Body Kindness

What does religion have to do with diets? Probably more than you think. In this episode I talk with professor of religious studies and author of the book, The Gluten Lie, Dr. Alan Levinovitz.

We'll discuss why "cleansing" and forms of restriction we see with today's diet culture is not about health at all. Alan shares his personal story of his "holier than thou" feeling he got from a very short term "challenge" he did with his wife in the name of book research.

You'll hear why we both think the "sugar is going to kill you" headlines are utterly untrue and unhelpful. Alan shares a few food trends he think will grow in 2017 and I share how we can make improvements to our eating patterns without going too crazy.

About Alan

Alan Levinovitz received his PhD in religion from the University of Chicago where he specialized in classical Chinese thought. He is now assistant professor of religious studies at James Madison University, where he teaches classes on religion, Chinese philosophy, and the connection between religion and medicine. His work in journalism focuses on food, science, and culture, and has appeared in The Atlantic, Wired, The Washington Post, Slate, Vox, and elsewhere. He is the author of The Gluten Lie: And Other Myths About What You Eat, and his only food taboo is fake cheese, which he believes is irredeemably evil.

Follow Alan

• Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/alanlevinovitz
• Book: The Gluten Lie - http://amzn.to/2k1WpUi
• Articles:
  • The Atlantic – Purity Through Food: How Religious Ideas Sell Diets - http://theatln.tc/2k1WKpK
  • NPR – How Diet Gurus Hook Us with Religion Veiled in Science - http://n.pr/2k1WSpe
  • Slate – The Logical Failure of Food Fads - http://slate.me/2k1VBi6

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You can subscribe to Body Kindness on iTunes and Stitcher. Enjoy the show? Please rate it on iTunes! - http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1073275062

Are you ready for Body Kindness? Get started today with my free e-course and on-demand digital training. Learn more - http://bit.ly/2k23nbT

The New York Times Book Review calls Body Kindness "simple and true". Publisher's Weekly says it's "a rousing guide to better health." http://bit.ly/2k228t9

Watch my videos about why we need Body Kindness on YouTube. https://youtu.be/W7rATQpv5y8?list=PLQPvfnaYpPCUT9MOwHByVwN1f-bL2rn1V

Did you enjoy the podcast? Please subscribe and rate it. Have a show idea or guest recommendation (even yourself!) E-mail [email protected] to get in touch.

Nothing in this podcast is meant to provide medical diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevent any disease or condition. Individuals should consult a qualified healthcare provider for medical advice and answers to personal health questions.

December 27, 2016 is a day I won't soon forget. It's the official "due date" of my "book baby" (yes, we all lovingly refer to "her" as a member of our family). This book is my voice. It's also my life experiences that shaped the Body Kindness philosophy and who I am today. Filled with tools and exercises I have been using in my counseling practice for years, this book will take you through the necessary steps to reject dieting, make peace with food and your body, and set new goals to create meaningful change in your life.

In this podcast episode, my good friend and Body Kindness accountability partner (and former chronic dieter / Biggest Loser "winner") Bernie Salazar and I chat about how we reconnected at just the right time when Bernie needed a new approach to health. Dieting didn't work, Biggest Loser didn't work. Not doing anything didn't work

(If you're a new listener, check out all of season one episodes 1-14 to get a feel for how we got together and Bernie's mindset and life started to shift.)

We'll talk you through the ins and outs of how Body Kindness is designed to help you make better choices and become a more compassionate person. Plus you'll learn how you can get a free book chapter, Body Kindness digital training, and my clients' favorite habits tracker - the health and happiness journal and save 25% off the book in the resources and links below.

Resources:

• Sign up for a free digital training and get started on your Body Kindness journey - http://www.bodykindessbook.com
• Watch "why I gave up on dieting" video and "Why we need Body Kindness" video - http://bit.ly/2immbic
• Save 25% off list price 12/27-1/31 when you order Body Kindness from my publisher Workman with the special offer code: KIND http://bit.ly/2imkiCj

Show notes

[0:49] Rebecca and Bernie talks about Rebecca's first book, Body Kindness

[4:35] Rebecca speaks about what people can expect to learn about Body Kindness. They can expect tools they can use to help them create values-driven goals.

[7:41] Bernie shares why Body Kindness works and how his relationship started with Rebecca. They lost touch along the way but reconnected to create the podcast. It came at a time when Bernie needed help with his health.

[15:20] Rebecca shares her struggles and how she had outdated knowledge before. She shares how she changed that as her knowledge changed. Bernie affirmed Rebecca's willingness to explore the right direction.

[19:03] Rebecca talks about the 2nd part of her book which is about feelings. She shares how people can also take advantage of her book and the available free resources.

[21:42] Changing habits takes time but it is possible with commitment. Rebecca shares how the book is setup to help people become committed.

[22:42] Connection with others is important in our lives. This is the last part of the book and Rebecca expounds on what it is about. Bernie confirms how important connection is base on what happened in his life. They discussed how wrong perceptions of society harms our perception of our body.

[26:27] Health change over time as bodies change over time. You can define your own version. Rebecca and Bernie talks about the wrong perceptions about health and how Body Kindness is different.

[33:02] Rebecca shares how she wants to connect with people and discuss how she can help spread the value of Body Kindness.

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You can subscribe to Body Kindness on iTunes and Stitcher. Enjoy the show? Please rate it on iTunes! - http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1073275062

Are you ready for Body Kindness? Get started today with my free e-course and on-demand digital training. Learn more - http://bit.ly/2k23nbT

The New York Times Book Review calls Body Kindness "simple and true". Publisher's Weekly says it's "a rousing guide to better health." http://bit.ly/2k228t9

Watch my videos about why we need Body Kindness on YouTube. https://youtu.be/W7rATQpv5y8?list=PLQPvfnaYpPCUT9MOwHByVwN1f-bL2rn1V

Did you enjoy the podcast? Please subscribe and rate it. Have a show idea or guest recommendation (even yourself!) E-mail [email protected] to get in touch.

Nothing in this podcast is meant to provide medical diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevent any disease or condition. Individuals should consult a qualified healthcare provider for medical advice and answers to personal health questions.

Our original interview was released in 2016 and replaced with this update.

As we enter November, Bernie and I have gratitude on our minds. It's been 3 years since Bernie and I reconnected, and he began practicing Body Kindness. In this special episode, we reflect on the positive changes in his life and self compassion practice over time.

We asked listeners to take a pause and share with us "what are you grateful for, big or small". We also share our original conversation from 2016 where we talk about why gratitude matters to Body Kindness, and how a gratitude practice can be an important key to unlocking your "inner caregiver" voice and lead to more joy throughout the holiday season, even if you're thinking about past holidays filled with "rules" "judgments" and emotional pain and wondering what "body kindness" looks like for you this year. We feel you.

We hope this episode inspires you for finding gratitude in whatever comes to your mind. Maybe it's a person in your life, a meaningful life event, acknowledging what is good through injury or disability, or something else that rings true for you. As you listen, we ask you to think of a few "good things" even if it's really hard right now. Then join us all month long as we share gratitude on Instagram. Follow our posts and tag us on yours. Here's our handles: @rebeccascritchfield @berniesalazarofficial

Visit bodykindnessbook.com/podcast for links and show notes.

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Get the Body Kindness book It's available wherever books and audiobooks are sold. Read reviews on Amazon and pick up your copy today! Order signed copies and bulk discounts here!

---

Donate to support the show Thanks to our generous supporters! We're working toward our goal to fund the full season. Can you donate? Please visit our Go Fund Me page.

---

Get started with Body Kindness Sign up to get started for free and stay up to date on the latest offerings

---

Become a client Check out BodyKindnessBook.com/breakthrough for the latest groups and individual support sessions

---

Subscribe to the podcastWe're on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify and iHeartRadio. Enjoy the show? Please rate it on iTunes! Have a show idea or guest recommendation? E-mail [email protected] to get in touch.

---

Join the Facebook groupContinue the episode conversations with the hosts, guests, and fellow listeners on the Body Kindness Facebook group. See you there!

Nothing in this podcast is meant to provide medical diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevent any disease or condition. Individuals should consult a qualified healthcare provider for medical advice and answers to personal health questions.

Today we're talking about body positivity and weight loss. Can you be body positive and want to lose weight?

Whether it's the election or TV shows, there's been an explosion of stories about weight stigma, self acceptance in the news and social media. We think it's great that this conversation is growing so we're diving right into this timely topic today.

Here's what we talked about:

• What is body positivity? There's not a singular approved definition. It's a way of life and philosophy of respecting our bodies and treating them well that had its origins in the fat acceptance community.
• Body positivity is trending so much that I'm nervous it may jump the shark. There is growing chatter about mixing weight loss diet culture messages with body positivity messages and it's making some people angry. Those who started the body positivity movement are moving to terms like "fat activism" and "fat positive" to ensure there are safe spaces where you can be fat, not just a fat person trying to lose weight.
• We talked about the tendency to "give credit" to weight loss when we achieve goals. For example if you make lifestyle changes and happen to lose some weight and have less knee pain, you attribute that to the weight loss rather than your actions. This associates knee problems with weight when people of all sizes have knee problems! There's a lot of nuance there, but if we need to understand that weight loss may not be a helpful conversation in a body positivity space.
• My view is you can't control your honest desires and "wants" - they are thoughts and feelings - but you can accept you feel that way, acknowledge that diet culture and society plays a role in creating them, but focus on the actions you would take - losing a certain amount of weight is not an action. So you can be body positive, reject dieting (and want to lose weight at the same time) and focus on a healthy approach to habits. If you lose weight you're not kicked out of the body positive club.
• We discussed our mixed feelings about the new show This Is Us which has a fat character Kate. I was disappointed that Kate's weight battle was such a part of her story, when it looked like she is buying foods to binge eat - not healthy at any size! Bernie hated that her fridge was full of junk food and felt it was extreme and cliched.
• I loved that her family does not judge her based on her weight. When she asked her brother to tell her to lose the weight, he did not. Kate's own voice is the loudest that her weight is a problem. I would like to see the real problems get addressed - her mental health.
• If you Google "Trump weight stigma" there are 340,000 results with articles on fat shaming, weight bias and weight stigma from major media outlets. I'd never have predicted that this election would put these topics on the agenda.
• These issues go beyond partisan politics and I'm grateful they're getting attention and entering our conversations as we need to be aware of the harm of weight bias and stigma.

Links mentioned

• My Facebook live chat http://bit.ly/2dHSmWz
• An Imperfect Human's Guide To Body Positivity http://bzfd.it/2eal5ai
• This is Us actors discuss "Kate" weight and habit concerns http://bit.ly/2eakRzJ
• Fat Girl Flow's video http://bit.ly/2dHS1TP
• For more links visit http://bit.ly/2eam4Hw

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You can subscribe to Body Kindness on iTunes and Stitcher. Enjoy the show? Please rate it on iTunes! - http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1073275062

Are you ready for Body Kindness? Get started today with my free e-course and on-demand digital training. Learn more - http://bit.ly/2k23nbT

The New York Times Book Review calls Body Kindness "simple and true". Publisher's Weekly says it's "a rousing guide to better health." http://bit.ly/2k228t9

Watch my videos about why we need Body Kindness on YouTube. https://youtu.be/W7rATQpv5y8?list=PLQPvfnaYpPCUT9MOwHByVwN1f-bL2rn1V

Did you enjoy the podcast? Please subscribe and rate it. Have a show idea or guest recommendation (even yourself!) E-mail [email protected] to get in touch.

Nothing in this podcast is meant to provide medical diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevent any disease or condition. Individuals should consult a qualified healthcare provider for medical advice and answers to personal health questions.

Today we're talking about kids and weight, and how your body kindness practice can help the younger ones you love and even families that you don't know.

This is a touchy subject to say the least, but there's been some changes recently that could make an impact on our population's health.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) have just updated their 2007 Guidelines on prevention of obesity and eating disorders in adolescents. Their new recommendations are dramatically different and make us excited that we could finally start changing the conversation around weight and dieting.

Listen on to find out how you can be part of the change.

Here's what we talked about…

• I opened with a story about a friend who was at the doctor's office with her young son. She was shocked when the doctor commented on the son's weight and poked his belly. This was an active kid, part of a family where wellbeing is woven into their values. But the doctor didn't ask about lifestyle - he just made the judgment.
• This situation is not uncommon and is reflected in the previous AAP Guidelines. In 2007 it was okay to use the term obesity relating to children despite evidence that the term was more harmful than helpful. It also recommended to put "overweight" kids on commercial weight loss programs, and in some cases even recommended weight loss surgery.
• I said that as a culture a real shift will happen when we stop seeing bodies as problems and accept size diversity.
• We talked about the dramatic shifts in the 2016 AAP guidelines. Until now dieting has been presented to the medical community as the solution to childhood obesity. But dieting leads to weight cycling, obesity and/or eating disorders.
• Fifty years of research show that eating disorders are the most deadly mental illness. How we can be so accepting of dieting when the evidence shows it leads to eating disorders and depression, is associated with bullying and even suicide? That's why it's so important that these guidelines are going in the right direction.
• The new guidelines acknowledge that dieting, weight talk and weight teasing are harmful and associated with obesity and eating disorders.
• Here's some statistics to get the alarm bells ringing: the AAP also found that dieting behaviours were associated with a two-fold increase in risk of being overweight and 1.5 fold increase in incidence of binge eating.
• Parents who talked about weight had adolescents who were more likely to engage in dieting, unhealthy weight control behaviours and binge eating.
• The new guidelines discourage physicians from talking about weight with their patients but instead encourage focus on behaviours.
• If we can embrace size diversity accept there will always be bigger kids, we can accept that it's really about well being and feeling good about our habits. If you're not feeling good about your habits, that's the work. How you get there is through the practice of body kindness - not dieting.

Links

• My essay: Why the New Rules for Talking to Kids About Weight is a Really Big Deal - http://bit.ly/2cukVf3
• My advice to parents worried about their kids weight - http://bit.ly/2cwIFM9
• American Academy of Pediatrics latest guidelines - http://bit.ly/2culw03
• For more links visit http://bit.ly/bk-ep12

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You can subscribe to Body Kindness on iTunes and Stitcher. Enjoy the show? Please rate it on iTunes! - http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1073275062

Are you ready for Body Kindness? Get started today with my free e-course and on-demand digital training. Learn more - http://bit.ly/2k23nbT

The New York Times Book Review calls Body Kindness "simple and true". Publisher's Weekly says it's "a rousing guide to better health." http://bit.ly/2k228t9

Watch my videos about why we need Body Kindness on YouTube. https://youtu.be/W7rATQpv5y8?list=PLQPvfnaYpPCUT9MOwHByVwN1f-bL2rn1V

Did you enjoy the podcast? Please subscribe and rate it. Have a show idea or guest recommendation (even yourself!) E-mail [email protected] to get in touch.

Nothing in this podcast is meant to provide medical diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevent any disease or condition. Individuals should consult a qualified healthcare provider for medical advice and answers to personal health questions.

Our original interview was released in 2016 and replaced with this update.

Grab a pen paper and get ready for some serious healing. It's time to write about your relationship with your body. No matter how painful your past, you can cultivate what you desire through the power of the pen. Tune in to hear my "sorry body" letter from August 2016 and Bernie's "peace offering" from July 2019. You don't want to miss his reading and our reflection. We discuss the abuse he faced as a child and his post traumatic growth. Plus we share our best advice for anyone who wants to do this self reflection work.

Need more inspiration and reflection prompts? Join our #scalesmash challenge this summer. It's free! - BodyKindnessBook.com/scalesmash

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Get the Body Kindness book It's available wherever books and audiobooks are sold. Read reviews on Amazon and pick up your copy today! Order signed copies and bulk discounts here!

---

Donate to support the show Thanks to our generous supporters! We're working toward our goal to fund the full season. Can you donate? Please visit our Go Fund Me page.

---

Get started with Body Kindness Sign up to get started for free and stay up to date on the latest offerings

---

Become a client Check out BodyKindnessBook.com/breakthrough for the latest groups and individual support sessions

---

Subscribe to the podcastWe're on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify and iHeartRadio. Enjoy the show? Please rate it on iTunes! Have a show idea or guest recommendation? E-mail [email protected] to get in touch.

---

Join the Facebook groupContinue the episode conversations with the hosts, guests, and fellow listeners on the Body Kindness Facebook group. See you there!

Nothing in this podcast is meant to provide medical diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevent any disease or condition. Individuals should consult a qualified healthcare provider for medical advice and answers to personal health questions.

Our original interview was released in 2016 and replaced with this update.

How would it feel to get an extra one to two hours of sleep per night? If the thought of that sounds absolutely amazing then you're like most people who don't get enough sleep. (side effects include daytime feelings of being drunk! fatigue! irritability!)

Get our real life complaints and realistic advice for mindset and habit shifts that help.

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Get the Body Kindness book It's available wherever books and audiobooks are sold. Read reviews on Amazon and pick up your copy today! Order signed copies and bulk discounts here!

---

Donate to support the show Thanks to our generous supporters! We're working toward our goal to fund the full season. Can you donate? Please visit our Go Fund Me page.

---

Get started with Body Kindness Sign up to get started for free and stay up to date on the latest offerings

---

Become a client Check out BodyKindnessBook.com/breakthrough for the latest groups and individual support sessions

---

Subscribe to the podcastWe're on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify and iHeartRadio. Enjoy the show? Please rate it on iTunes! Have a show idea or guest recommendation? E-mail [email protected] to get in touch.

---

Join the Facebook groupContinue the episode conversations with the hosts, guests, and fellow listeners on the Body Kindness Facebook group. See you there!

Nothing in this podcast is meant to provide medical diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevent any disease or condition. Individuals should consult a qualified healthcare provider for medical advice and answers to personal health questions.

Our original interview was released in 2016 and replaced with this update.

Stress has a function and so does emotional eating. How you relate to stress and frame your views of emotional eating can make all the difference in how you feel about your body. In this powerful Learn and Grow episode, you'll learn why Bernie needed to stop restricting in order to realize that it would help cut back his stress eating even when his life stress continued to rise.

SOS: support our show at GoFundMe.com/BodyKindness. Pick up Body Kindness wherever books are sold and start healing your relationship with yourself.

Music: A Good Start from the American Dreams Soundtrack by Monplaisir, courtesy of freemusicarchive.org

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Get the Body Kindness book It's available wherever books and audiobooks are sold. Read reviews on Amazon and pick up your copy today! Order signed copies and bulk discounts here!

---

Donate to support the show Thanks to our generous supporters! We're working toward our goal to fund the full season. Can you donate? Please visit our Go Fund Me page.

---

Get started with Body Kindness Sign up to get started for free and stay up to date on the latest offerings

---

Become a client Check out BodyKindnessBook.com/breakthrough for the latest groups and individual support sessions

---

Subscribe to the podcastWe're on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify and iHeartRadio. Enjoy the show? Please rate it on iTunes! Have a show idea or guest recommendation? E-mail [email protected] to get in touch.

---

Join the Facebook groupContinue the episode conversations with the hosts, guests, and fellow listeners on the Body Kindness Facebook group. See you there!

Nothing in this podcast is meant to provide medical diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevent any disease or condition. Individuals should consult a qualified healthcare provider for medical advice and answers to personal health questions.

Our original interview was released in 2016 and replaced with this update.

Don't miss this important episode in the Learn & Grow Series. We talk about one of the longest studies on weight cycling and dieting — a study that followed the Biggest Loser contestants from Season 8 for six years. I help Bernie understand the outcomes of the journal article and how he can make peace with his experiences and move forward with body kindness instead of dieting.

The study found that their bodies had "fought to regain weight". Six years after the show:

• all but one contestant had regained a significant portion of their lost weight – an average of 70%
• their resting metabolisms had permanently slowed, burning an average 500 fewer calories a day than other people their age and size they had significantly lower levels of leptin, the body's satiety hormone.
• A heads up: in this episode Bernie discusses his temporary weight loss and excessive efforts on The Biggest Loser. So take care of yourself when deciding to listen. My hope is that our collective anger will feel like a salve to the wounds of chronic dieting and body shame.

Music: A Good Start from the American Dreams Soundtrack by Monplaisir, courtesy of freemusicarchive.org

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Get the Body Kindness book It's available wherever books and audiobooks are sold. Read reviews on Amazon and pick up your copy today! Order signed copies and bulk discounts here!

---

Donate to support the show Thanks to our generous supporters! We're working toward our goal to fund the full season. Can you donate? Please visit our Go Fund Me page.

---

Get started with Body Kindness Sign up to get started for free and stay up to date on the latest offerings

---

Become a client Check out BodyKindnessBook.com/breakthrough for the latest groups and individual support sessions

---

Subscribe to the podcast We're on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify and iHeartRadio. Enjoy the show? Please rate it on iTunes! Have a show idea or guest recommendation? E-mail [email protected] to get in touch.

---

Join the Facebook group Continue the episode conversations with the hosts, guests, and fellow listeners on the Body Kindness Facebook group. See you there!

Nothing in this podcast is meant to provide medical diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevent any disease or condition. Individuals should consult a qualified healthcare provider for medical advice and answers to personal health questions.

Our original interview was released in 2016 and replaced with this update.

Bernie Salazar has been a student of the body kindness philosophy for over two years. But early on in his practice, The Biggest Loser was still a popular show and Bernie was still trying to make sense of what it meant to be healthy.

Though he was deeply concerned about the well-being of the contestants, he still had his own self love and compassion "work" to do. His original "Loser letter," which you'll hear again in this show, still had some disordered logic and diet talk.

Now, we come full circle in this episode with a deep reflection on culture, the show, and who gets access to feeling happy and safe in their body. Bernie shares that his true, happy and healthy self was always meant to have a fat body. And he is finally embracing it. He encourages all of us to keep practicing body kindness and heal our relationships with ourselves.

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Get the Body Kindness book It's available wherever books and audiobooks are sold. Read reviews on Amazon and pick up your copy today! Order signed copies and bulk discounts here!

---

Donate to support the show Thanks to our generous supporters! We're working toward our goal to fund the full season. Can you donate? Please visit our Go Fund Me page.

---

Get started with Body Kindness Sign up to get started for free and stay up to date on the latest offerings

---

Become a client Check out BodyKindnessBook.com/breakthrough for the latest groups and individual support sessions

---

Subscribe to the podcast We're on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify and iHeartRadio. Enjoy the show? Please rate it on iTunes! Have a show idea or guest recommendatio? E-mail [email protected] to get in touch.

---

Join the Facebook group Continue the episode conversations with the hosts, guests, and fellow listeners on the Body Kindness Facebook group. See you there!

Nothing in this podcast is meant to provide medical diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevent any disease or condition. Individuals should consult a qualified healthcare provider for medical advice and answers to personal health questions.