The hottest Body Image Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Food & Drink Topics

What Cis-Male Pattern Baldness Can Teach Us About Weight Science

Weight and Healthcare • 299 implied HN points • 26 Feb 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Body Image
  1. Correlation does not equal causation - a fundamental principle in research that is often overlooked in weight science.
  2. Weight loss attempts commonly fail and can even result in long-term weight gain - focusing on weight as a health indicator may be misguided.
  3. Improving health in fat individuals may not necessarily require weight loss - addressing barriers to health and promoting overall well-being can be more effective.

The “I just want to feel like I felt at my old weight” mistake

Weight and Healthcare • 319 implied HN points • 29 Dec 21
🏥 Health & Wellness Body Image
  1. Don't assume your past body size is the key to feeling better now, as many factors can influence how we feel.
  2. Focusing on healthy habits rather than trying to attain a specific body size is more likely to support overall health.
  3. Fat patients deserve equal treatment for aches and pains without being pressured into weight loss interventions.

It's the Diets That Fail, Not the Patients They Are Prescribed To

Weight and Healthcare • 319 implied HN points • 27 Oct 21
🏥 Health & Wellness Body Image
  1. Diets often fail, with studies showing a high failure rate around 95%, despite patients' efforts.
  2. Weight loss interventions can lead to biological changes that promote weight regain, indicating a flaw in the approach.
  3. Healthy habits, rather than weight loss, show significant health benefits regardless of BMI, challenging the common belief in weight loss as the key to health.

Sloth And Gluttony

The Heart Attack Diet • 39 implied HN points • 26 Aug 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Body Image
  1. Obesity is a worldwide problem linked to modern diets and lifestyles.
  2. The common solution of 'Eat Less, Exercise More' may not be effective for everyone.
  3. The concept of 'Calories In, Calories Out' is a valid principle, but 'Eat Less, Exercise More' oversimplifies the complex factors influencing weight.

5 Questions with Aaron Flores

Weight and Healthcare • 139 implied HN points • 16 Mar 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Body Image
  1. Aaron Flores focuses on helping people develop behaviors rooted in curiosity, compassion, and non-judgment for a better relationship with their bodies and food.
  2. Flores learned about weight-neutral and body affirming care through Intuitive Eating, Health at Every Size™, and body trust concepts over a period of several years.
  3. In his work, Flores emphasizes transparency with clients, validates their experiences with shame and blame, and aims to help them reconnect with their body wisdom and values for behavior change.
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The Many Dangers of Conflating Weight and Health

Weight and Healthcare • 179 implied HN points • 28 Oct 21
🏥 Health & Wellness Body Image
  1. Weight and health are separate concepts - people can have different health statuses at the same weight and vice versa.
  2. The idea of 'healthy weight' is problematic and has generated more harm than good, particularly for higher-weight individuals.
  3. Focusing on healthy behaviors rather than solely on weight loss is a better predictor of future health outcomes.

What Is a PAWG(Blog)?

Many Such Cases • 219 implied HN points • 02 Jun 21
🎭️ Culture Body Image
  1. The term 'PAWG' refers to a specific body type that is attractive to many, especially in porn. It's about being confident in your body and owning the label.
  2. This newsletter will explore culture through the lens of what it means to be a PAWG. It will discuss famous PAWGs and also share personal reflections.
  3. Identifying as a PAWG can be seen as both fun and a reclamation of a term often used in a sexual context. It’s not just about the body type but also a state of mind.

Maintain Boundaries Re: Food and Family

Are You Okay? • 39 implied HN points • 13 Dec 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Body Image
  1. Maintain healthy boundaries when discussing food, weight, and bodies with loved ones to foster positive relationships and support.
  2. Recognize the impact of societal influences like diet culture on our relationship with food and body image and work towards correcting harmful beliefs and language.
  3. Prioritize your well-being by setting boundaries with family, focusing on your needs, and allowing yourself to enjoy food without guilt during the holiday season.

Woman-made: Finding Beauty and Agency in Childbirth

Humanities in Revolt • 79 implied HN points • 08 May 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Body Image
  1. Childbirth is often misrepresented in popular culture as a life-threatening emergency, portraying pregnant women as helpless props.
  2. The painting by Amanda Greavette challenges mainstream birth stereotypes by emphasizing the beauty, difficulty, and agency of women's birthing experiences.
  3. Recognizing women's agency in childbirth is crucial for respecting their reproductive autonomy and can influence important ethical discussions around abortion rights.

What it's Like to Have a Homeostat

The Heart Attack Diet • 19 implied HN points • 02 Sep 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Body Image
  1. Weight can be maintained consistently over time with a well-functioning homeostat, regardless of lifestyle or diet changes.
  2. Consistent physical activity and high calorie consumption did not impact the author's weight due to their stable homeostat.
  3. Even drastic changes like cycling across a country and significant weight loss were corrected quickly by the homeostat to maintain a stable weight.

Yoga dad bod

Situation Normal • 111 implied HN points • 05 Mar 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Body Image
  1. Sometimes, awkward interactions can lead to funny stories and laughter.
  2. In yoga, focus on the journey of moving and breathing rather than just the destination.
  3. Embrace the concept of 'dad bods' and appreciate different standards of attractiveness.

The Ugly Side Effects of Being Extremely Attractive

Torture Chamber Small Talk • 79 implied HN points • 21 Apr 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Body Image
  1. Weight loss drugs like Ozempic can have serious side effects but are increasingly popular for cosmetic weight loss.
  2. Beauty standards and societal pressures play a significant role in the obsession with appearance and weight loss.
  3. Health should be the priority over beauty, and extreme measures like weight loss drugs should only be considered for health reasons, not just aesthetic purposes.

Profit-Maximizing Barbie

Good Reason • 56 implied HN points • 19 Aug 23
🎭️ Culture Body Image
  1. The movie 'Barbie' critiqued the doll's unrealistic standards while making billions in profit.
  2. Corporate entities like Vought in 'The Boys' and Mattel with Barbie can profit off criticism and controversial themes.
  3. Mattel faced criticism for Barbie's body image standards, attempted changes, but struggled due to societal norms and children's preferences.

I’ve been on a diet (almost) my whole life

The Shift With Sam Baker • 19 implied HN points • 08 Sep 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Body Image
  1. The author has spent a large part of their life on a diet, feeling pressure to lose weight, dating back to childhood and teenage years.
  2. The societal influence on body image and diet culture started early for the author, impacting their perception of self-image and leading to disordered eating habits.
  3. Working in the fashion industry intensified the author's struggles with body image, but the root of their dieting habits trace back to societal norms and personal experiences from childhood.

Good news about getting old

Sex and the State • 12 implied HN points • 23 Feb 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Body Image
  1. The post discusses the positive aspects of aging, showing that there can be good news about getting old.
  2. There is a mention of body image and weight in relation to an Instagram post, prompting further discussion on these topics.
  3. Readers can access the full post and archives with a 7-day free trial subscription.

The dark side of girl dinner

The Digital Native • 0 implied HN points • 04 Sep 23
🍲 Food & Drink Body Image
  1. Girl dinner trend started as a fun social media trend but turned problematic due to influence of diet culture.
  2. Food and body trends are interconnected, often promoting unrealistic beauty and body ideals.
  3. Food trends should be enjoyed in moderation, focusing on balance and personal happiness rather than strict diet norms.

It’s that Bikini Body BS time of year again

The Shift With Sam Baker • 0 implied HN points • 23 Jun 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Body Image
  1. The post addresses the harmful Bikini Body culture and the pressure to look a certain way, emphasizing the wasted time and energy in this pursuit.
  2. It highlights the impact of societal expectations on body image at different ages, indicating that the pressure and self-criticism continue over the years.
  3. The post reflects on the absurdity of investing so much mental and emotional energy into worrying about one's physical appearance, as humorously described in a quote from Emma Thompson.

Morgane Billuart: Elevated and Upgraded: The Paradigms of Female Health and Body Optimization

Do Not Research • 0 implied HN points • 16 Oct 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Body Image
  1. Optimization often involves maximizing the utility of the body and striving for perfection under societal norms and expectations.
  2. The concept of an 'optimized woman' revolves around empowering oneself through pain, creating strategies based on menstrual cycles, and integrating external elements for survival.
  3. The pressure to optimize our bodies and lives is influenced by capitalist, patriarchal, and technological systems, leading to feelings of inadequacy and constant comparison with machines.

Be Kind to Yourself

Are You Okay? • 0 implied HN points • 12 Jun 20
🏥 Health & Wellness Body Image
  1. Eating healthfully has become more difficult during the pandemic due to changes in routines, structures, and access to resources like gyms.
  2. Anxiety often influences people's relationship with food, leading to behaviors like restrictions, chaotic eating, and using food for self-soothing during stressful times.
  3. Practicing intuitive eating and mindfulness can promote a healthier relationship with food by prioritizing balance, consistency, and being kind to oneself.

Adolescence Is No Picnic

Are You Okay? • 0 implied HN points • 27 Jun 22
🏥 Health & Wellness Body Image
  1. Amy Chua's success was influenced by her parents' strict 'tough love' parenting style, teaching her resilience and ethnic pride.
  2. Adolescence can be challenging, especially today with the pressure to belong and social media influence.
  3. Struggling with body image and identity during adolescence is common, but changing your body may not resolve underlying self-doubt.