Body image

[Guest guest]

Hi, everyone! I've been reading the group posts for awhile now but have finally

decided to jump in. Thanks to all of you for your willingness to share the

good, bad & ugly! I've been interested in intuitive eating for about the past 2

years. I started off ok but then convinced myself I was gaining weight and

started restricting again. My most recent adaptation of the diet mentality is

the 'uber-health conscious' approach. And it's actually not too hard to find

doctors and other professionals who will back it up--but I realized that for me,

a highly restrictive approach to food just doesn't work! So now I'm back to

practicing IE, which is the one approach to food that really seems to alleviate

the anxiety and most of the obsessive/compulsive behaviors, hallejuah!

What I continue to struggle with is acceptance of my body. I believe that I

would be healthier and feel much more energetic if I dropped a good 30 lbs--and

I'm sure that through regular exercise & moderate eating, I " ll get

there....eventually! But it's very hard for me to let go and trust that it will

happen anytime soon. And quite honestly, I'm getting sick of playing with

'creative wardrobe options' to disguise my figure flaws. I don't need to have a

perfect body--but I want to feel comfortable in my clothes again! Another part

of this for me, is that I'm a stage performer & it's very hard to not feel like

my body is put in the spotlight on a regular basis. Any tips on how to deal

with the body image police?? And how do you keep affirming your faith in the IE

process to help you reach a healthy weight?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts on this!