Guest Post: Caitlin of Operation Beautiful & Healthy Tipping Point

My name is Caitlin and I blog about my healthy lifestyle at Healthy Tipping Point.  About a year ago, I recognized a need in our community for a way to stop Fat Talk, or negative internal self-talk.  As Jillian Michaels said, “Fat talk is transcending….  It affects your reality and damages you professionally, personally, and physically.”

To help end Fat Talk, I launched the Operation Beautiful website, which is becoming a book on August 3, 2010 (if you want to order the book, it’s available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble,Borders, and Indie Bound).  The mission of Operation Beautiful is to post anonymous notes in public places for other women to find. The point is that WE ARE ALL BEAUTIFUL. You are enough… just the way you are!

By posting these notes, girls, women, and even men are redefining what “beautiful” means and focusing on their internal qualities for validation.  I think we spend too much time, energy, and money chasing an unrealistic ideal of perfection.

So, what do we really mean when we say, “I’m so fat”?  We  actually mean that we are FULL WITH AN EMOTION. Oftentimes, it’s shame.  Or sadness.  Or fear.   Why do we express our inner turmoil by hating our bodies?  Because that’s what Fat Talk and society tells us to do.  Don’t admit you’re scared, just feel fat!  Don’t admit you’re lonely or depressed, you’re just fat!   We can deal with ugliness, we cannot deal with weakness.  The next time you feel the urge to say, “I’m so fat,” think about what you REALLY mean. By berating your body, you aren’t doing any favors.  But by honoring your emotions, you’re living a happier, more honest life.

If you wouldn’t say it out loud to a friend, why would you say it to yourself?

Maybe right now you’re thinking: “But a little guilt can be a GOOD thing!” or “Guilt is a normal reaction to indulging!” But, if guilt was healthy or “normal,” it would be PRODUCTIVE and it would make you HAPPY.  Do you find yourself feeling guilty over food a lot?  Well, then — you’re repeating the same actions over and over again, and clearly… Guilt isn’t productive, it doesn’t work, and it only serves to lower your self -esteem. Guilt is a waste of time and takes away from productive things you could be doing with your time — meditating, studying, sleeping, calling your friends on the phone, and more.

For tips on how to stop Fat Talk and begin to see yourself in a more positive light, check out Change the Way You See, Not the Way You Look.

If you’d like to spread the message of positivity and hope, post an Operation Beautiful note!  Take a picture of your note and email it to me at seebriderun@gmail.com, and I’ll post it on the site for thousands of others to read and enjoy.

Join me on the quest to eliminate Fat Talk in all its nasty and evil forms from our lives!  Remember, it starts now… and it starts with you.

I’ve posted this video about Fat Talk a few times before, but not recently.  If you haven’t watched this before, please do! It’s so powerful and I cry every time: