WEBVTT
00:00:05.040 --> 00:00:11.519
Welcome to The Path Beyond Binge Eating, the show for women who want to stop being pulled back into binge eating patterns.
00:00:11.679 --> 00:00:13.679
I'm your host, Molly Dyer.
00:00:14.160 --> 00:00:16.480
Today we're talking about body checking.
00:00:16.640 --> 00:00:39.200
You know, the little things you may do, like looking in the mirror from different angles, checking on how clothing fits throughout the day, pinching or pressing certain areas on your body, comparing your body to someone else's, looking at old photos, or seeking reassurance that your body has not changed from another person.
00:00:39.439 --> 00:00:42.240
These behaviors can feel helpful in the moment.
00:00:42.479 --> 00:00:49.439
You may believe that you're just gathering information, checking that everything is okay, or even calming your anxiety.
00:00:49.679 --> 00:00:59.920
And it's true that sometimes body checking may offer a brief sense of reassurance, but it often creates more anxiety, self-criticism, and pressure after.
00:01:00.079 --> 00:01:06.959
The binge cycle may look like it starts with binging, but the pattern can start much earlier.
00:01:07.200 --> 00:01:16.799
A body checking experience can create the feeling that something is wrong, which can lead to restriction, compensation, and eventually another binge.
00:01:16.959 --> 00:01:21.920
I know you didn't wake up one morning and decide to become preoccupied with your body.
00:01:22.079 --> 00:01:27.599
This develops over time, so gradually, in fact, you may not have really even noticed it happening.
00:01:27.840 --> 00:01:32.799
Body checking is one of the ways that the binge restrict cycle is reinforced.
00:01:32.959 --> 00:01:41.760
Like other factors that lead us to tune out of the connection with our body, reassurance seeking through body checking can be learned from watching other women around us.
00:01:42.000 --> 00:02:06.079
Body checking can show up in relation to family beliefs about weight, food, and appearance, comments you may have heard about your body, social media and comparison, clothing size or numbers being treated as a measure of worth or success, or experiences of rejection, embarrassment, or criticism, either directly or indirectly connected with your body shape, weight, or appearance.
00:02:06.319 --> 00:02:14.240
So if you look at it from that lens, body checking may have developed as an attempt to create safety or predictability.
00:02:14.400 --> 00:02:23.759
You may have learned along the way that if you could monitor your body closely enough, you may be able to prevent criticism, rejection, or loss of control.
00:02:24.000 --> 00:02:29.120
And within that context, the behavior makes sense, even if it's no longer helping you.
00:02:29.360 --> 00:02:37.360
The problem is that body checking is an outside measure that changes the way you feel about yourself internally and holistically.
00:02:37.520 --> 00:02:49.599
Body checking gives the mirror, clothes, the scale, photographs, another person's opinion, power and influence on how you see yourself in that moment.
00:02:49.840 --> 00:03:04.479
As we talked about earlier, the result may be a short sense of relief, but I'm curious if you notice within that brief sense of relief if there's another underlying message, such as keep your body exactly as it is now.
00:03:04.800 --> 00:03:06.080
Do not change.
00:03:06.879 --> 00:03:16.960
When body checking results in feeling negative, it may lead to panic, urgency, and reinforce the belief that you need to do something now to fix it.
00:03:17.120 --> 00:03:23.759
And that solution often has to do with restricting food, compensation, dieting more, etc.
00:03:24.159 --> 00:03:30.800
Either way, when you repeat the practice of body checking over and over, it becomes a very automatic pattern in your brain.
00:03:30.960 --> 00:03:35.439
A pattern that reinforces the need for more external reassurance.
00:03:35.840 --> 00:03:38.960
I love to share and teach by example.
00:03:39.199 --> 00:03:40.879
So here's an example.
00:03:41.199 --> 00:03:42.879
Say you put on a pair of jeans.
00:03:43.039 --> 00:03:46.000
You notice immediately they feel tighter than expected.
00:03:46.159 --> 00:03:54.719
You may immediately interpret the sensation as evidence that you've done something really wrong, that you're somehow now too much, or that you have failed in some way.
00:03:54.879 --> 00:04:05.840
This interpretation can certainly lead to things like skipping a meal, choosing to eat less, avoiding social plans, comparing yourself to other people, and a lot of distress.
00:04:06.080 --> 00:04:14.639
Body checking goes from being first about appearance to then being about what you deserve and who you are incredibly fast.
00:04:14.879 --> 00:04:22.480
And honestly, when body checking leaves you feeling inadequate, the next impulse is not compassion, it's control.
00:04:22.959 --> 00:04:28.399
How body checking shows up in the restricted binge cycle may be something like this.
00:04:29.279 --> 00:04:32.319
One morning you get up and put on your jeans.
00:04:32.480 --> 00:04:40.720
Immediately you notice something feels off, or at least unlike how you expected it to, and then you have the thought that somehow this is your fault.
00:04:40.879 --> 00:04:45.040
You decide to restrict, compensate, or tighten your food rules.
00:04:45.199 --> 00:04:48.560
Physical hunger and emotional pressure build throughout the day.
00:04:48.720 --> 00:04:50.959
The food noise gets really loud.
00:04:51.199 --> 00:04:55.839
As your body is in a state of starvation, you're noticing the urges to binge show up.
00:04:56.000 --> 00:05:01.680
And although you try with everything you can not to, the binge ends up happening anyway.
00:05:01.839 --> 00:05:08.480
Then you see that as proof that you need more control, so you promise yourself you'll eat less tomorrow.
00:05:08.800 --> 00:05:11.040
That is how the cycle continues.
00:05:11.279 --> 00:05:30.720
Now I'm not saying that all body checking leads directly to a binge, but it certainly will increase your experience of food noise, anxiety, more self-monitoring, comparison, disconnection from hunger cues, and it will increase your urges to compensate, all of which reinforce the binge cycle.
00:05:30.959 --> 00:05:35.519
In healing beyond binge eating, it's the small shifts that create the change.
00:05:35.680 --> 00:05:41.040
And awareness is the foundation because within our awareness we have choice.
00:05:41.439 --> 00:05:44.720
So today I offer you this awareness practice.
00:05:44.879 --> 00:05:47.839
As always, the practices I share are optional.
00:05:48.079 --> 00:05:51.600
You have a choice whether you choose to try them or not.
00:05:52.480 --> 00:05:55.680
I invite you to notice when you body check.
00:05:55.920 --> 00:06:04.240
Without demanding that you stop immediately, I encourage you to pause and ask yourself one or more of the following questions.
00:06:04.560 --> 00:06:08.079
What am I hoping checking my body will tell me?
00:06:08.639 --> 00:06:11.279
What am I afraid it might tell me?
00:06:12.560 --> 00:06:15.759
What happens directly after I body check?
00:06:16.720 --> 00:06:20.240
And what is it I really need when I body check?
00:06:21.040 --> 00:06:26.079
I will say that it typically is not about your appearance, weight, or shape.
00:06:26.879 --> 00:06:33.199
Again, this practice is invitational, but just thinking about the practice is a shift.
00:06:33.439 --> 00:06:36.720
Listening to this podcast is a shift.
00:06:37.040 --> 00:06:40.319
Considering even one of the questions is a shift.
00:06:40.480 --> 00:06:45.680
And these are all very important shifts as you are choosing that on your path forward.
00:06:45.920 --> 00:06:59.439
It's important to remember in this practice, the intention is to increase awareness of an automatic pattern, to bring awareness to something that has been going on unconsciously and automatically for a very long time.
00:07:00.480 --> 00:07:01.759
Thank you for listening.
00:07:01.920 --> 00:07:08.720
Be sure to follow the Path Beyond Binge Eating on your favorite podcast player so you do not miss any future episodes.
00:07:09.040 --> 00:07:13.199
If today's conversation resonated with you, I'd love to hear about it.
00:07:13.360 --> 00:07:17.600
I'm Molly Dyer, and I'll see you next week on the Path Beyond Binge Eating.
00:00:05.040 --> 00:00:11.519
Welcome to The Path Beyond Binge Eating, the show for women who want to stop being pulled back into binge eating patterns.
00:00:11.679 --> 00:00:13.679
I'm your host, Molly Dyer.
00:00:14.160 --> 00:00:16.480
Today we're talking about body checking.
00:00:16.640 --> 00:00:39.200
You know, the little things you may do, like looking in the mirror from different angles, checking on how clothing fits throughout the day, pinching or pressing certain areas on your body, comparing your body to someone else's, looking at old photos, or seeking reassurance that your body has not changed from another person.
00:00:39.439 --> 00:00:42.240
These behaviors can feel helpful in the moment.
00:00:42.479 --> 00:00:49.439
You may believe that you're just gathering information, checking that everything is okay, or even calming your anxiety.
00:00:49.679 --> 00:00:59.920
And it's true that sometimes body checking may offer a brief sense of reassurance, but it often creates more anxiety, self-criticism, and pressure after.
00:01:00.079 --> 00:01:06.959
The binge cycle may look like it starts with binging, but the pattern can start much earlier.
00:01:07.200 --> 00:01:16.799
A body checking experience can create the feeling that something is wrong, which can lead to restriction, compensation, and eventually another binge.
00:01:16.959 --> 00:01:21.920
I know you didn't wake up one morning and decide to become preoccupied with your body.
00:01:22.079 --> 00:01:27.599
This develops over time, so gradually, in fact, you may not have really even noticed it happening.
00:01:27.840 --> 00:01:32.799
Body checking is one of the ways that the binge restrict cycle is reinforced.
00:01:32.959 --> 00:01:41.760
Like other factors that lead us to tune out of the connection with our body, reassurance seeking through body checking can be learned from watching other women around us.
00:01:42.000 --> 00:02:06.079
Body checking can show up in relation to family beliefs about weight, food, and appearance, comments you may have heard about your body, social media and comparison, clothing size or numbers being treated as a measure of worth or success, or experiences of rejection, embarrassment, or criticism, either directly or indirectly connected with your body shape, weight, or appearance.
00:02:06.319 --> 00:02:14.240
So if you look at it from that lens, body checking may have developed as an attempt to create safety or predictability.
00:02:14.400 --> 00:02:23.759
You may have learned along the way that if you could monitor your body closely enough, you may be able to prevent criticism, rejection, or loss of control.
00:02:24.000 --> 00:02:29.120
And within that context, the behavior makes sense, even if it's no longer helping you.
00:02:29.360 --> 00:02:37.360
The problem is that body checking is an outside measure that changes the way you feel about yourself internally and holistically.
00:02:37.520 --> 00:02:49.599
Body checking gives the mirror, clothes, the scale, photographs, another person's opinion, power and influence on how you see yourself in that moment.
00:02:49.840 --> 00:03:04.479
As we talked about earlier, the result may be a short sense of relief, but I'm curious if you notice within that brief sense of relief if there's another underlying message, such as keep your body exactly as it is now.
00:03:04.800 --> 00:03:06.080
Do not change.
00:03:06.879 --> 00:03:16.960
When body checking results in feeling negative, it may lead to panic, urgency, and reinforce the belief that you need to do something now to fix it.
00:03:17.120 --> 00:03:23.759
And that solution often has to do with restricting food, compensation, dieting more, etc.
00:03:24.159 --> 00:03:30.800
Either way, when you repeat the practice of body checking over and over, it becomes a very automatic pattern in your brain.
00:03:30.960 --> 00:03:35.439
A pattern that reinforces the need for more external reassurance.
00:03:35.840 --> 00:03:38.960
I love to share and teach by example.
00:03:39.199 --> 00:03:40.879
So here's an example.
00:03:41.199 --> 00:03:42.879
Say you put on a pair of jeans.
00:03:43.039 --> 00:03:46.000
You notice immediately they feel tighter than expected.
00:03:46.159 --> 00:03:54.719
You may immediately interpret the sensation as evidence that you've done something really wrong, that you're somehow now too much, or that you have failed in some way.
00:03:54.879 --> 00:04:05.840
This interpretation can certainly lead to things like skipping a meal, choosing to eat less, avoiding social plans, comparing yourself to other people, and a lot of distress.
00:04:06.080 --> 00:04:14.639
Body checking goes from being first about appearance to then being about what you deserve and who you are incredibly fast.
00:04:14.879 --> 00:04:22.480
And honestly, when body checking leaves you feeling inadequate, the next impulse is not compassion, it's control.
00:04:22.959 --> 00:04:28.399
How body checking shows up in the restricted binge cycle may be something like this.
00:04:29.279 --> 00:04:32.319
One morning you get up and put on your jeans.
00:04:32.480 --> 00:04:40.720
Immediately you notice something feels off, or at least unlike how you expected it to, and then you have the thought that somehow this is your fault.
00:04:40.879 --> 00:04:45.040
You decide to restrict, compensate, or tighten your food rules.
00:04:45.199 --> 00:04:48.560
Physical hunger and emotional pressure build throughout the day.
00:04:48.720 --> 00:04:50.959
The food noise gets really loud.
00:04:51.199 --> 00:04:55.839
As your body is in a state of starvation, you're noticing the urges to binge show up.
00:04:56.000 --> 00:05:01.680
And although you try with everything you can not to, the binge ends up happening anyway.
00:05:01.839 --> 00:05:08.480
Then you see that as proof that you need more control, so you promise yourself you'll eat less tomorrow.
00:05:08.800 --> 00:05:11.040
That is how the cycle continues.
00:05:11.279 --> 00:05:30.720
Now I'm not saying that all body checking leads directly to a binge, but it certainly will increase your experience of food noise, anxiety, more self-monitoring, comparison, disconnection from hunger cues, and it will increase your urges to compensate, all of which reinforce the binge cycle.
00:05:30.959 --> 00:05:35.519
In healing beyond binge eating, it's the small shifts that create the change.
00:05:35.680 --> 00:05:41.040
And awareness is the foundation because within our awareness we have choice.
00:05:41.439 --> 00:05:44.720
So today I offer you this awareness practice.
00:05:44.879 --> 00:05:47.839
As always, the practices I share are optional.
00:05:48.079 --> 00:05:51.600
You have a choice whether you choose to try them or not.
00:05:52.480 --> 00:05:55.680
I invite you to notice when you body check.
00:05:55.920 --> 00:06:04.240
Without demanding that you stop immediately, I encourage you to pause and ask yourself one or more of the following questions.
00:06:04.560 --> 00:06:08.079
What am I hoping checking my body will tell me?
00:06:08.639 --> 00:06:11.279
What am I afraid it might tell me?
00:06:12.560 --> 00:06:15.759
What happens directly after I body check?
00:06:16.720 --> 00:06:20.240
And what is it I really need when I body check?
00:06:21.040 --> 00:06:26.079
I will say that it typically is not about your appearance, weight, or shape.
00:06:26.879 --> 00:06:33.199
Again, this practice is invitational, but just thinking about the practice is a shift.
00:06:33.439 --> 00:06:36.720
Listening to this podcast is a shift.
00:06:37.040 --> 00:06:40.319
Considering even one of the questions is a shift.
00:06:40.480 --> 00:06:45.680
And these are all very important shifts as you are choosing that on your path forward.
00:06:45.920 --> 00:06:59.439
It's important to remember in this practice, the intention is to increase awareness of an automatic pattern, to bring awareness to something that has been going on unconsciously and automatically for a very long time.
00:07:00.480 --> 00:07:01.759
Thank you for listening.
00:07:01.920 --> 00:07:08.720
Be sure to follow the Path Beyond Binge Eating on your favorite podcast player so you do not miss any future episodes.
00:07:09.040 --> 00:07:13.199
If today's conversation resonated with you, I'd love to hear about it.
00:07:13.360 --> 00:07:17.600
I'm Molly Dyer, and I'll see you next week on the Path Beyond Binge Eating.
