Episode 76: Let's Talk About...The Scale (to weigh or not to weigh?)
Quick trigger warning here: lots of talk today about diets and the scale. If you're not up for it, no worries--just skip it.
It’s January, and you know what that means. It’s diet season. Ugh....I turned on the tv this morning and saw an ad for a diet program within five seconds. About one minute later, there was one for a weight loss medication. Yep. We'll be completely inundated with ads for diet programs, gyms, medications, etc. for the next few weeks.
And it’s hard not to get dragged into all of this, isn’t it? I sometimes have parts that will think, "Maybe we should do that" when they see this information nonstop. It's hard not to think that.
But this podcast isn't about diet culture and whether or not you should be dieting or focusing on weight. It's about one aspect of diet culture: the scale.
In a new series called "Let's Talk About...," we'll be focusing on various topics related to emotional eating, IFS, diet culture, body image, etc. These are the topics that have been on my list for awhile, so I'm getting to them this season.
And whether or not to step on that scale has been on that list for quite awhile now.
On this week's podcast, we talk a little about the history of the scale, and then move into a discussion on whether or not to weigh yourself. And of course the answer to that comes down to parts. Who is the part that's leading you to the scale? Why are they wanting you to weigh yourself? And more importantly, what are they afraid will happen if you don't step on that scale?
We also talk a bit about the polarizations within many of our systems related to weight and the scale, and how the scale is related to the this idea that we can and should be controlling our bodies. We end on how to approach the scale at your physician's office.
So if you have a complicated relationship with the scale (who doesn't?), this one's for you!
And if you're an IFS or IFS-informed therapist or practitioner who's curious about how to help your clients with food and body issues, join me for the IFS and the Eating System Master Class! We’ll be covering such topics as helping clients get to know their eating parts, working with polarizations, legacy burdens, body image, and Self-led eating. We'll be meeting as a group every other Monday from 12:00-2:00 pm EST starting on January 22nd, and you also get two individual consultation sessions with me over the course of the master class to use however you choose. Head here to check it out!
Where to find me:
Therapy website (for therapists and practitioners): drkimdaniels.com
Coaching website (for non-therapists): yourweightisnotyourworth.com
Click below to listen!