People often talk about thinness, and the desire for thinness as a given. It’s so ingrained in our culture (thanks, $58.6 billion diet industry) that we don’t often ask the question “Why do you want to be thin?” What would being thin mean to you? I want to break apart some thinness myths. Let’s take a closer look at nine supposed benefits of being thin.

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Kids are, allegedly, getting fatter. But not a single study shows that weight loss works for more than 5% of people, and, by the way, despite fears about obesity, U.S. life expectancy continues to rise. So why are people continuing to fixate on childhood obesity? I think maybe because it’s obscuring a much bigger, scarier issue. This issue being childhood poverty.

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It seems that every year around this time, I get gazillions of e-mails from folks who are nervous about the holidays. Explaining to your family that you don’t want to know the number of calories in pecan pie, or that – yes – you have put on a little weight, and it’s totally okay, may not be your idea of a fun holiday. So what can you do to survive through it? I’ve got some ideas.

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“Lose 20 pounds, and you’ll feel better.” “If you started exercising, this wouldn’t be a problem.” If you aren’t thin, chances are you’ve gone to the doctor’s office about a lingering cold, or a hurt elbow and had to listen to comments like these from your doctor. These situations can be awkward, and triggering. So can we handle them in the moment?

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For a lot of people, exercise is a chore. They dread doing it, and if it doesn’t result in the weight loss they were hoping for, it can be even more discouraging. So how can you switch to a more body-positive approach to exercise? In this week’s video headline, Golda Poretsky offers some advice! Watch her explain how to find the right exercise for you, and how to recognize the benefits of it.

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