AmpleAliveness™

Feeling GOOD is Important

"Nothing is more important than that I feel good."

That is what is on the card I pulled today from my Well-Being Card deck from Esther and Jerry Hicks.

It's the perfect card for today, as I've been working with May Johnstone of Delicious Healing on feeling good, emotionally and physically, myself. It is only when I feel good, that I can help others to feel good, too. And May has quite a gift for helping people feel good -- I highly recommend her! One outcome of today's session -- I'm posting on this blog again -- because I'm feeling good, and I want you to, too!

Negative thinking, and listening to negative voices, can drag us further and further down, away from feeling good, away from having the power to resist the very negativity that is harming us, into a downward spiral that can leave us feeling hopeless, helpless, defeated.

Part of our work here together in AmpleAliveness is to break that negative cycle, and to replace feeling bad/sad/weak/powerless with feeling good/joyful/strong/powerful -- Alive!!

How?

Sometimes, you gotta ask for help. Ask for help from your Source; ask for help from friends, ask for help from the size community, and sometimes, ask for help from professionals -- healers, doctors, ministers, coaches, therapists -- whatever it takes to reverse the downward spiral.

On the back of today's Well-Being card, one of the statements is:

"Reach for the thought that feels better--and watch what happens."

So when a negative thought comes your way, whether from all the anti-fat crap out there in our society, or from an internal gremlin, how do you reach for a better-feeling thought? How do you say NO to negativity, and YES to feeling good?

And how can AmpleAliveness help?

With great joy and gratitude for feeling good and being back in the blogging seat, I welcome your comments.

Love Your Body Day

Today, October 18th, is LOVE YOUR BODY DAY. It is a day for celebration for every conscious human who currently occupies a body -- no matter the size, shape, age, or condition of that body!

I'm wondering -- loving our bodies -- isn't that our natural state? Do babies love their bodies? Surely, they don't hate their big round Buddha bellies or their chubby thighs or their bald (or not) heads; they don't fill themsleves with self-disparaging talk (body and otherwise) the way so many adults do.

I don't think babies are capable of hate -- are they capable of love? Or are both learned as we grow -- and hence, perhaps, unlearneable / relearnable?

I think, on this day, it might behoove us each, to watch a baby's utter fascination and delight in the discovery of her fingers, his toes, the miracle of each body part as it comes into awareness.

Each of our bodies is a collection of millions of every day miracles -- hearts that beat and lungs that breathe and digestion and filtering and growth and repair and communication and a gazillion other processes that science can barely appreciate let alone mimic. All happening without conscious direction or intervention.

EVERY MOMENT WE ARE ALLOWED TO CONTINUE TO LIVE IN OUR BODY IS ANOTHER MIRACLE, ANOTHER BLESSING, ANOTHER GIFT FROM THE DIVINE.

So especially on this day, let us appreciate our bodies -- even, especially, in their unique imperfections. Even as they age, as some parts no longer work quite as well, as we may have aches or illness -- no matter their shape or condition, our bodies are magnficent wonders, and deserve our appreciation, our awe, our reverence, our respect, our care, our love, and our profound gratitude.

I ask -- beg -- challenge -- each person reading this, to make your body, and the body of every person you care for, a negative-talk-free zone. Treasure every cell of your body. Celebrate it, love it. Begin today, now.

May it be so.

How are you celebrating Love Your Body Day?  Click on the word Comments below and let us know -- let us share our celebration!

AmpleHugs & SunflowerSmiles,
Anne

Declaration of Fat Independence

On July 4 I received the following "Declaration of Fat Independence" through the network of size-positive email lists, including Marilyn Wann's FAT!SO?; it is reprinted here with permission of the author, who wishes to be known only by her first name.

Please click on Comments below and say what you think of this Declaration. Are you ready for today, and every day, to be your Independence Day?

AmpleHugs,
Anne

Declaration of Fat Independence
by Katharhynn

Ever notice how merchants use the Fourth of July to peddle their wares? "Celebrate freedom, buy a TV," and all that? Well, the purveyors of commercial diets are no exception. An email I received yesterday from one of them is the inspiration for this posting.

A bikini-clad model with smooth, rock-hard abs invited me to "Declare your independence from fat!" No thanks, sweetie, I thought. I'd rather declare my independence from antifat tyranny. So,with a nod to Thomas Jefferson, here goes.

We hold these truths to be self-evident,
That all people, fat and thin, short and tall, are created equal;
That unalienable rights apply to all sizes.

And when a long train of abuses and usurpations in pursuing the impossible, constantly changing ideal of "beauty" as defined by others, evinces a design to reduce both our rights and
our bank accounts, under despotism masked as "health,"

It is our right and duty to reject conventional "wisdom" and label it as the (frequently misogynistic) mythology that it is.

Let facts be submitted to a candid world:

The diet industry has lied time and again.

The diet industry's paid shills have lied time and again.

By these lies, society--including the targets of these lies, to wit, fat people--have been seduced,by their own statements, preferring even death over fat (though the rationale behind fat hatred is the lie that fat will cause death...).

Because of these lies, most states have refused to pass other laws for the fair treatment--not special rights--of large people.

Because of these lies, total strangers feel compelled to judge and vilify fat people.

Because of these lies, something mostly harmless is now called an "epidemic".

Because the lies have given rise to junk science used to deny fat people the liberties and rights others enjoy, including their very peace of mind;

Because the diet industry and its shills have erected a multitude of new purveyors of their junk science and sent hither swarms of officers to harass fat people and reduce their substance;

In every stage of these oppressions, we have petitioned for redress in humble terms; our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury.

Therefore, we, the fat and free, declare ENOUGH.

We will not count calories, nor carbohydrates;
We will not abuse ourselves based on what our scales say;
Indeed, we will burn our scales.

Trips to the clothing store will not reduce us to tears, just because we are not the same size as a lifeless mannequin.
We will not be compelled to starve ourselves based on the cruel comments of others, but instead recognize their cruelty is born of fear and stupidity, both fueled and justified by the lies detailed above.

It is not "failure" if we don't look like the images on magazine covers;
We are not "ugly" just because we are not a size 0.

We are not evil, pathological, or in denial.

We simply demand to be treated fairly.
We don't care if you like it; we don't care if you approve

And we will not spend another cent on any diet product, anywhere.

We the people are free of the tyranny of diets.

G-d and Fat: Part II -- Divine Purpose?

Why are we fat?  No, not how do bodies become fat -- that's not what I'm asking. Rather, what is the divine purpose in living our lives in fat bodies?

One of my beliefs is that the circumstances of our lives are part of the Universe's way of teaching us what we need to learn, and/or guiding us to find and fulfill our purpose for being here. So, does it not then make sense that, for the millions of us who find ourselves living our lives large, subjected to all the anti-fat bias in our culture, and to all our unique challenges of daily living, that there be some divine purpose in our fat?

What does living fat teach us? What is it teaching me?
I suppose recipients of any social prejudice could learn strength, persistance, compassion, faith, humilty -- probably many other teachings as well -- from surviving, and thriving,in the face of bigotry. There is certainly learning on so many levels when one moves -- individually and as a part of a group -- from victimhood to empowerment. (A terrific book on this subject is David Emerald's The Power of TED: The Empowerment Dynamic.)

But what might be the unique learning and specific guidance one can receive from living fat?

I only have glimpses of answers for myself -- one is something about really occupying my space; another is something about heaviness of spirit.

I yearn to hear from you, dear reader, your thoughts on this question: what might be the divine purpose in your living a fat life? Please, click on Comment and let me know.

With AmpleHugs,
Anne

 

Memorial Day HAES show on "the war on obesity"

In honor of Memorial Day here in the U.S., Peggy Elam of Pearlsong Press dedicated her May 29, 2006 Health At Every Size radio show specifically to the current "war on obesity" and its casualties... and the HAES model as a more peaceful and loving (not to mention healthier) alternative.

She has posted an mp3 recording of the show on Pearlsong Press website's audio page for listening online or downloading.

What are your thoughts on the "war on obesity"?

With AmpleHugs,
Anne

G-d and Fat: Part I -- Outrage!

A hospital chaplain recently told a friend of mine, who is dying, that God would not accept her because she is fat.  He said, "There is no salvation for overweight people."

I cannot in written words sufficiently express my outrage! I need to SCREAM!!

How DARE he! How dare he presume to attribute to G-d his own human smallness, his utter bigotry! And to do so, in an official capacity, to someone on her deathbed! Why doesn't he just take a knife and slice her up -- he could not hurt her more...

Fortunately, my friend, wise and feisty to the end, banned this monster from her hospital room. She knows better, she knows he is wrong, she knows the love of the Divine is size-neutral, she knows G-d is not a fat bigot, and she knows she is going Home.

How many other suffering and dying souls, whom he is charged with comforting, has this fraudulent man of the cloth instead maligned and tortured? How much harm has he perpetrated upon others; how much more will he continue to do so, if he is not stopped?

In fact, her friends all over the U.S. are working to have this person censured, fired, and stripped of his chaplaincy. It's the least we can do to honor her in her last days, and to preserve her memory after she crosses over.

So what can you do? You can follow her lead -- ban fat bigotry from your life. Name it, confront it, and tell its perpetrators where to go. And please don't wait until your dying days.

Do you have a story of confronting fat bigotry? Or of people trying to convince you that G-d is a fat bigot? Please click on Comments and share it with us.

Yours in outrage, and with AmpleHugs for every victim of fat bigotry,
Anne

You're NOT what you eat & drink?

Conventional Wisdom says, we are what we eat. Eat healthy = be healthy; eat "bad foods"= be fat and/or sick.  I don't think it's quite that simple, by a long shot. A little humor to make my point:

This was sent to me by Sigrun Danielsdottir, a Scandinavian HAES advocate:

1. Japanese people eat very little fat and have a much lower incidence of heart disease than Americans and the British.

2. French people eat a lot of fat and have a much lower incidence of heart disease than Americans and the British.

3. Japanese people drink very little red wine and have a much lower incidence of heart disease than Americans and the British.

4. French people drink a lot of red wine and have a much lower incidence of heart disease than Americans and the British.

5. German people guzzle beer and eat sausage and have a much lower incidence of heart disease than Americans and the British.

Conclusion:

Eat and drink what you want. Avoid speaking English.

He-he-he

I got a chuckle out of this, hope you do, too.
And then, look for the messages beneath the joke:

For me, it's that the simplistic links purported by modern pseudo-science between any one food group and health are missing the big picture, and trying to paint health issues with moral overtones.

I also wonder, what IS it about American and British living -- lifestyle? food additives? our air or water? stress? our politicians? -- that have us having higher rates of heart disease? If, in fact, we do.

What do you think? Add a Comment and let us know.

AmpleHugs & SunflowerSmiles,
Anne

A Comment on Comments

Dear readers,

One of my intentions in creating this blog is to open the door to an AmpleAliveness community. I want all of us -- those who are learning about Life Beyond Dieting, who are embracing the Health at Every Size lifestyle, who are choosing to value our uniqueness and our lives more than numbers on a scale -- to learn from and support each other.

This is not a journey to be traveled alone, and I am merely a facilitator and co-journeyer, not some guru pontificating from atop a mountain. I need you; we need each other.

And so it is vital that we interact; that we each contribute what we can -- be that questions, feedback, resources, suggestions, insights....  struggles, and victories....   requests for support and understanding; offers of helping hands and soft shoulders and AmpleHugs for the struggles...  pats on the back and celebrations and AmpleHugs for the victories.

How we interact on a blog is via Comments; and your ability to easily respond to my posts via Comments are the key reason this is a blog and not a static I-write-you-read website.

So here are some suggestions, how you can contribute to this community:

1. When you read something I've written, and have anything to add that might benefit others, add a Comment.  How? Just click on the word Comments below each post, scroll down to Post a comment, fill in the fields and type away.
2. Read others' comments, if any, on the same page, and reply to them, if appropriate, in the same way. You may want to indicate, by their username, whose comment you are replying to.
3. Every time you visit this blog, take a look over on the right, where Recent Comments are listed. Read comments that may have been posted since your last visit, and of course, reply if it feels right to do so.
4. If you have any doubt that a resource or thought you want to share is appropriate, email it to me privately -- there's a link on the About page.
5. Of course, the usual rules apply -- no being mean to each other (or to me): it's OK to disagree, not to flame. No self-promotion, unless what you offer is an appropriate resource for this community. Nothing promoting weight loss or dieting will be accepted. I reserve the right to edit any comments, and to delete any that don't meet these guidelines.

Questions? Thoughts? COMMENTS?
I look forward to hearing from you!

AmpleHugs & SunflowerSmiles,
Anne

International No Diet Day

Today is International No Diet Day!

Today is a day for:

• Celebrating your body exactly as it is;
• Recognizing and honoring your hungers and your appetites;
• Helping to promote size diversity and to end size discrimination (starting with yourself, if needed);
• Learning the facts (and unlearning the hype) about dieting, weight, and health; and
• Remembering the victims of eating disorders, weight loss surgery and other weight-biased medical care

Thanks to a couple of friends who helped me celebrate today:
Terry of BIG as TEXAS sent me a lovely custom-made "Early Endeavors" INDD card, and Barbara Bruno put a smile on my face with this photo (click on it for a bigger version):

SO, how are you celebrating No Diet Day?

AmpleHugs & SunflowerSmiles,
Anne

Upcoming Fat Gatherings

Two meetings I plan to be attending in the next few months:

1. ASDAH (Association for Size Diversity and Health) June 23-25, near Cleveland. A gathering of many of the people creating, shaping, and promoting HAES -- I am so excited to be meeting in person, most for the first time, people I've been reading about and corresponding with!
2. NAAFA Annual Convention August 9-13, Needham, Mass. This will be my second time attending, and I can't wait -- 100 or so fat and happy folks celebrating all they are -- workshops, meals, fashion show, workouts, midnight swim, vendors, and terrific opportunities to raise you own level of self-acceptance and AmpleAliveness!

Won't you join me?

AmpleHugs & SunflowerSmiles,
Anne