Body Issues vs. Body Image Issues: How to Tell the Difference, Waiting for Weight Loss Ep. 7

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Speaker 1: Life Audio. Hey, friend, Heather Creekmorehir, I'm so glad you are part of this Waiting for Weight Loss series with us. Today we are tackling a big topic that I think is confusing to a lot of people. What's the difference between body issues and body image issues? And Hey, we're having great conversations about all of these topics in our community Waiting for Weight Loss dot com. If you haven't joined us yet, I hope you'll join us there. So today body issues versus body image issues. Remember a few episodes ago when I told you I became a fitness instructor. Well, I actually taught in gyms from age thirty to about age forty five, fifteen years in gyms, teaching group classes, getting to know women who were all trying to meet health goals. There's one thing I noticed, Oh okay, in fifteen years in the gym, I only ever saw one woman radically change her body. One that's not all at the same gym. That was working in several gyms. I worked on the East Coast, I worked in California, I worked in Texas, different cities. Sure, I saw some women lose a few pounds. I saw some get stronger, firm things up, build some endurance, but a dramatic before and after picture. I only remember one woman who did that, and candidly she couldn't maintain it. She got there in an extreme way, and within a year of meeting her goal, she was rapidly gaining it all back. I don't say that to discourage you, Okay, please do not be discouraged by that. Like I've said before, there's nothing bad about having a goal to improve your health and lose weight. But I think the reality is most of us have believed that our real problem is with our bodies. Our real problem will go away when I drop the pounds and the parts. The real problem is fixable through eating the right things, not eating the wrong things, exercising the right way. But what if the real problem is with our body image, not with our bodies. Like body image has only been a buzzword for I don't know, maybe ten years or so, most of us, especially if you're over age forty, might not even feel connected to that term. It seems like the problem is my body, not anything else. Now here's an Internet definition of what body image issues are. I'll read it for you. Body image is the subjective internal perception of one's own physical self, encompassing our thoughts, beliefs, feelings, and behaviors regarding size, shape, and appearance. It exists on a spectrum from positive to negative and is heavily influenced by social, cultural, and media messages. A healthy body image involves acceptance and respect for one's body, while a negative one can cause distress, social withdrawal, and eating disorders. Friend, I would have never told you that I had body image issues, although that definition perfectly applied. I was sure I just had body issues, But now I know it was actually the problem of what I thought and believed about my body, not my body, that was the problem. And the good news is that takes some pressure off. If I can recognize that the problem isn't really about my physical body, that it's about my body image, then I can fix it before I meet my weight loss goal, like I can start working to heal that right now where I'm at today. The hard news is, though most of us don't really want to believe that it's body image, not body like, most of us would rather actually have something tangible to fix, tangible to do. I want to see a difference in the mirror that feels easier than doing deep art stuff. But here's how I know for sure that the problem for all of us is body image and not body ready for this, Supermodels struggle, Carrie Underwood struggled, Taylor Swift struggled, Like, just do an internet search of the celebrity that you think is most beautiful and has the best body and would never struggle with body image, and you will probably find an article about how she has struggled to feel like her body was good enough. So, friend, follow the logic here. If even the women who have the bodies that we wish we had struggle, then we have to make the conclusion that body image is the problem. Getting that body wouldn't make me any happier. In other words, even if you fix your body, you might still feel bad about it, because again, the problem is body image, not what you actually look like. Now, I know that might be a lot to chew on for some of you, and others of you are like, yep, I've known I had body and I just use forever like tell me something I don't know. So here's my question for you today. No matter which camp you're in, Oh, there's still this heavy temptation to believe the lie. And so here's the question. Do you still believe that changing your body would fix the way you feel about it? It's a hard dream to let go of, but it's just not a true friend. The internal stuff doesn't go away when the external pounds leave. I've worked with hundreds of women who have met their goal weight and still didn't feel like it was enough. They actually felt disappointed. They wondered if maybe that feeling would come if they just lost five more pounds. It was a let down. Let's talk about this more in the community. Maybe you've experienced this too. How are you tempted to believe that changing your body will change how you feel about it? Can't wait to see in the community. Let's keep the conversation going there. It's been so rich. Bring your questions there too. I would love to answer them on the show, and you can join us if you haven't yet, at Waiting for Weight Loss dot com. I'll see you next time. The Compared To podcast is proud to be part of the Life Audio podcast network, from where great Christian podcast go to lifeaudio dot com.