We live in an age where image often seems to be everything. From polished Instagram feeds to magazine covers, we’re constantly presented with an “ideal” body. But the truth is, the relationship with our body is much deeper than the aesthetics. It’s about function, feel, and most importantly, well-being. Here’s a golden piece of advice: berating your body will never lead you to genuine health or happiness and can even indicate a body image problem.

How to Practice Healthy Habits Without Body Hatred

Restriction Isn’t The Key:

Jump-starting a rigid diet that leaves you feeling deprived? Odds are, you’ll be miserable in no time. Restrictive diets are often a short-term fix and rarely sustainable. The end result? Bingeing, guilt, and a disheartened spirit. These restrictive practices can also lead to unhealthy behaviors, such as dangerous eating habits and self-criticism.

Find Joy in Movement:

The gym isn’t a punishment center for eating dessert. Exercise should never leave you feeling consistently drained. Sure, challenging yourself is great, but it’s essential to find a balance. Perhaps you love dancing, hiking, or yoga. Find your joy, and it won’t even feel like a workout. When you feel tired, consider engaging in self-care practices like taking a warm bath or relaxing instead of socializing.

Mindfulness is Powerful:

It might sound cliché, but being present truly matters.

• Tune In: Listen to your body. Hungry? Eat. Tired? Rest. Our bodies communicate with us constantly; it’s high time we listened.
  • Take deep breaths: This simple action can ground you, enhance present-moment awareness, and serve as a distraction from discomfort.
• Savor Every Bite: Mindful eating is transformative. Enjoy your food, relish each bite, and you might find you’re satiated more quickly than when you mindlessly munch.

Self-Prioritization:

This isn’t selfish; it’s essential. When you prioritize self-care and self-love:

• You nurture your mental health.
• You exude confidence and positivity.
• You make choices that truly align with your well-being.

This holistic approach also significantly contributes to your overall well-being.

Shift Your Perspective

Instead of focusing on what you dislike about your body, celebrate what it does for you. Your legs carry you, your arms embrace loved ones, and your heart beats tirelessly. Appreciate each body part for its unique contribution to your life. There’s so much to be grateful for.

Your body is your lifelong companion. It deserves love, care, and respect. When you treat it with kindness, you not only improve your physical well-being but also cultivate a positive mindset. Embrace the journey of self-love, and remember: genuine health and happiness stem from appreciation, not disdain.

You Can’t Hate Yourself Into Loving Your Body

“By choosing healthy over skinny you are choosing self-love over self-judgment.” – Steve Maraboli

When talking about weight loss goals, some professionals (including myself) say that you can’t hate yourself into a smaller body. When you hear this, do you try to come up with arguments in your head?

Maybe “discipline is the only way to reach your goals” or “staying comfortable hasn’t helped me get anywhere.” Discipline and getting out of your comfort zone are both wonderful for self-growth, but they don’t have to come from a place of self-hatred.

If you want to build a better life for yourself, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to add stress. Addressing negative thoughts related to body image is crucial for improving mental well-being.

Let’s talk about 4 weight loss behaviors that may lead to negative outcomes.

Common Weight Loss Behaviors That May Lead to Negative Outcomes

1. Eating too Little

Underfueling can take away your motivation to exercise. Food is fuel and calories give you the energy you need to move your body. Cutting calories significantly will make a difference in how you feel.

If you’re lacking in a specific macronutrient it can have a negative effect as well. For example, when you try to eliminate carbohydrates from your diet, you’re restricting your body’s preferred source of energy.

Movement is so beneficial to both our physical and mental health. The last thing you want to do is make it harder. If you’re still fixed on weight loss, moving less doesn’t help with that either. This can be completely counterproductive.

Excessive focus on cutting calories and self-hatred can lead to unhealthy behaviors and the development of eating disorders. Recognizing the signs and seeking help is crucial if your relationship with food becomes problematic.

2. Body Shaming

When you look in the mirror and say horrible things to yourself, what are the chances you’re going to want to leave the house?

You are beautiful but I know how hard it can be to accept that. You are your biggest critic. When you’re looking at yourself in the mirror every day, there are more chances to pick yourself apart. Those small features that drive you crazy are probably only noticeable to you. If you’re fixed on numbers or pounds, that gives you endless opportunities to tear yourself down.

The more you shame your body for its appearance, the harder it’s going to be to get out and enjoy life. Leaving the house is when we can interact with the people we love, move our bodies, and try new and fun experiences. All of these contribute to great mental health. Many people struggle with how they perceive their own bodies, often seeing flaws that others do not notice.

3. Strict Food Rules

Dieting can stop you from attending family/friend gatherings. If you’ve been on a fad diet, you probably already understand what I mean. Fad diets have the goal of rapid weight loss and this is not sustainable. The behaviors that are involved are not natural so they can be very difficult to fit into social situations. Here are some examples.

• Calorie counting – There are a lot of fantastic restaurants out there that don’t provide specific nutrition information for their meals. You can’t control what goes into the dish so you may feel uncomfortable with that unknown. If there is nutrition info available, it’s possible that none of the menu options will fit into your allowance.
• Low carb – Say you go to an authentic Italian restaurant. What are the chances that they’re going to have a low-carb meal that you will thoroughly enjoy while your friends eat big bowls of pasta? Would depriving yourself at that moment be worth it?
• Whole 30 – I’m using this as an example because you’re not allowed to have any alcohol. Avoiding alcohol is not bad. Let’s face it, alcohol isn’t fabulous for our bodies but it is the center of many social situations. If you are choosing to avoid alcohol so you can show your body a little extra kindness, you can still 100% go to a bar and socialize. If you are restricting it because there’s a 30-day countdown, you may not trust yourself to go and choose water. A positive mindset is huge.

Environmental factors, such as noise levels and lighting, also play a significant role in influencing emotional states and overall comfort in social settings.

4. Going to Bed Hungry

All of these negative outcomes affected me during my weight loss experience. Lack of sleep was by far the worst. You can’t fool your body by going to bed hungry. Chances are you’re going to have trouble either falling asleep or staying asleep. Personally, I struggled with staying asleep and I went from waking up around 9:00 AM naturally to waking up around 5:00 AM. Not to mention the nights where I rolled around for hours even earlier (would it be considered early or late at that point?).

When you’re low on sleep you can experience stronger cravings and poor decision-making skills. This can make it even harder to follow food rules, leading to more stress and even less sleep. It’s a spiral that you don’t want to get caught up in.

I also want to mention that if you are underfueling, you’ll likely already feel fatigued throughout the day. Lack of sleep mixed with a lack of food is a recipe for disaster. The extra snack at night or larger portion at dinner is well worth it. Your body is smarter than you give it credit for. Going to bed hungry can also cause significant discomfort, both physically and emotionally.

How to Love the Body You Have Now

If you withhold from yourself loving your body until it looks the way you want it to, you are creating a world where self-love is conditional and can be taken away. While it can be difficult to let go of this type of thinking, leading your self-healing and health journey with body love instead of body shame can lay the foundations for true transformation and joy in your nutrition and fitness journey. Feeling uneasy about your body can be a symptom of deeper emotional or physical struggles, so it’s important to address these feelings and seek support when needed.

All of that is more easily said than done, I know. That’s why I want to give you some pointers on how to reduce your body shame and shift your mindset about your health goals.

Surround Yourself With People Who Look Like You

One of the first tips I have for people who want to feel more at home in their bodies is to fill their social media feeds with people who look like them and who are out there loving their bodies and practicing body positivity. After all, if every day you’re looking at amazing women who are living their best lives in the bodies they have now, why can’t you? Intentional curation of your online spaces can help reduce the noise of ads and traditional media that may make you feel worse about your body or contribute to unrealistic body standards. Many have felt the overwhelming emotional struggle of not feeling comfortable within their own bodies.

Show Gratitude for the Ways Your Body Serves You

Your body does SO much work for you every day. It nourishes you, keeps you moving, helps you think, and so much more. One of the best ways to move away from self-hatred is to cultivate intentional love and gratitude for what you have. After all: what you focus on grows. If you intentionally cultivate a practice of thanking your body and appreciating the work it does for you, over time, it can help you grow a more positive body image. Reflecting on your feelings about your body can also enhance this practice and improve your overall well-being.

Don’t Treat Health and Fitness Like a Punishment

Many people bemoan going to the gym and eating healthful foods, and when you treat it like a chore or a punishment, you’re much more likely to have an adversarial relationship with your body instead of a collaborative one. Instead, try adding nutritious foods to your diet as opposed to removing food, and try spicing up healthy foods in a way you enjoy. For example, adding cheese to broccoli to make it taste better: a common misconception is that the cheese “cancels out” the broccoli, but that’s simply not true. Instead, you get all the health benefits of broccoli, you enjoy cheese (which also has great nutrients, proteins, and healthy fats!), and you don’t hate and dread eating healthy food.

The same goes for moving your body. Instead of going through an intense fitness routine that makes you hate going to the gym, try to find a form of movement that you enjoy, such as rollerskating, dancing, aerial silks, or boxing, so that you look forward to exercise.

When you work in collaboration with your body and make health pleasurable, it can improve both your mental and physical health and reduce the conflict between your mind and body.

Focus on Healthy Behaviors, Not External Goals

Rather than fixating on specific numbers on the scale or measurements, shift your focus to establishing sustainable, healthy behaviors that make you feel good. This might include getting enough sleep, staying hydrated, moving your body regularly in ways you enjoy, or eating foods that give you energy. When you measure success by your actions rather than your appearance, you create sustainable change that benefits both your physical and mental wellbeing.

The key is to set process-oriented goals (like “I will walk for 20 minutes three times this week” or “I will try one new vegetable recipe”) rather than outcome-oriented goals (like “I will lose X pounds”). This approach helps you stay motivated and positive while building habits that serve you long-term, regardless of how your body might change.

Remember that your worth isn’t tied to your appearance or your health journey. You deserve to feel comfortable and confident in your body exactly as it is right now, while still having the freedom to make choices that support your overall wellbeing. By practicing self-compassion and focusing on behaviors that make you feel good, you can build a healthier relationship with both your body and yourself.

This path isn’t always linear, and there will be days when loving your body feels more challenging than others. That’s completely normal. What matters is that you keep returning to these principles of self-acceptance and gratitude, treating your body as an ally rather than an adversary in your health journey. It is also crucial to recognize and address unhealthy behaviors, such as negative self-perception and restrictive diets, to ensure emotional and physical well-being.

The Role of Body Dysmorphic Disorder on Your Body Image Problems

While many people experience occasional insecurities about their appearance, Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) takes these concerns to a more severe level. BDD is a mental health condition where someone becomes excessively preoccupied with perceived flaws in their appearance – flaws that might be minor or nonexistent to others. If you find yourself spending hours each day thinking about your appearance, checking mirrors obsessively or avoiding them completely, or feeling unable to participate in social activities due to appearance-related anxiety, you might be dealing with BDD.

The key difference between normal body image struggles and BDD lies in the intensity and impact of these thoughts. While most people can find comfort in positive self-talk and healthy coping strategies, someone with BDD may find these methods insufficient. If you suspect you might have BDD, know that it’s not a personal failure – it’s a recognized mental health condition that responds well to proper treatment, including specialized therapy and, when appropriate, medication.

In Conclusion

Health is more than what you eat. Crazy to hear from a dietitian right? But it’s true! Movement, sleep, hydration, and mindfulness all work together to help your body feel and function at its best.

When your weight loss goals affect any of these other areas in a negative way, they can be counterproductive. If you want to do something kind for yourself, it needs to come from a place of self-love. The motivation behind self-love isn’t a clothing size or a specific number on the scale.

You might be wondering “well what if I can’t get to where I want that way?” Then it might not be a goal that’s going to benefit you in the long run. Sometimes weight loss or fitness goals can grow into habits that become harmful. Making yourself miserable every day isn’t worth it, regardless of the goal you have in mind.

Reframe goals that come from hate.

• If you have a weight loss goal, think about what you are trying to gain from that weight loss. What can you do to work towards that feeling?
• If you’re trying to feel more confident in your skin you could spend a few extra minutes a day focusing on body image. Your body deserves respect for all it goes through.
• If you want to feel fit, get some movement in! Building strength doesn’t happen all of the sudden, once you reach your goal weight.

You can work on more than one small goal at once, but it’s also completely okay to take things one step at a time. It’s often less overwhelming and we’re always looking for less stress in the long run.