How to Handle People That Comment on Your Body

Working with as many people as I do, I keep my ears open and eyes peeled for repetitive issues. While we all have different stories and journeys, the root causes for our issues with our bodies typically come from similar originations.

One thing I’ve realized in the past year or so is that one of the biggest reasons we are attached to the idea of having a particular body shape or size is because of what other people think or say about us.

I believe many of us would be completely content with our bodies if it were up to us but because we continue to give the power up to other people, that day never seems to come.

You may be wondering, why can’t I just be happy with my body now?

You, on your own, might already be.

You don’t mind how you look so much.

What you do mind is how other people think you look. You’re so concerned with what they are thinking about you that you don’t even allow yourself to completely and utterly enjoy your unique body.

Deep down you want to, but you’re so fearful of what will happen in the minds of others if you finally let yourself love your body unconditionally.

You might be thinking:

Will I let myself go?

Will I lose control over my diet?

Will I gain a whole bunch of weight?

Will I get lazy?

These are all questions I hear day after day. What most people don’t realize is that your intuition is dying to take over for once…if only you would let it. Your body knows more than your mind does when it comes to movement, food, sleep and sex.

We are ALWAYS over thinking everything. We over think what we want to eat. We over think whom we should date. We over think how much and how often we should work out.

Why do we do this?

We do this because we are wondering, what are THEY thinking about me?

What if you simply let yourself feel, do, breathe, eat and move without being concerned about what anybody else thinks?

I get it. This is so much easier said than done.

You can’t control how people respond to your weight loss or weight gain.

You can’t expect most people to understand how necessary a five, ten or twenty pound weight gain is to your mental (and physical) health.

You can’t demand your friends to understand what you’re going through. You can’t truly make them understand how damaging their comments are when they congratulate you on your recent weight loss or open their eyes wide at your recent weight gain.

You can’t make your boyfriend understand just how big of a deal it is that you finally ate chips and salsa at the Mexican restaurant without freaking out.

You can’t force people to understand that skinny does not always mean healthy and that fat does not always mean unhealthy.

All of this has to happen inside of you. Not them.

You have to be the one that understands this.

And that’s certainly something you CAN control.

Just like you once used food to cope with the things you couldn’t control in life (like people’s opinions of your body), now you must use self-love as a way to control your emotions and feelings about yourself when other people comment on your body unnecessarily.

Instead of changing your body when your mom comments on your weight gain, start training your brain to not respond negatively to comments about weight gain.

This starts with desensitizing yourself to fat shaming.

For example, it may serve you very well to start reading books that expose the truth about fat shaming, thin privilege, HAES (Health at Every Size), and body positivity.

Become a part of the movement.

Become one of the people that stands up for weight gain because you know the truth about HAES. You know that just because somebody has more weight than they did when they were younger, doesn’t mean they are less healthy.

Understand the facts.

Spend more time looking at plus-sized models on Instagram.

Read more books and memoirs about women who have done incredible things at less-than-average sizes.

Become a part of the movement.

It’s truly the quickest way to feel more confident in your beautiful body, no matter what size, weight or shape you may be at.

If you’re looking for more ways to stop obsessing about dieting and comments from the external world, be sure to sign up for my webinar! Next Thursday, I will be hosting “How to Stop Obsessing Over Food, Dieting and Exercise: 5 Key Steps You’re Not Doing” and you can claim your spot HERE before it’s too late.

See you there!

Are you sick of people commenting on your body? Here’s what you can do about it.