Negative body image is something that so many of us struggle with – regardless of our nationality, age, or background. It almost seems to be part of the human condition, something that is innate to our journey here on Earth.

But is it, really?

While not liking our body – or constantly trying to achieve a certain weight or shape – is ubiquitous around the world, the truth is that is NOT a natural, normal part of being alive.

Our beliefs around body image and beauty are instead ingrained from us at a young age. We were, quite literally, taught to believe that beauty looks a certain way, and that we must do everything we can to attain this beauty … or else.

Depending on our culture, family, and childhood, the beauty ideals we grew up with might be different from other people.

But regardless, these ideals have a very similar effect on us: they cause massive low self-esteem throughout adulthood, until we recognize and release them.

That’s what we explore in this episode, where we meet Sharon, 32, who has been trying to lose about 15 pounds – but can’t figure out why she’s unable to fully commit to her diet and exercise.

Growing up in Chinese culture, Sharon learned from watching Chinese beauty pageants on TV that to be thin and light was beautiful. She was mesmerized by the beauty contestants, and imagined herself one day being as pretty and elegant as they were.

Her parents and community also echoed this value, and her weight fluctuations were frequently a topic of conversation. All of this was even more confusing to Sharon because, in Chinese culture, sharing food is a way of sharing love. Her dad was an amazing chef and made delicious food – and she was encouraged to relish it, just not too much of it.

Now as an adult, Sharon understandably has a lot of conflicted feelings about food and her body. She finds herself still wanting to achieve the ideal body, the one she dreamed of as a little girl.

But that thin, lythe body always feels just out of reach – no matter how hard she tries to diet or get to the gym. Sharon just can’t quite get herself to consistently do the things that she thinks would help her lose weight – and she’s wondering what to do.

So in this episode, Marc David, founder of the Institute for the Psychology of Eating, explores:

✅ The keys to recognizing childhood conditioning around body image – and how to begin to let it go.

✅ Why the belief, “I’m not good enough,” will almost always derail our weight loss efforts.

✅ Weight loss as an emotional, non-linear type of goal, and why this matters in the weight loss journey.

✅ Learning to approach weight loss from a place of inspiration and self-love.

No matter where we’re from or what our background is, almost all of us have been taught certain beliefs around weight and beauty. But as this episode demonstrates, we don’t have to keep feeding these beliefs.

We get to choose which beliefs we want to embrace – and one of the most important beliefs about ourselves we can ever choose is, “I love myself. I am enough.”

Enjoy this powerful episode!

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Learn more about us at The Institute for the Psychology of Eating: https://psychologyofeating.com/

Ready to call a ceasefire in your battle with eating, and find peace and freedom with food? Learn more about our newest program, The Emotional Eating Breakthrough! https://learn.psychologyofeating.com/

Interested in becoming a certified coach in eating psychology? Then tune in to hear Marc talk about our Mind Body Eating Coach Certification Training, and download a copy of our School Catalog: https://psychologyofeating.com/info-kit/ Learn our powerful, cutting-edge approach, and discover how you can create a unique career helping others find peace and freedom with food.

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