This week the Saskatoon Star Phoenix introduced it’s 10th annual winner of the “Beautiful You” contest. The winner of this yearly contest is treated to a nine-month ‘lifestyle makeover’ and we, the audience get to watch their progress through regular features in the paper. Promised new hair, new clothes and especially, a new body, winning this contest would be a dream come true for many women.
So what is the problem here? People pumping up their nutrition and exercise habits in order to improve health is a great idea, right? And hey, I like to have fun with clothes and a snappy new hairstyle too. Much of the what is being offered to this year’s winner, Barbara, is fantastic. Except for…you guessed it…the focus on weight loss.
There is no denying the promise of a new, thinner figure is the big draw here. The rest of it is just icing on the low-fat, no sugar cake. Although I’m sure the expressed desires to be healthier, and more fashionable are genuine. Barbara’s excitement to be “able to say that I’ve lost weight…” is undeniable Better yet, she will get to do a ‘big reveal’ to her family back in Ireland when she goes back to visit next summer, as the article assure us: “She’s looking forward to stepping off the plane and shocking her parents and sisters with her svelte new appearance!”
So, she wants to lose weight…big deal, right? Truly I cannot blame Barbara for wanting to change her appearance, the pressure that we all feel to conform to the thin ideal is intense. And she is entitled to do what she wants with her body without recrimination. I just want her to have all the information before she makes choices for her body. For instance, does she know that 95% of weight lost through dieting is regained, usually with added pounds? For many people this is only the beginning of a cycle of dieting and regain, as we become convinced if this time we find the right diet, or find enough ‘will power’ we will keep the weight off. We now know that the constant weight fluctuations that result from yo-yo dieting are more damaging to the body than a few extra pounds. By offering Barbara a new body via a weight loss centre like the one provided through this program, the Star Phoenix, in my opinion doing her a great disservice, and in fact, could be setting up for harming, not improving her health.
Now, I’m not as big a party pooper as you might think. I don’t want to rob Barbara of a chance to get healthier and feel jazzier. I just would like to see things tweaked a little. Imagine….a Body-Positive Beautiful You! What might that look like?…..
**cue dream sequence**
Barbara Ready, this year’s Body-Positive Beautiful You contest winner will spend the next nine months giving her health habits a boost! She will be provided a body-positive fitness trainer who will work with her to develop an exercise program that she enjoys and can stick with. She will also be provided a Health at Every Size dietician who will work with her to make sure she is getting the best nutrition she can. And, if Barbara has issue with overeating, our dietician will work with her to relearn how to eat in response to her body’s hunger cues. Barbara will once again feel confident in her ability to make food choices that will support her energy and health. She will listen to her body and enjoy delicious food she loves without guilt!
Most importantly, her fitness trainer and her dietician and possibly a counsellor will work with Barbara on relearning how to love her body unconditionally. She will begin to appreciate body diversity and celebrate that we all come in many shapes and sizes. Why is this important? Because, to maintain these wonderful health habits she is learning over the next nine months once the program is over, Barbara needs motivation. Positive self-regard has always been a better motivator than self-hate.
Will Barbara lose weight? She might. For many people who have been inactive or not eating a nutritious diet, beginning a program like this may very well result in weight loss. Or it may not. The important thing is, eating well and exercising will be a boost to Barbara’s health, energy and self esteem, no matter if weight is lost or not!
After 9 months of healthy eating, active living and learning to love herself at any size, Barbara is feeling fantastic. She feels confident she will be able to maintain her exercise and nutrition habits. We celebrate her transformation with new clothes and a rockin’ hairstyle. When she arrives to see her family in Ireland, they see the Barbara they know and love, vibrant and glowing with unconditional self regard.
…..wouldn’t that be nice? Maybe some day.