#DearCinnaMoms Dec '22
During the last meeting of PHFE-WIC'S CinnaMoms of 2022, almost 50 of us got together to not only discuss health, but redefine it in: "Turning Resolutions into #Goals,"
Rhonda and K'Lynn, two of CinnaMoms' greatest, led this month's discussion, exploring Nutritional Genomics, and Honoring our Hunger Cues.
So what does being healthy mean to you? Is it reaching a certain weight goal or waist size?
Can we be healthy at every size?
We, each of us, are individuals with distinct body types and genetic histories who cannot subscribe to some general standard of "healthy."
This encounter has reminded me of just how complicated our lives have become. Not only have we changed, but so has everything else. Shaped by social media, the standards of health, love, and beauty are not only unattainable, they are grossly misled.
Diet versus Diet Culture
Such a small word, with a meaning of nothing more than: what we regularly consume, has taken on another meaning, the plan, practice, or lifestyle we employ to lose weight. Diet culture has been described as putting our physical and mental wellness, secondary to being thin or fit, to be "healthy.' How many "diet plans" can you think of? Too many to count... Some may have a degree of scientific backing while others maybe be even more ridiculous than they sound, "Hey, it worked for me!" But did it really? And for how long?
K'Lynn shared with us an experience she had while in school at Cal Poly, with a professor who previously worked with a popular weight loss company that helps us watch our weight. She mentioned something that really struck a chord, not that a business is in the the business of money, but their plans were structured to help achieve some level of temporary success and never meant to be permanent.
Intentional and Unintentional Weight Loss
To diet or not to diet, That is the question. Most of us who have tried to lose weight through "dieting," do it with the intention of trying to healthy or healthier, but how can we be healthy without a clear definition to what the word actually means? K'Lynn explains that health, is multifaceted, "it is holistic... the mind, body, spirit connection, where if something is not right in one are, you'll feel it in another."
Waist trainers, meal-replacement shakes, diet programs, and gym memberships, all cost money but how do you want to lose weight? How do you want to be healthy?
Unintentional weight loss is natural, intentional weight loss through the implementation of fad diets... well to quote our resident CinnaMoms' registered dietitian, "I just want you to be careful about different diets and fads that may be tempting to try, because they can cause more harm than good, and don't let them steal your money."
"Being Comfortable In My New Body"
I too have struggled with issues of distorted body image, where no matter how much I limited my caloric intake, how much physical activity I did or weight I lost, I looked in the mirror and saw zero change. Though unlike you, I am not a mother. I have not gone through the months of pregnancy, the hours of labor, nor the lifetime of physical and mental recovery, known as motherhood and this is why I celebrate you!
Making S.M.A.R.T. goals
The CinnaMoms team offered a few tips in making specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, & timed goals, they said, keep them S.M.A.R.T.
How ever many reasons there are for why we (and I continue to use the word) "diet," reaching our goals of breastfeeding, health, and weight loss, does not have to be an individual journey, but one made with community support.
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