Last year I gave you 3 Non-Diet Resolutions and looking back on it, I did stick to one of them! Can you guess which one? It was the one about wearing sunscreen. I love me some sunscreen! Anyway, I love the start of a new year and challenging myself to make positive changes. This year I want to challenge you to make some positive changes too! So here are five more non-diet New Year’s resolutions for fat babes to make this upcoming year the best year *ever*.
Up Your Instagram Feed: Now I don’t mean that you need to be insta-famous, I simply want you to follow the most wonderful, positive fat babes so that you can see yourself reflected every damn day. Social is the only place where I regularly see people that look like me, and they usually have something funny, inspiring, or relatable to say. Giving yourself daily reminders that there are tons of people that look like you and are thriving is crucial, but especially during January because everyone is being bombarded with weight-loss ads and diet industry BS. To get started, you can follow me right now! And here’s a list of other insta-babes I would recommend: Chubby Cartwheels, Queer Fat Femme, Mary Lambert, Body Posi Panda, Fat Girl Flow, Margot Meanie, Marquis Neal, Shooglet, Ready to Stare, Loey Lane, A Fat Fox, Meghan Tonjes, Gabi Gregg, abearnamedtroy, The Militant Baker, Saucye West, Fat Women of Color, Jazzmyne Jay, Mama Fierce Blog, Chubstr, The Fat Lip
Educate Yourself: How much do you know about the body positive movement? Or about Health at Every Size? There’s a growing list of books about fatness, physical and mental health, weight loss, food science, and more topics that play into the fat liberation movement. I find these books fascinating and helpful when trying to shake the looming shadow of diet culture. Reaching a place where you’re content with your size can be difficult if all you hear are vague messages, and don’t really dig into the “why” or the “how”. I know health at every size is achievable, but how? How do we know that? Hearing the results of studies and the insidious entanglement of the diet and food industries helps solidify fat-positive thoughts. Here are a few books to get you started: Health at Every Size, Secrets From the Eating Lab, Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls, Fat! So?, The Fat Girl’s Guide to Life
Be Kind to Yourself and Others: You know that whole junk about how being a nice person makes you look and feel nicer? Yeah, it’s true! I find myself slipping into old habits and saying some unkind things, usually because of my own insecurities or worries. This is really common with women, who are taught to attach each other rather than fight the real problem: the patriarchy. Remember that you can celebrate your own and other people’s success simultaneously. Bringing someone up will always get you farther than tearing someone down, and your kindness will rub off on others too. You could even make it a goal to say or do one kind thing every day, whether that’s a nice text, helping a coworker, or giving a compliment.
End Food Morality: We’ve all heard it before! In fact, it’s damn near ritualistic for women to restrict themselves (or appear as if they are restricting themselves) from rich or calorie-heavy foods. But I’m here to tell you, stop that shit! And stop other people from saying that shit! Food doesn’t have morality. Food is good because we need food to live. Everyone’s needs and wants are different and should be respected. You don’t need an excuse to eat chocolate or fries and you don’t need to “work it off” later at the gym. You’re allowed to eat and enjoy food and not be afraid of it. Bonus fact: Restricting diets actually lead to binge eating! And you probably will eat more by binging than you would have if you just had the thing in the first place! (Also I don’t like Amy Schumer but this sketch from her show always plays in my mind when people try to get me to help food police them.)
Take Care of Yourself: Stop reading now if you’re looking for diet inspiration, because it’s not coming. I want you to sit down and evaluate the level of care you give yourself. Which areas are satiated and which need more attention? Identify one or two areas of care and give them more attention. If you have trouble getting enough sleep, download a meditation app or research best practices for getting the most quality sleep. Do you end up wearing bikini bottoms because you hate doing laundry? Come up with a system that keeps your laundry duties regular. Do you absolutely hate your job and able to look for and apply for a new one? That’s part of taking care of yourself too. So much of wellness is focused on getting to a certain weight or clocking in so many hours at the gym, but a person’s health depends on many moving parts. And only you can know how to take care of yourself better. Set a monthly reminder to reflect on your wellness and identify which areas need more attention.
I hope these resolutions inspire you to make this an amazing year. I want all the love and light in the world to live in each of you reading this. Just the fact that you want to better yourself is an amazing quality. Have a safe and happy new year!
