can range from anything 14-16-18 on top to 14-16-18-20 on the bottom depending in the style, fit of the clothes. Funny thing about us too, being sisters=big boobs, small waist, big bum and thighs.

Perhaps she thinks that If I accept my natural tendency to be curvy then I have doomed her to a life of fatdom too?

Lazy Linky Lisa

http://peggynature.wordpress.com/2008/03/09/a-public-service-announcement-fromyour-body/

This video made me laugh......and it made my heart ache a little too! :O) enjoy!

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG

OMG OMG OMG OMG

And this post will be called OMFG

If you guys are even half as lazy as I am then you would probly be pretty sick of me leading you all over da internets with these links....but if you never read another one ever again, please read this one.....PLEASE!!
http://kateharding.net/2007/11/27/the-fantasy-of-being-thin/

Make a copy, add it to your faves, staple it to your damn face if you have to!!

Interesting

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1868359

All my life I have been hearing how dangerous/deadly being overweight or obese is. The message is loud and clear "all you fatties are going to die die die!!!!" The diet/weight loss industry is worth millions of dollars and just keeps on booming. Plus, let's be honest teeny-weeny bikinis do tend to look a little better on smaller shapes and sizes, or at least that's what we have been socialised to accept in our culture.

So I am a little disturbed today to find numerous research articles suggesting that weight loss is correlated with an increased mortality risk-rather than the other way around. Once again I am not a fan of scare tactics and I strongly recommend people do make their own decisions based on their own research but I have to admit it kinda scares me that this research (even if it is in the minority) even exists.

Even in my lifetime, scientists have discovered many things that we once all accepted as safe to be quite dangerous, if not deadly-smoking, asbestos, sun exposure etc etc. Could dieting, weight loss etc be proven in the future to be just as dangerous?

Currently, the overwhelming consensus is that obesity is detrimental to our health-leading to the conclusion that weight loss=increased health & longevity and I have to admit to me that makes intuitive sense. I can't help though but keep my ears open to the few voices shouting otherwise.....For now I suggest keeping our eyes and ears open, not just blindly accepting whatever is thrown at us. It seems silly to me that we would ignore some voices just because they are quieter.

Please read

http://www.apinchofhealth.com/resources/lowcarb/VLCD-Research.html
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/reprint/34/4/453
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/reprint/39/5/695.pdf

Ever find yourself feeling so desperate about your weight that those low carb protein shakes look like an easy option? I'm not one for scare tactics but I stumbled across these articles and as I waded my way through the complicated medical terms and the stats (ugh) what I found was some very scary research findings-albeit inconclusive. You should read for yourself.

Loves it

http://www.entitled.com.au/

I stumbled across this site recently and the clothes are divine. You wouldn't believe the amount of times I have thought recently that I should throw in the psychology towel and design an affordable range of beautiful clothes that fits women of all shapes and sizes-minus the million dollar pricetag! Which brings me to entitled-they are quite expensive though not any more than other designer fashion so you can't really blame them, a gal has to make a living!

P.S The pink vintage style dress is definately placed firmly on my wishlist!

Acceptance

Time and time again in conversation with people about IE I get frustrated when I hear them interpret the IE/Body acceptance philosophy to mean giving up on yourself, resigning to be overweight for the rest of one's life. I've always said that giving up dieting does not mean believing that excess weight is a healthier option than being slim (though based on the individual it may be), nor does it mean that you are going to be overweight for the rest of your life (though you may be), most importantly it DOES NOT mean that you are giving up on yourself in any way shape or form.

It is letting go of the idea that dieting is going to make you thinner, or healthier, or both.

That goes for any PC version of the word diet too-yes i'm looking at you 'it's not a diet it's a lifestyle'. If you are practicing any form of dietary restriction that you cannot logically perceive to be able to follow for the rest of your life (and I mean real life too,you know the kind with birthdays and weddings & christmas etc etc) then it's a diet and you should at least have the courage to come and out tell it like it is.

I for example cannot live the rest of my life without chocolate, cheese, cheesecake, etc etc etc. Ok maybe that's not true, maybe I could-but I won't. I know it , you know it- I love my food. So for me any adjustments to my caloric intake need to allow for my weekly, sometimes daily consumption of the above delights. That's what they are too, they are not 'guilty pleasures' or 'naughty foods' they are pretty much designed for pleasure and thus usually pretty nutritionally void. OK so I know sometimes we try and pass off that chunk of cheese as calcium but ........

We have moved out of the victorian era and pleasure is actually ok. Nutrition is still really important to me , I am always trying to find ways to add more fruits and veg , but pleasure is equally important. I will not go hungry and I will not eat food that tastes like crud. Would I still like a smaller bum? you betcha, but I am not prepared to turn into a cranky, hungry bitch to get one :O)

Acceptance & Exercise

Having timely stumbled across some FA (fat acceptance) & HAES (health at every size) literature recently I was struck by something that I had never really considered before. The message about the importance of mobility, activity, health & exercise is very strong in these circles. It is not enough just to sit back and throw back the pies singing I am fat and I am proud. It is not about exercising to burn calories or lose weight, it's about loving your body and looking after it-whatever your weight/size may be.

Our bodies were not designed to be sedentary, if they were we wouldn't have been given legs! Even Mr Potato head has legs people and he is clearly carrying some extra poundage! We need to move, dance, jump , swim whatever takes your fancy and we need to do it consistently.

I think the key here lies in separating weight/body/dieting issues from exercise. I think some people believe when they give up dieting , body-hatred etc then they get a free pass to sit on their bums for the rest of their lies. If I'm not dieting why should I exercise?

Because it's good for you dammit! It's good for your heart, it's good for your muscles, it's good for your bones, it's good for your mind, it's good for your soul :O)

That's why I love my Polar F11 (um apart from the fact that it's a groovy little gadget & I love gadgets and it's pink and I love pink and........) although I must admit when I got it I was thinking more about convincing my buttocks to shrink more than anything else. Whilst I could certainly do without it and get along fine I love the way I can watch my heart rate, watch my body in action. I love the way it gives me a little trophy at the end of the week when I have completed my scheduled exercise . I love watching my resting heart rate improve. I wear my heart rate monitor with pride! I may have a big round bottom and a big wobbly tummy but I still care about my health and longevity.

My HRM is a constant reminder to get off my bum, how can you be inspired to move more?

Gnocchi with roast pumpkin, bacon & rosemary

Ok so I forgot to take a picture so you will just have to use your imagination for this one- but let me tell you it was delicious!

I chopped the pumpkin into small cubes, chopped 1/2 spanish onion, a few lean bacon rashers (visible fat and rind removed) and a stick of fresh rosemary stripped of its leaves. I tossed the mix in just under a tablespoon of olive oil and seasoned with salt. My pumpkiny goodness stayed in the oven (checked regularly) till the pumkin was soft, the onion was almost caramelised and the bacon was quite dark and crispy, then I added approx 2 tablespoons of lite cream to the dish and scraped up all the golden bits stuck to the pan (being careful not to smush up the pumpkin ). I turned the oven off but left the pan sitting in the warm oven. I cooked the gnocchi and when it was cooked and drained I added it straight to the pumpkin dish and stirred gently till the gnocchi was evenly coated.

I added a generous amount of cracked black pepper and served it on a bowl of crunchy rocket and salad herbs dressed in just a sprinkle of balsamic vinagerette.

It was sooooooooooooooooo good but I am still tinkering with the recipe. I thought that I could skip the cream at the end and crumble in some firm ricotta instead. I also thought about halving the amount of cream and adding a little stock to the pan juices instead. Some aged parmesan might also be yummy to serve, ditto toasted pinenuts.

the pumpkin is your oyster! away with you, cook, be merry, enjoy!

I heart

http://www.thecupcakeparlour.com.au/

I heart

http://www.polyvore.com/

Falling short

I picked up this book from the library on Saturday. It sounded promising and it was a shiny new addition to the collection. I am always looking for new ED info, out of personal interest and for my career aspirations. I was pleased to see the following:

Binge Eating Disorder Thus far, the only EDNOS to have a distinct name is binge eating disorder (BED), which has attracted increasing research over the past decade. Named for its major characteristic, BED affects an estimated 0.7 to 4 percent of the population and is more common than either anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. Among those in weight-loss programs, the presence of binge eating disorder is often as high as 20 to 30 percent.

In my experience still to this day it is hard to find an eating disorder book that even briefly acknowledges the existence of BED. Unless you actually go searching for BED info specifically you can have a lot of trouble finding the information that you want/need. This scares me a little as I know that many people intuitively feel that they have a problem well before they are diagnosed and may go searching for info or help, perhaps in their local library where it is private and 'safe' with only the vague term 'eating disorder' to guide them. A sneaky browse into these general focus ED books will tell you more than you ever needed to know about Anorexia or Bulimia but often very little about BED, if it is even mentioned at all. I wonder how many people have been discouraged from seeking help because they can't find any information that speaks to them, that describes their own distinct problems.

Sadly "Unlocking the mysteries of eating disorders" left me disappointed too.

...Because we have extensive experience working with individuals suffering from anorexia and bulimia, we have focused our book on these two disorders without directly adressing binge eating disorder or other examples of EDNOS.

On the one hand I get it- there is much more research, data etc to work with when it comes to Anorexia & Bulimia, but where does that leave BED sufferers? Who is putting in the work for them? Too often to me it feels like BED is thrown in the too hard basket. It leaves me confused, angry and frustrated.

So for me, I found this book a little lacking from the outset, simply because it didn't contain the information I was looking for. I find the title a little misleading as it suggests a general ED focus when really the focus is on Anorexia & Bulimia. However If I get time I will read the rest of the book and report back.

Herzog, D. B., Franko, D. L., & Cable, P. (2008).Unlocking the mysteries of eating disorders: A life-saving guide to your child's treatment and recovery. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Loves it!!

I really love this set @ Flicker, this woman has great style and knows how to show off her beautiful body-and yes I said show it off!! I don't mean conceal, disguise, cover etc. I mean wearing the body she has with pride, huzzah!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/coma_high/sets/72157603677145082/

Peace Man!

What have you done for you lately? mmm mmm mmmm yeah!
Why not let today be the day that you lay down your guns and make peace with your body? Have a cupcake, be happy! xoxo

Diet Noise

Is it just me or does there seem to be a fresh wave of diet 'noise' that has emerged lately? I have been really missing my intuitive eating daily bread since a few of my favourite IE bloggers abandoned ship and realised that I should add my voice to the chorus of the anti-diet cruisade again and perhaps motivate others to come aboard too. Ladies...let's roll! xox