#47 - Deconstructing Diet Culture Language: Reframing Our Top 5 Diet Culture Phrases

This week, we're deconstructing our top 5 common phrases that perpetuate diet culture. In this installment, we're covering: "I'm out of shape"; "I feel fat"; "I have joint pain because of weight gain"; "This food is better for me"; and "Love your body for what it can do." We're breaking down the ways these phrases can cause harm & what we might want to consider saying instead!

And, don't forget that Naomi still has 3 spots open for  1:1 Intuitive Eating & Anti-Diet coaching! You can get all the details & submit your application at happyshapes.co/coaching!

You can stay up to date on all things Satisfaction Factor by following us on Instagram @satisfactionfactorpod!

Here's where to find us:
Sadie Simpson: www.sadiesimpson.com or IG @sadiemsimpson
Naomi Katz: www.happyshapes.co or IG @happyshapesnaomi

Full episode transcript available at satisfactionfactorpod.com.

Referenced in this episode:
Food Psych Podcast Episode #225 with Ashley Seruya
Ragen Chastain's Weight and Healthcare Newsletter - Resources to Get Joint Pain Treatment and Fight Treatment Denials (Fat People and Joint Pain Part 3)

Want to connect with us to deepen the conversation? Join us in our online community, The Satisfaction Space!

Want to show the world that you love the pod? Get t-shirts, sweatshirts, mugs, stickers, totebags & more at Teepublic!

You can stay up to date on all things Satisfaction Factor by following us on IG @satisfactionfactorpod!

Here's where to find us:
Sadie Simpson: www.sadiesimpson.com or IG @sadiemsimpson
Naomi Katz: www.happyshapes.co or IG @happyshapesnaomi

Transcript

Naomi Katz: 0:03

Welcome to Satisfaction Factor, the podcast where we explore how ditching diet culture makes our whole lives more satisfying. Welcome back to Satisfaction Factor. I'm Naomi Katz, an Intuitive Eating, body image, and self trust coach.

Sadie Simpson: 0:26

I'm Sadie Simpson, a group fitness instructor, personal trainer, and Intuitive Eating counselor. One of the hardest things about disengaging from diet culture is disengaging from diet culture. Not to be super redundant- but diet culture is this world that we live in, and the narratives of diet culture are just so normalized in everything that we do, and everywhere that we go. It can be really challenging to recognize that these norms cause harm on a personal level, on a societal level, and on various systemic levels, too. So on today's episode, we are going to be talking about five common phrases that perpetuate diet culture- phrases that are so common and so universally accepted that we might not even realize the impact that they cause. And we'll not only talk about these phrases, but also kind of toss around some ideas on how we can reframe these phrases as well. Something to keep in mind as we go through this episode, if you've ever said any of these things that we're going to talk about- whether it was way in the past or even earlier today- it's fine, it's okay. And I like to think of this episode and what we're going to discuss in this episode of learning about the deeper meaning and the harm behind some of these phrases- it's one of those situations of when you know better, you do better. And today's episode is going to be an opportunity for all of us to know and to do better.

Naomi Katz: 2:05

Yeah, absolutely. Like the intention of this is never to like shame people using these phrases. Both of us have for sure used these phrases before. You know, the other reason we're proposing these shifts in language is because- you know, we've talked about this on the pod before- but language can have a big impact on how we feel about things too. So shifting our language around this stuff can help us to internalize mindset shifts that we might be making also. So this is sort of like a two in one, where it's like, the point isn't to, you know, shame anybody for using these phrases, the point in making these shifts is to reinforce any changes that you're kind of already making.

Sadie Simpson: 2:54

So for today, we're just going to cover five phrases and reframes, but we will definitely do more of this type of episode in the future. So if you have any suggestions of common diet culture words, or phrases, or tropes, or things that you've heard, or things that you've said, and you're kind of beginning to question now- if you have any suggestions of words or phrases that you would like for us to cover on a future episode, send us a message on Instagram. We are@satisfactionfactorpod. So to give y'all a little sneak peek of what to expect throughout the rest of this episode, I'm going to go through the five phrases that we're going to talk about later on. So it's like a little teaser, spoiler alert, so you can get excited about your favorite diet culture word or phrase that you want to break down today.

Naomi Katz: 3:45

I love that.

Sadie Simpson: 3:46

Yes. So number one is, I'm out of shape. Number two, I feel fat. Number three, my knees, or ankles, or hips, or whatever hurt because I've gained weight. Number four, this food is better for me. And number five, love your body for what it can do, dot dot dot.

Naomi Katz: 4:10

These are like the greatest hits of diet culture phrases. I love this so much. Okay, so the first one we have is out of shape. And we actually kind of hinted at this in the last episode, I think, about how out of shape is actually a fatphobic phrase. And I think we use it a lot, when what we really mean to say is that were out of breath, or that we're out of practice, or that we're out of energy. And none of those things have a shape. So this is kind of a realization that I had a couple of years ago, just kind of out of the blue. Like I was probably saying to myself, like, oh, I'm really out of shape. And I was like, huh, what does that really mean? And I think that when we use the phrase out of shape, what we're really saying is that we're like out of the, quote unquote, ideal body shape. While the phrase is used to talk about fitness, or conditioning, or endurance, or something like that, it actually has nothing to do with any of those things. It mostly has everything to do with weight stigma. Because fitness doesn't have a shape, health doesn't have a shape, endurance doesn't have a shape, like all of that stuff.

Sadie Simpson: 5:26

So quick question. Whenever you had this realization about, hmm, what does out of shape really even mean- is that how the title Happy Shapes Coaching came to be?

Naomi Katz: 5:38

I came up with that name- oh my god- like at this point, probably seven, six years ago.

Sadie Simpson: 5:45

Okay. Because it's very relative. So that just had me curious.

Naomi Katz: 5:49

Yeah, it totally is. I didn't even make that connection. But it totally is. And like Happy Shapes was really- it did definitely have the same root, though, of like the idea that- like the hashtag I use is#allshapescanbehappyshapes. Like that- the point is that, like, happiness doesn't have a shape and things like that.

Sadie Simpson: 6:07

Ooh, I like that.

Naomi Katz: 6:08

Kind of coming back to that out of shape thing- like, I think the thing to recognize is the impact that making this correlation between shape and conditioning, or fitness, or endurance really has. I know, like, I personally used to be so embarrassed anytime I got out of breath. Like, even if it happened during really vigorous exercise, like hiking, or a spin class, or like, you know, things like that. And it made me so self conscious in places where, like, I could have been enjoying myself. I just- I was so afraid that people would think I was out of shape. And I think, on some level, even then, I knew that like being out of shape meant fat. You know, obviously, like the big dial mover in my reframe of that stuff, and my getting comfortable with things like getting out of breath during movement, and stuff like that was unpacking my own anti fat bias and learning that my body at any size had a right to breath, enjoyment, and stuff like that. But the language definitely matters. Like there's layers to this stuff. And like we were saying earlier, when we're making these mindset shifts, the language shifts can help to internalize that. Fatphobic language is sneaky, and it has repercussions like that- of like really disconnecting people from their bodies, and, you know, of being an obstacle to activities that- that people might want to enjoy, and just making certain things feel inaccessible to people in larger bodies. Whereas, what if we actually just said what we meant? Instead of being like, oh, God, I'm so out of shape when we're, you know, feeling movement, what if we said, I'm out of breath, I'm deconditioned, I'm out of practice? That's definitely something that I've been actively shifting in my own language over the past couple of years.

Sadie Simpson: 8:14

I love that you mentioned that because that's something I've really been trying to intentionally make a point to suggest to folks in a fitness or personal training setting. Because, as you can probably assume, the, quote unquote, I'm out of shape phrase comes up pretty much every day. And so I've been trying to really talk to folks about being specific, and describing what they mean. And just saying, oh, I'm out of breath. Oh, I'm not able to do as many reps right now. Oh, I'm working towards increasing endurance, so at this point in my training, I may not be at the level that I once was or that I want to be at yet. So really teaching folks and talking to folks about how to utilize that language in their own movement practice has been really eye opening for them. But it's also been really helpful for me, too, just to kind of reiterate this phrasing and this reframe in an actual practical in person setting too.

Naomi Katz: 9:16

Yeah, I can totally see that being beneficial both for the people that you work with in terms of how they relate to the movement, but also for you as a trainer. Like getting more accurate feedback from people gives you the ability to adjust what you're doing, or, you know, focus on different things, and stuff like that. Whereas, just I'm out of shape doesn't really give you any actionable information.

Sadie Simpson: 9:41

Yeah. Well, and then, so often in mainstream fitness settings, somebody comes in- like a new client or a new member comes to a gym- and they say to the trainer- to the instructor- I'm out of shape. They expect to get the response of oh, you're here now, we'll whip you back into shape- some kind of cliche response like that. And when folks hear an alternative response to when they say they're out of shape, it kind of catches people off guard- in a good way, I think, because it's almost relieving sometimes for folks to hear that there's another way to think about this, and another way to talk about this.

Naomi Katz: 10:16

Yeah, totally. Well, and like we talked about in that last episode, where we like briefly touched on this, body shape isn't something that we really have control over. But we can work towards conditioning, endurance, strength, all of that stuff. And so it really puts us in a place where we have more autonomy over what's going on too. Side note- when I posted this on Instagram, originally, someone sent me the dictionary definition of shape to point out that shape can also mean condition. And they- I don't know- like, sent me some comment that said, like, you know, if- if your laptop wasn't working, and you said it was in bad shape, you'd know that you didn't mean the physical shape of the laptop. Two things- one, don't do that. Don't- Don't be that person. I think you- I think everybody knew what I was saying in this post. And two, that's true. Like, all of that is true. And also, we can't ignore the cultural context of phrases like this. The dictionary definition is going to be different than our cultural understanding of this phrase. The way we apply it to inanimate objects is going to be different than the way we apply it to humans, who exist in an anti fat cultural context. You know, when we say a puppy is fat, or something like that, we don't consider it a bad thing. We're like, oh, it's so cute and fat. But there's definitely a negative connotation when we say that about a person. Well, like, not us- we use the word fat as a neutral descriptor. But in the mainstream, and in diet culture, it has a negative connotation. The same thing applies here. Like yes, if I say my laptop is in bad shape, I definitely don't mean that it's not a square, or a rectangle, or whatever, like duh. But these are very different conversations. And so I just want to like address that argument before we get comments on it again in the- in our Instagram posts.

Sadie Simpson: 12:26

Yes.

Naomi Katz: 12:27

Okay, number two on our greatest hits list- and I actually feel like, if we were doing a countdown, this would probably be number one- I feel fat. Mm-hmm. We've all said it. We've all heard it. It

Sadie Simpson: 12:37

Mm-hmm. is an extraordinarily common phrase. Fat is not a feeling, though. You can't feel a fat any more than you can feel a brunette, or you can feel short. The difference, though, is that we live in a society- so again, cultural context- where we've been trained to think that fat is synonymous with bad. So like, we wrap up all our bad feelings into this concept of I feel fat. And then we also have a tendency to think that those bad feelings are going to feel better if we lose weight. And this is problematic on, like, just layers upon layers of levels, and we'll talk about a few of them specifically. First of all, when we do this- when we say I feel fat, and we mean that we feel bad- we're like perpetuating this conflation of fatness and badness as the same thing. And that has very significant consequences for people in larger bodies. Like, if fat is synonymous with bad, then fat people must be bad, right? And if fat people are bad, then maybe they deserve the discrimination and the stigma that they experienced. You know, obviously, again, you know, going back to none of this is meant to shame anybody for having used these phrases in the past. So I'm definitely not implying that like this is the intent when people say they feel fat. But it's really important for us to be aware of the impact that our words have, regardless of what our intent is. Yeah. And I think that is the overall theme of this episode- and really, this podcast in general- is to bring awareness to some of these things, so that folks can really consider the implications of their words and their actions, and adjust those things to align better with their values.

Naomi Katz: 14:28

Yeah, absolutely. You know, the other thing- when we cover up all our feelings under this blanket of like fatness, we rob ourselves of the opportunity to actually get what we really need. Naming our actual feelings- not just fatness, but like the actual thing that we're feeling- allows us to address those needs. Losing weight isn't going to fix sadness, or loneliness, or anxiety. It's not going to bring us love, or support, or comfort, or affection. It's not going to make us feel more secure or connected to our bodies. And so, assuming that weight loss is the solution because we, quote unquote, feel fat, instead of naming our actual feelings- all that does is distract us from what we really need, and, like, disconnect and alienate us even more from our bodies, and from our feelings, and stuff like that. And lastly- but like very related- when we're talking about physical discomfort, but we just sort of label it as fatness, then we stigmatize the ways that we could be making our larger bodies feel more comfortable. If we say I feel fat, instead of my clothes are tight, it like frames this as a personal failing, and that the solution is weight loss, not sizing up our clothes. You know, there's a ton of different ways that we can experience discomfort in larger bodies- like physical discomfort- like not just having our clothes be too tight. There's also, you know, thigh chafing and stuff, we've which we've talked about before. And there's a lot to talk about around destigmatizing the physical comfort of larger bodies. I would very much recommend checking out the conversation between Ashley Seruya and Christy Harrison on the Food Psych Podcast- I think it's Episode 225- where they really dig into this- and we'll link to that in the show notes. But it like blew my mind open when I really heard that. Because, like, Ashley talks about, if you're cold, you don't feel like a bad person because you have to put on a winter coat. But like, if you're fat, and you need to go up a size in your clothes in order for them to be comfortable, or you need to use some kind of balm for thigh chafing, or something like that, we treat that like it changes your worth as a person, and that like you should try and- you should do everything you can possibly do to avoid having to take these measures for your own comfort. But it's like the only thing that we stigmatize like that. Otherwise, we're like, yeah, do the thing that you need to do to make yourself comfortable.

Sadie Simpson: 17:12

Oh, my gosh, I have not listened to that episode. But I'm going to put it in my podcast queue right now.

Naomi Katz: 17:18

Highly, highly recommend. Yeah. But so, you know, this is another example of when we say what we actually mean, and what we actually feel, we can address those things. So it's very similar to the thing about being out of shape. You're not gonna change your body shape, but maybe you can condition, or build up your endurance, or build up your strength, or whatever. Well here, like, again, weight loss isn't going to actually solve any of the things that you're saying you're feeling when you say you feel bad. But if we say something more specific, then we can address it. So maybe what we're feeling is, I see that I've gained weight, and I feel insecure or disconnected from my body. That's totally understandable why you would feel that way in our culture. And now we can work on unpacking weight stigma and internalized fat phobia, and on finding ways to reconnect with your body now, in its current state. Maybe what we're feeling is sad, or lonely, or stressed. Well, then we can try addressing the root of those feelings and making some shifts, or seeking support, or, you know, things like that. Maybe what we mean is, I need love, or comfort, or affection, or support- and like, okay, that's very related to, I feel sad, or lonely, or stressed. But it's identifying the need instead of the feeling, and allows us to try and meet that need, or to identify whatever obstacles there might be to meeting those needs. And it just like all around allows us to interact with the feeling and the needs so much better than just I feel fat. Plus, we're not like causing harm to people in larger bodies.

Sadie Simpson: 19:00

Okay, so the next one is, my knees, my hips, my back- or fill in the blank with other body part- hurts because of the extra weight. And I think this one is a real interesting one, and another one that I hear a lot in an exercise and a fitness setting. And before diving into the reframe here, I think it's important to state that we are not trying to downplay someone's lived experience as someone who may have experienced physical pain, or may have been told by a medical professional that because of the size of their body, this is why they are experiencing pain. There's a lot of layers here. And it's also possible that pain could be caused by lots of other factors that don't necessarily have anything to do with our body size. So things like chronic or acute injuries, genetics, how our body- we are all built differently, causing differences in our bone structure, or in our bone shape, and our size- overuse things like arthritis, or osteoporosis, and a million other conditions and issues that we could list right now. But you kind of get the gist of what I'm talking about. But I think, on this one, especially as our bodies change, as the size and the shape of our bodies change, as they shift due to aging, our movement patterns might need to shift. And this is not just movement and exercise, but movement in our daily life, like walking around the house, or reaching for things on a shelf. But as our bodies change, we may not be able to move in the same way we could a year ago, or five years ago, or 10 years ago. And we may need to adjust our movement patterns based on the ways our bodies are changing, to reduce pain, and that sort of thing. For example, in an exercise setting, we might need to think about adjusting our squat stance to accommodate for thigh abundance that may not have previously been there in the past, to make the movement more accessible, or more comfortable on our joints- because this is a very specific one that I've heard really recently in personal training and group fitness situations, when people are coming back to movement, coming back to the gym, coming back to exercise, and maybe they have gained weight over the last couple of years. Or we might need to consider variations of movements that have less impact on our joints, or in areas of our bodies that hurt. So again, just because maybe in the past we were able to do things like running, or jumping, or squatting really deep, or, again, any other type of movement pattern, whether it's in a official exercise setting or just in our daily lives, when we were younger, or when we possibly had a different body size and a different body shape, that doesn't mean that we're always going to be able to do the same movements in the same way that we've always been able to do them. And that's okay- like that's a normal part of life is having these shifts in how our bodies move in the world.

Naomi Katz: 22:12

Taxes and your body is going to change.

Sadie Simpson: 22:14

Yes, exactly, exactly. And contrary to common mainstream medical advice that we hear and see everywhere we go, treatment for pain doesn't need to automatically equal weight loss, because that is the automatic go to that pretty much every doctor ever tells folks when they're having knee problems, or hip problems, and things like that, which is crap. If we're feeling pain in our joints, and our bones, and even in our muscles, treatment could be things like physical therapy, or adding in some intentional mobility and flexibility exercises, and even things like surgery and more invasive medical procedures. They're options. They are fine options. They are legitimate options for managing and treating pain. Because I think often there's a lot of stigma around like, oh, I need to lose weight so I can avoid getting knee replacement surgery. But regardless of our size, knee replacement surgery is probably going to be something that is inevitable for somebody who is potentially a candidate for knee replacement surgery.

Naomi Katz: 23:27

Yeah. Side note- unfortunately, a lot of those surgeries have BMI pre qualification requirements. And so that really sucks, but there are also resources for navigating that. I think Ragen Chastain has some specific resources for navigating those kinds of surgeries, and like getting qualified without the BMI situation. I don't know exactly what it is, but I will look for that and put that in the show notes for anybody who might need it.

Sadie Simpson: 23:59

Yeah, that would be great. I think the big thing here is to recognize that it's not guaranteed that losing weight is going to just automatically eliminate joint pain. We know already that intentional weight loss is not sustainable for most people long term, so using weight loss as an answer for fixing joint pain is also not really a long term solution.

Naomi Katz: 24:23

Yeah, like that's the thing that I always come back to with this stuff, is that like, okay, the fact is that your joint pain may not be caused by the weight gain at all. And, even if it were- like even if we were gonna say like, okay, well that's probably the cause of it- losing weight is still not the answer, because there is no like safe, evidence based, long term way to intentionally lose weight. All you can guarantee you're going to do is weight cycle, and that has its own health implications. So like it doesn't matter. But also it totally matters in terms of our mindset around this stuff, obviously.

Sadie Simpson: 25:05

Yes, for sure.

Naomi Katz: 25:06

This is something that I noticed a lot- I had a lot of these conversations with people during COVID, where, like, they would talk to me about how they had gained weight, and now they had back pain, or knee pain, or hip pain, or whatever. Then we'd talk about it, and they'd share all the ways that their lifestyles had changed over the course of COVID beyond weight gain- like less movement, more sitting, all of that stuff- and how all of that stuff was probably way more likely to cause their physical discomfort than just the additional however many pounds they gained during COVID. Once you realize that, then, again, that's stuff that you can sustainably shift if you want to, and if it's available to you. Losing weight is just not going to solve anything. Whereas, if you can add in more movement, if you can see a physical therapist, if you can do these other things that you were doing before- like, it's just so helpful to look at how these things are much more multifactorial than the culture wants us to believe that they are.

Sadie Simpson: 26:07

Than just the simple solution of just lose weight, and everything will be great.

Naomi Katz: 26:12

Totally. Okay, number four, this food is, quote unquote, better for me. This one I also- I hear from clients a lot that they think they should be making certain food choices because one of the options is better for them than the other. When we ask questions, and we kind of dig in a little bit, what we realize is that when they say better, what they really mean is, this food fits the rules that I've learned about calories and macros and stuff like that. Or it matches my identity that I hold around fitness and diet. Maybe they mean that it's more socially acceptable to eat this food, or that it will help them to perform health better. And what I mean by that is- it's very similar to that like concept of identity around fitness and diet- that it looks like the healthy option, that their doctor would approve of it because it's the, you know, heart healthy option, and they're in a larger body, and therefore feel like they need to meet the societal expectation of like pursuing health, basically, regardless of whether or not it actually is realistically healthier. Or, bottom line, they might just mean this food is more likely to help me avoid fatness.

Sadie Simpson: 27:38

This reminds me of those eat this not that things of, like, 15 years ago. Do you remember those books, and those quizzes, and things?

Naomi Katz: 27:48

Totally. Yes, 100%. And that's exactly what it is. This is just like the real life equivalent. Like it's not even the real life equivalent. This is the repercussion of those quizzes.

Sadie Simpson: 28:02

Yeah.

Naomi Katz: 28:02

Like the people that I am having these conversations with are the people who took those quizzes.

Sadie Simpson: 28:07

Oh yeah.

Naomi Katz: 28:08

And now those quizzes live in their heads. And every time they make a choice, they're like, oh, this is the better one, this is the eat this choice.

Sadie Simpson: 28:15

Yep. Definitely took those quizzes. We talk about quizzes on this podcast a lot. That it's not one that we recommend.

Naomi Katz: 28:23

Definitely not that quiz, for sure. So, you know, ultimately, people's interpretation of what food is, quote unquote, better for them very often has nothing to do with what they actually like, or even how the food actually makes them feel. A lot of times, it's really more about how external factors have made them feel about that food. And that's, you know, that's diet culture. That's just diet culture in action. That's those eat this not that quizzes in action. It totally is about prioritizing the outside over the inside, and disconnecting us from our wants, and stuff like that. Diet culture functions in a lot of ways by like placing really narrow definitions on super vague words, so that we're like always guessing about what it actually means. And I feel like this is a great example of that, because what the hell does better actually mean? And since there isn't a specific definition of it, like maybe we can define it for ourselves. Maybe when we say that something is better, we could be talking about that it tastes better, that it makes us feel better in some way, that it provides a better source of comfort, that it connects us to our culture and society better. Maybe it's a better price point for what's accessible to us. Maybe it's a better convenience option. Maybe it provides us with better satisfaction, right? Like there's all these versions of better that diet culture doesn't really consider. And so when we're thinking about like making food choices, and what's better for us, we get to define what's better for us, not some external source that has defined it in this really diet culture-y, narrow, but also vague way.

Sadie Simpson: 30:22

Yeah, well, I think that's the big take home point for all of these is that we can consider, like, who says? Who says this is better? Is it some random social media influencer on the internet? Is it a doctor? Is it the author of Eat This Not That? Like who says, anyway? And if you are drawn to kind of rebelling against the norm or the mainstream, that's a good way to kind of look at this, I feel like- you're like, you don't tell me what to do. And it's a good way to just- yeah- just to kind of reframe all this.

Naomi Katz: 30:58

Yeah, absolutely. And it's funny, I love that you pointed that out, because the thing that I hear from people- the way I hear this expressed is, I should eat this thing because it's better for me. And as soon as you hear that word should, that says who should be like the next question.

Sadie Simpson: 31:15

Yes. Exactly.

Naomi Katz: 31:16

Last one for today. Like we said, if there's other phrases, or words, or whatever that you would like us to deconstruct on a future episode, please send them to us on Instagram@satisfactionfactorpod. But for today, the last one we're gonna do is kind of like a complex one. We're gonna talk about the phrase, love your body for what it can do. Bottom line, this might not be as helpful or freeing as we think it is. When I hear this phrase, I kind of feel like- you know, for a while there, strong is the new skinny was a phrase that you heard all the time?

Sadie Simpson: 31:49

Yes.

Naomi Katz: 31:50

But like, it's really just replacing one societal standard with another.

Sadie Simpson: 31:55

Side note- can we do strong is the new skinny on the next reframe episode?

Naomi Katz: 31:59

Um, 100% we can. I would love that, yes. So finding Yeah, yeah. Well, and I think this goes to show, too, how appreciation and respect for our bodies outside of the context of appearance is super important. And this phrase can be a really, really great entry point to that. But if we're basing that appreciation on the ability- on what our bodies can do- then mainstream body positivity, and phrases like this that are very that appreciation is still conditional. Because- like we've said, death, taxes, your body is going to change- what your body can do is going to change for a million reasons over the course of your lifetime, just the same as how your body is going to look. And neither of those things can change who we are, or whether our bodies deserve respect. And so, you know, it's common in able bodied, thin bodied, white bodied, Instagram hard, because when you ask people, you know, what do you appreciate- what are you grateful for about your body, or what do you appreciate about your body other than how it looks, there's a lot of answers that are like, you know, how much weight I can lift, how fast I can run, how many bags of groceries I can get a time, or even things like how I can get down on the ground to play with my kids. But like, none of those things are guaranteed forever. Like the- that stuff is going to body positive accounts- they're leaving a ton of people out that change sometimes, and your body would still deserve respect if it did. You know, the other thing is when we root our respect for our bodies in ability, that really upholds a lot of like ableist narratives, and this idea that the bodies of folks with disabilities are maybe less worthy of respect and appreciation. I posted about this on my Instagram a while back, and I had so many people comment about how, you know, have no way to relate to this- that it is, like you said, an they're chronically ill, or they're disabled, or whatever, and that they always felt like this concept of love your body for what it can do was more of an obstacle for them in terms of, like, body respect and stuff, because their bodies couldn't do the same things that all of these other people who used this phrase could do, and that it really actually held obstacle for them. So that's just a really good example of them back in being able to do this work. So like, this is one of those phrases that can work both ways. For some people, maybe it's an access point. For some people, it's an obstacle. how that shows up in real life. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. And then, of course, because, you know, it's like my favorite thing to talk about, it's also important to recognize that when we root our respect for our bodies in productivity, that also is upholding capitalist narratives about how our value in the world is determined by our output and stuff like that. And like, for a lot of us, that does not align with our values, especially not anymore.

Sadie Simpson: 35:18

Yeah. It's funny, when you initially started this, and you said, we're going to talk about my favorite thing, I just giggled a little bit, because I knew that the capitalism thing was gonna come out. It's time.

Naomi Katz: 35:31

Yep. This is what I talk about all the time now. So, if we're not loving our bodies for how they look- and I don't know, I don't even- we've talked before, I don't even like love your body- if we're not respecting our bodies for how they look, and if we're not respecting our bodies for what

Sadie Simpson: 35:49

Aw. they can do, what are we respecting our bodies for? And like, we can reframe this stuff around things that have nothing to do with ability or productivity. We can frame them

Naomi Katz: 35:57

Yeah. Which is wonderful. Like the sentiment of around things that are just forever true, that aren't going to change when our bodies change, no matter how extreme that change is. So, you know, just some examples- and, you know, we don't really do scripts, so like nobody's saying you should like write this down and use this as mantra, but it's that is beautiful. And I can totally see how, like, that like an example of what this would look like. But- my body is the vessel that allows me to interact with the world. Always going to be true. My body allows me to experience connection with the people I love. Always going to be true. My body is the home for my thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Always going to be true. And, you know, I just want to acknowledge that this is hard. This is actually a harder practice than it seems. We are doesn't necessarily seem like it's related to ability, or really, really conditioned to see our bodies as vessels for ability. So it might take some time to come up with some of these things. And sometimes you have to like go through iterations of it. I had somebody give me as an example of this, I love my arms, because they let me hug people. productivity, or any of that. But what if you broke your arm or something?

Sadie Simpson: 37:22

Mm hmm.

Naomi Katz: 37:23

Right? Like, would you have to reevaluate how you feel about your body? But we can talk about like, okay, what is the need that those hugs meet, maybe. And if you start there, then maybe it's, I love my body because it allows me to give and receive physical affection.

Sadie Simpson: 37:39

I love that.

Naomi Katz: 37:40

Right? And it works on some level, regardless of any changes in ability. It's complicated, but like, ultimately, it just comes down to, like, your body doesn't deserve respect for what it does. It deserves respect just because it is. And that's not something that's- that changes.

Sadie Simpson: 37:58

Okay, so that is our first top five diet culture reframes. So be on the lookout, because we're going to do more episodes like this. But I think, just thinking back on each of these five things that we've talked about throughout this episode, there's some common things here. And I think these common themes will show up in future similar episodes. Number one, is that weight loss isn't going to solve all of our problems. And number two, getting more clear on what we actually mean, and getting to the root of the thought, or the issue, or the cause, versus being kind of vague, is the key here to really start addressing and changing how we think about and how we talk about our bodies, how we eat, how we move, and all the things.

Naomi Katz: 38:57

Yeah, the one thing I would add to that is starting to examine what systems are being upheld within these phrases. So like noting where there's anti fat bias, where there's ableism, where there's capitalism, like being upheld by these things, and then, you know, being able to look at does this align with my values or not.

Sadie Simpson: 39:19

Yes. Awesome. Well, I am looking forward to doing another episode like this again very soon.

Naomi Katz: 39:26

Yeah, definitely. Me too. And, side note, if these kinds of language shifts are things that you're connecting with and would like to work on more, I would recommend checking out my one to one intuitive eating and anti diet coaching. I am accepting clients right now. And you can get all the information about that on my website at happyshapes.co/coaching. And we will also put the link to that in the show notes.

Sadie Simpson: 39:52

Yeah. All right. Naomi, what is satisfying for you right now. Um,

Naomi Katz: 39:56

it's so funny. This is like such a little thing, but What I'm really satisfied about right now is I'm going to get my hair cut on Friday. And pretty much every time I get into that week before my hair cut, my bangs get to this point where like, I am constantly distracted by them. And I'm at that point right now. So honestly, what I'm really satisfied by at the moment is just the prospect of no longer being distracted by my bed.

Sadie Simpson: 40:23

That is awesome.

Naomi Katz: 40:25

How about you what's satisfying for you right now?

Sadie Simpson: 40:27

I am satisfied right now by my senior citizen like tendencies. So we are recording this episode, we started recording at like 430 on a Monday evening, and I was hungry. So I have my early bird dinner at like 350. And I felt like an elderly person eating dinner that early and I'll probably go to bed at like, I don't know, 730 or eight. So yeah, that is kind of satisfied for me right now.

Naomi Katz: 41:04

I love that. And can I add that the part of your senior citizen lifestyle that's super satisfying me right now is your Flamingo pajamas that you're wearing as we're recording?

Sadie Simpson: 41:15

What a weird day like I took a shower like three I suffer at like before 4pm And I'm wearing my Flamingo pajamas. As we record this episode, I happen to

Naomi Katz: 41:26

know that you have a blanket over your lap right?

Sadie Simpson: 41:32

I most certainly

Naomi Katz: 41:34

this is my favorite thing that's satisfying me as well.

Sadie Simpson: 41:40

Awesome. So if you enjoyed this episode, and you would like to support us something simple and easy that you can do is leave us a rating and review in either Apple podcasts or Spotify. This is what helps boost us in the podcast ranking and provides us with feedback on what you'd like to hear and even what you don't like to hear. So be sure to leave those ratings and reviews for us.

Naomi Katz: 42:05

Thanks, everybody. That's it for us this week, and we'll catch you next week.