Today’s lunch was bright and cheery- a tropical getaway if you will! :mrgreen:
I had a yellow pepper with freshly ground pepper and black bean dip on the side. (Sorry, I just realized how unappetizing that bean dip looks- LOL).
I continued my tater addiction with mashed potatoes! I made these a couple nights ago and they include almond milk, garlic, sea salt, and vegan margarine. I heated them up with a pat of vegan margarine and parsley flakes.
Two words: COMFORT FOOD.
With an Amy’s Texas veggie burger, a high protein pita, Fontaine Santa hummus, salsa, and tomato paste. I like Amy’s burgers, but I really need to make more of the In A Jiffy Spelt Veggie Burgers. They are much, much tastier (and cheaper).
Dessert was a WRINKLY peach! It was now or never so I took one for the team…and ate it wrinkles and all. ;) It did look more ‘distinguished’ I must admit. :mrgreen:
Two exciting things:
1) Michael Pollan + Alicia Silverstone + Food Inc + Whole Foods on Oprah today. Loved it. Anyone else catch it? I thought it was funny how careful Oprah was about everything she said. I must have heard the line, ‘This is only my opinion, you must make the choice for yourself.’ a million times. I guess she is avoiding another lawsuit…
2) 5:30pm and still light out. Can I hear a woot woot for Spring on its’ way??
Do You Feel Pressured To Be Thin At Your Job?
This week I was chatting with a reader who is in school to become a Registered Dietitian. She told me that there is a lot of competition among the RD students at her school. Of course there is competition over grades, but she told me there is also competition over weight and appearance.
Because the focus of the program is so health oriented and it is so competitive to get internships, there is a lot of pressure to appear as that perfect picture of health. You know the saying: practice what you preach.
I instantly thought about my previous jobs and whether I have felt any pressure to maintain a low weight. Most of them were office jobs, so there wasn’t much pressure there. However, I worked in retail for many years and had to wear the store’s clothing. At times, I remember wanting to look thin in the clothing so I could represent it well to potential buyers. However, I never felt pressure from my boss. It was internal pressure I placed on myself.
With my current job, owning a bakery, I don’t really feel much pressure about my weight because baker’s tend to have the stereotype of being heavy. However, owning a healthy bakery, I do think it is important to show that a healthy weight can be maintained with balance and moderation. It is not about being thin as it is just overall healthy though.
Then there is my OSG gig. Given my past eating disorder, I had to think very long and carefully about how I wanted to approach my blog. I knew immediately that it might not be healthy for me to be a 3x a day food blogger just due to the sensitivity I have around it all. It works great for many people, but I had to chose the right path for myself. I decided to blog about a variety of topics that I am passionate about, throw some hot topics and recipes in there, and try to have a nice balance for myself. This approach has worked for me because I have not felt overly scrutinized or pressured to live up to some ideal. I just try to be healthy for myself and not think too much about what other people think or expect of me.
Whether I had OSG or not, I would still want to maintain my weight and be a healthy person, so the blog really doesn’t change anything. At times I have fallen into the comparison trap, like many of us do, but I just try my best to work with what I have and never expect perfection from myself because it does not exist. [For a great discussion see Part 1 and Part 2 on Social Comparison Trap.]
So that was my long-winded way of leading into today’s question…
Do you or have you ever had a job (or school career) where you felt the pressure to be thin? What is it/was it and why do you feel that way? Are there things that you do to reduce the pressure?
You have to stay in shape. My grandmother, she started walking five miles a day when she was 60. She’s 97 today and we don’t know where the hell she is. ~Ellen
you know, oddly enough, I get chastised for being skinny at my job. mostly because I’m the only one that exercises in my office, they think the concept of me running marathons and doing ironmen is beyond crazy. and because I’m in the south with all kinds of fried meat (which I dont eat), they all think I’m abnormal.
I came from being a lightweight rower where I had to be under a certain weight, and since then I CANNOT be in a situation like that again, my current job situation is better than the opposite.
Hmmm…as a college instructor who is also a young woman, I actually feel like physical attraction can work against me. I purposefully wear very conservative clothing (no short skirts, tight blouses, etc.), because I feel like the 18-19 year old boys that I teach would see that as indication that they don’t have to respect me or take me seriously as a teacher. I don’t know if that makes sense?
Fabulous post!! As a personal trainer, OF COURSE I have felt pressured to be in shape. Luckily I WANT to stay in shape, but I am not thin by any means . . . I tend to be a little thick. So it takes alot of work on my part.
I have worked with a 50 year old woman who is overweight and is a trainer. She is fairly good at what she does, but unfortunately, people don’t want to go to her since she is heavy. I can;t argue with them. If I was hiring a trainer, I would want them to be in shape too – not overly ripped or anything, but not 50lbs overweight like she is. It’s sad, but true.
Oh hell yes I have had that experience….
To make a very long story short, one summer during college I worked at Abercrombie and Fitch and found out about sooooo many horrendous things that went on.
Basically, managers sat in meetings with pictures of the employees on a projector and rated them an A, B, or C based on LOOKS… and this determined how many hours they got and whether or not they worked in the front or back of the store.
I actually contributed to a class action law suit against them because some Latina women in California faced a great deal of discrimination at their local store, and so I told my story in order to help them out.
Disgusting that people actually do that, right? Sadly I’m sure they aren’t the only retail company to do this…
I am a former “part-time” sports model, but I never really felt pressured to be thinner than I was. There were definitely taller and thinner models out there, but I didn’t feel like being thinner was going to get me more jobs. At the time, I was pretty serious about sports as well, so being healthy and strong was more important to me. I also always kept in mind that being a model is like being a piece of meat. You might not be the cut they want. And for me, that was okay.
Bummed I missed the Oprah episode- sounds so interesting!
I’m still in school, so the pressure to be thin isn’t job related, but being with a bunch of college girls (espescially in NYC) definitely makes you conscious of some things! There seem to be an endless supply of ten foot tall, 90 pound models on this island. That being said, I know that my way of life is way healthier than that of someone who subsists on cigarettes and coffee, and I’d rather be happy than starving!
We noticed the same thing on Oprah. Yes she needs to be careful I guess, but at least she had the important topic on her show. More people need to be aware of this topic.
MarathonVal – that is CRAZY! . . . honestly being a retail manager myself I cannot think of something so horrible. Appearance is important in any kind of sales but that is EXTREME. I wonder if they do that at the stores in Canada too . . .
I definitely feel the pressure to be thin and stylish and young in my profession. You wouldnt think so, but opera today is extremely superficial and famous opera singers are just as thin and gorgeous as Hollywood movie stars! I try to keep it in perspective, that as long as I sing well and stay healthy it shouldn’t matter… but the pressure is definitely always there.
um, acting. enough said.
Like a few of the others who have commented, I worked in retail and felt the pressure to fit into the smallest size. In many ways it was self-imposed, but on the flip-side the company wants you to “model” the clothing.
Now as a fashion designer, I feel the pressure again. The press, clients and people that I meet expect me to look good and be thin. Knowing the standard measurements, and knowing my own can be a stress, and has triggered a few problems. This is one of the reasons I love your blog so much. Now I’m trying to eat in a way that is “good” for my body (and beat those voices in my head telling me not to eat). Your positive, healthy outlook helps.
I work in the buying ofice of a Bergdorf type store. So not only is there pressure to be thin, there’s pressure to look as good as the cosmetics buyers, carry as hip a bag as the accessories buyers, and dress as well as the womenswear buyers. Yeesh.
I have a typical office job – so there is no pressure to be thin. Unfortunately some of my co-workers are living really healthy and they are sometimes calling me naughty if I eat an icecream or a chocolate cake or some cookies etc. – I am not living completely unhealthy but sometimes I simply need chocolate. Now I am already hiding the cookies in my drawer and eat them if now one is watching – but it doesn’t feels good. I am not overweight but the others are more skinny than me – so I am always feeling bad if they catch me eating sweets. Strange situation…
Well, I work in the fashion industry, and all my coworkers are women, so I would be in a good position to feel pressured to be thin ;-) but strangely enough I don’t.
All of us at work come in different shapes, sizes and ages and I have to say that none of us are judgmental towards the others, which is good.
The only thing is sometimes I feel that I’ve officially been labelled as the health nut and think I eat some weird stuff (“what is that? tem-paay? oh, well, what the hell is this?” “ooooh you eat a lot of nuts, but these are full of fat, this is not very good” (helloooo healthy fats anyone?). So I guess the pressure I have is to keep remaining the health nut and go on eating weird things they don’t know, but none of them would judge me for putting on a few pounds :-)
woot woot for Spring! I was excited also when I realized it was still light out past 4:30…SO AWESOME!
It’s amazing living abroad, but working with Americans for the past 3 1/2 years. I think the university culture BREEDS such unhealthy and f-ed up images of body for so SO many women and men.
Here are some interesting snipets from Australians
‘Americans girls are obsessed about how they look. They’re always going to the gym, are obessesed with the way they look. They’re so skinny and eat healthy all the time’
‘It was interesting visiting America and seeing the students. What shocked me most was how skinny all of the girls were on the campuses. While I was there, a report came out that said 1/2 of American college girls have had or do have an eating disorder. The more elite the uni is, the more likely they are to have one’.
That is the land of the free, home of the brave, and the in ability to be perfect.
I am glad I live in Oz.
Wow, as an American all we ever hear is how fat and unhealthy the people of this country are. I guess it’s interesting to hear Americans and skinny in the same sentence! Sad, but true. Wish it was healthy and American.
I DVRed Oprah and I can’t wait to watch it this weekend!
Interesting topic you brought up. I am just going back to school to be an RD….so I’ll keep my eyes open for that competitiveness. I haven’t experienced that pressure at work before.
Angela, sometimes I feel like I should pay you…you know, for the personal counseling session you provide me with some of your posts. ;)
I didn’t even realize it until reading this, but I’ve certainly fallen into the comparison trip since starting my blog. I find myself considering what other bloggers would or would not eat when making food decisions at times. Ironically, the bloggers I admire most are those that seem to make food decisions based solely on what works for THEM (you being one of said bloggers!).
Thanks for this! You’ve been on FIRE with relevant/hard-hitting posts lately!
OK Cassie, no more comparing! :)
Since I am a RD yes there is occasional pressure, but I think more than anything it is self inflicted. It is mostly a female profession and so this female competitiveness kicks in. Also, many RD’s have had or still have an easting disorder or some sort of disordeded eating so sometimes the competitiveness will re-draw those habits out since the person can control them. I worked with great people and we always supposted each other so there was no pressure to be thin there, but you always wonder what people think of you when you are an RD. I just gained around 40 pounds since meeting my hubby and I know people wonder what happened to the 90# RD. But it is life and I am happy now and I wasn’t before…and I did have my gall bladder out which did a lot for keeping weight off for a long time…until I met my hubby. I am happy and healthy and so that is fine by me, although I am trying to lose some now that I realized how much I gained.
What a lovely lunch!
I love your post topics, Angela. Recently, I’ve had to stop reading one of my favorite blogs because he/she made me feel like she didn’t think she was good enough, and it made me feel like I wasn’t good enough. Hadn’t had that feeling in a long time, so I had to quit reading – and it was one of the first blogs I started reading :(
I love that your blog is different from the rest!
I find it so ironic that you ask this question today. I’m currently studying to be a wellness coach and one of the points made this week by a fellow coach was that we need to be role models for our clients. As a coach, we need to demonstrate the ways we strive to incorporate more balance and wellness in our lives. But what I loved about this coach was that she wasn’t saying this in an effort to say we are to be “perfect” role models. Everyone struggles with balance and treating their bodies well. I think we all experience days where our choices are nothin but gold in terms of taking care of ourselves. Other days…can you pass me the second bag of M&Ms? :) I think my point is this: I have been putting a great deal of pressure on myself these last months. What should I look like as wellness coach and fitness instructor? At the end of the day, I should look like ME! A healthy me, regardless of how that is translated on the outside. If my mind is healthy and happy, then my body can only follow the same path!
It has taken me a very very long time to come to this point and I will still struggle some days. But I will be honest about that struggle and I will continue to learn as much as I can!
Hey Angela –
Ever the inspiration :).
I have had two jobs that I can think of. One was at Hooters. I’d say that’s pretty self explanatory and the other is a current second job I have at a tanning salon. The tanning industry is that of great vanity. You can’t be overweight and unkempt when you are dealing with the “I think I’m so beautifuls”. LOL Plus, it is a sales job and nobody is going to purchase from someone who is not representing the product well. There is a saying … “tan fat looks better than white fat” but … still. Yes, the pressure is there.
Good topic.
I’ve never felt “job pressure” to be thin, although I’ve never worked in an image conscious work-place. I really hope I’m never in a work-place or job that does involve weight pressure. I can’t imagine having to deal with it and I don’t think I’d react to it well.
I caught Oprah yesterday! I haven’t watched it for ages, but I was really happy that I happened to turn it on yesterday. I thought it was a great episode. I haven’t previously been the biggest fan of Michael Pollan because a lot of articles/books I’ve read of his seem to ignore the animal rights aspect part of animal agriculture. I definitely agree with him that buying grass-fed meat from small, local farms is worlds BETTER than buying from factory farms – and it’s certainly a step in the right direction for the general public. I also like that he gets people thinking about these things, and I think he’s accessible to the general public. I just feel frustrated sometimes that when he talks about how “growing” meat on small farms is better for our health, the environment, and it tastes better – and he seems to ignore the fact that animals still die for that meat. Meat doesn’t “grow”! But again, I think baby steps are terrific & at least he’s getting people thinking about making small changes that can add up over time. Anyway, Pollan was super likable on Oprah & I liked what he had to say. I also thought Alicia was great! I noticed how careful Oprah was, too. Haha. At one point, she asked the creator of Chipotle if he was SURE he wanted to say something negative about the cattle industry, and she said she was keeping her mouth shut. Haha.
Regarding my weight, I don’t feel pressure at work because it’s an office job, and to be brutally honest, it’s mostly unhealthy, overweight people who work there. I do sometimes feel pressure as a vegan to be the “picture of health” because I want to be a good example of the plant-based lifestyle – but that’s just manifested itself in being physically active & eating healthy! I don’t obsess about it, which is a good mindset to be in, I think.
I definitely feel the pressure to be not necessarily be thin but to be the ultimate picture of health. It’s a ton of pressure being in the Health Promotions Department to make sure when you join in on the talks about health and all that good stuff that you make sure you are as you said earlier “practicing what you preach”. If I didn’t feel like I lived the lifestyle I preached I wouldn’t preach it. I honestly don’t think one can truly understand a certain lifestyle till they live it…just my opinion though.
Thankfully for me, I LOVE working out (they have to peel me out of the gym…guess it just comes from having been a college athlete the past 4 years…I need a 4 hour workout to supplement my old practices) and I LOVE LOVE LOVE making out meal plans. Don’t get me wrong, I have my cheat meals and they are amazing but I do understand that I am at risk for several genetic health problems (high cholesterol which I have already acquired) so I just choose to eat well and exercise to the best of my ability not necessarily for my major but more for me and my future health.
My boss mentioned when she hired me “good you’re fit, you’ll be a great spokesperson for peanut butter”
I feel a little weird wearing 8 sweaters when I’m selling at a freezing cold winter market, becasue I don’t want people to remember me from summer and think I gained a lot of weight. I get over it pretty quickly, (I like to be warm!) but it’s interesting- in the summer when I would wear a tank top to work, I had a lot more people say things like “will I look like you if I eat this peanut butter?”, joking of course.
I think I feel pressure – not from my job but from life in general. However, I enjoy working out and eating well – I do that for my emotional health more than my physical appearance.
Diana
I can definitely relate to this post. I worked at a small PR company for two years that only had one male employee. We often, jokingly, referred to it as “the Hen House,” but, after a while, it wasn’t so funny. I went in with some major eating problems to be sure, but the environment only fostered and encouraged my habits. Everyone counted calories/carbs and the fridge was full of low-fat everything. We often didn’t eat lunch until 2:00 or later and it was an unspoken rule that everyone ate at pretty much the same time. I became really unhappy there once I realized how much the workplace environment was justifying my eating disorder and, the day I quit, was one of the best days of my life!! Onward and upward, as they say!
It is all about pressure that you put on yourself… I’ve never felt pressure from anyone around me to get thinner, not at work, not in my group of friends, not at school, not anywhere. But then I’ve been preoccupied of the way I look for a long time in my life (went into eating disorders myself). With time -and work on myself- I can say that my present “goal” is not to look perfect, but to look and FEEL healthy and STRONG (both emotionally and physically). I do not compare myself anymore, I do not put pressure on myself. I am at a very good ratio height/weight, I am eating well, going to the gym, I have energy and health. I do not feel bad if I go shopping with a friend wearing a size 1, I wouldn’t want to be otherwise! :)
I have never felt any pressure of that type in any job or in life. I wonder if sometimes a little pressure to look good WOULD be good for me, because I feel like I let a lot slide a lot of the time (like eating waffle fries last weekend, or not covering up the gray hair on my head between appointments).
My sister is a kindergarten teacher, and the competition between the three teachers she works with has always been astounding to me. I was with her at school one day, and as we are walking across the playground she says, “Isn’t it crazy that I’m the biggest kindergarten teacher here.” At that time she was a tiny size four with bones poking out everywhere, and I firmly believe that her motivation to get that small came from her coworkers. Why do we do this to ourselves?
The sad thing is..that so many women think this way and it rubs off on little girls.
That is why I am so keen on getting over my issues. I would never want to give them to anyone else. Especially to my own children.
I also watched Oprah yesterday. Both Michael Pollan and Alicia Silverstone were so interesting. However, while watching Alica’s segment I did wonder what Micheal thinks of the health foods she was spotlighting at Whole Foods. With the exception of the produce they wouldn’t be food that “our grandma’s would recognize”. Are the processed vegan foods any better than other processed foods?
I never had a job where I felt pressure to be thin but I felt pressured to eat a lot of foods I didn’t want to. I love food and to eat but I feel better eating less processed foods and try to avoid refined ingredients. In a workplace where there was always donuts, cake, etc I was given a hard time when I would politely refuse the goodies (I just didn’t crave these products or derive any satisfaction from them). It’s interesting as I did not preach to anyone that they should avoid these foods but was questioned as to why I wouldn’t eat them, was I on a diet, etc…
I keow what made me feel good and I just stuck to that :)
I work at a medical school, and everyone here is much more focused on health than being thin. But I come from the media industry, and there, looks means everything! I had a previous boss say to me and my counterpart coworker (who is very tall like me, but blond instead of brunette) that we were his two models, and would send us out into the field. I knew that he would never have hired me if I wasn’t good looking and tall. My coworker and I never felt competition (she is still a great friend) but I felt that it was unfair of my boss to comment about how we look if we did a great job! I have a blog too, and chose not to photograph everything I eat. I eat the same boring things during the day anyway! My passion for food and health comes from the kitchen, so that’s what I want to document at night. I love the OSG format…keep it up!
I am a teacher and have never felt pressure to be thin from my boss or coworker. I have found, however, that being an example to my students encourages me to eat healthy and eat enough. I want my female students to see me as someone who is confident in my own skin and as someone who approaches food and a body image in a healthy way. Through college I struggled with disordered eating, but during my first year of teaching I really became convicted about what I was presenting to my students- I would HATE for any of them to struggle with disordered eating, so it became more important to be a healthy role model. They see me eating apples and peanut butter for snacks, but I also indulge in a cupcake if one of them brings it in for a birthday. I want to portray a healthy, balanced example.
Good on you Krista. If you teach anything to your kids…teaching them to love themselves and make healthy choices will forever be with them.
From one teacher to another–awesome!
I actually feel more pressure at my job to be UNHEALTHY. I moved from Utah to North Carolina, and wow, is the Southern lifestyle prevalent at my company. I get teased about my lunch-time workouts, my healthy meals and snacks, my “weird” food, everything. It’s weird. But I think the teasing is starting to get old and a few people have started coming to me for health advice. Being a good example is the best route!
That’s the backlash that I remember getting sometimes. ‘Oh come on Michelle, it’s drinks’ or ‘It’s only a piece of cake!’ or ‘you’re not dieting are you?’
It’s true. Sometimes it’s hard to be healthy when you’re surrounded by people who are not as health focused as you. It made me cower in my corner–so to speak—many times.
I can relate! I live in Dallas, and I get criticized constantly for my “weird food” and for lunch time yoga and for bringing my lunch every day! But you’re right, some people now look to me for healthy advice and even are inspired to work out after seeing my results!
It’s so hard sometimes, but we have to worry about ourselves only. I struggle with comparing myself to others all the time, but you’re right.. I’d rather be the example instead of be like everyone else!
I totally relate to you gals! Everytime I bring lunch in from home I hear ‘oooh that looks really healthy, oh I couldn’t eat that, oh look at me with my sandwich’ etc, it’s like, ‘gimme a break!’.
Or I go to the nearby burger bar and order my lentil veggie burger, and get asked ‘what’s the best (beef) burger I should get that’s low fat and healthy?’ which is quite an impossible question to answer….! I just say ‘Order whatever you’d like and enjoy it!’
Interesting. I acutally think I was hired at one of my jobs (lululemon) BECAUSE I wasn’t rail-thin.
When I worked there, almost all of my co-workers were quite skinny. I mean, it makes sense- most people that apply to work at lulu are usually very active and athletic types to begin with. But while I’m an active person, I’m still naturally curvy. I honestly think that one of the reasons they hired me was because I wasn’t the stereotypical yoga bodies. Somehow this made me less intimidating to the average shopper who wasn’t super thin and “perfect.” It’s true, I noticed that certain shoppers who seemed less confident about their bodies or had just started to work out and felt somewhat imtimidated by all the stretchy pants tended to gravitate towards me.
That being said, I heard murmurs from store-level management during my time there that if you want to climb the lulu ranks, you better be attractive. And looking around at the reigional and coroporate managers, they were indeed all stunningly beautiful. Hmmm.
Pressure to be think/attractive: definitely. In fact, some of my stress in the last few months has come from this. I work in a very “old boys” culture. Last week, I spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out what to wear to a meeting where I was the only female reviewer for a large proposal. Oh, and did I mention I was also about 20-30 years younger than everyone? And comments — you bet. It’s tough. It’s business.
Pressure to be thin/attractive: definitely. In fact, some of my stress in the last few months has come from this. I work in a very “old boys” culture. Last week, I spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out what to wear to a meeting where I was the only female reviewer for a large proposal. Oh, and did I mention I was also about 20-30 years younger than everyone? And comments — you bet. It’s tough. It’s business.
As an actor I do feel pressure to be thin. But I think more often than not I put it on myself. I live in Chicago though and LA might be another story. Probably one of the reasons I have yet to move to LA :)
I like taking care of myself so I know I would strive to be healthy and fit regardless of my profession. But maybe the pressure would be less. At my day job (acting doesn’t pay the bills yet-lol) I am the one known for eating “weird” foods and being “good” but really I am just eating a well balanced diet and have a healthy lifestyle. After reading these comments I realize that all offices seem the same!
Angela, I’m wondering if your other readers feel about the ‘teasing’ I get at work for being “too-skinny” and “too picky” about what I eat. Jokes are made about my weight (if it were reversed I would be osctrasized) and bets are made on if I will eat whatever goodie is brought in to share. Since when has leading a healthy lifestyle become a joke? I appreciate your openness about your eating issues. I’m with you! I did watch Oprah’s show yesterday and if you can still eat meat after that, all I can say is wow.
I think it’s bizarre behavior. I spend a lot of time with folks who drink a lot (and who would prefer I drink just as much). . . but I’ve never been teased when I say I can’t drink b/c I have a date with my running shoes later that evening.
I think your co-workers are jerks.
I’ve definitely been the recipient of comments about some of the things I eat but no one has flat out made fun of me or taken bets. I’d call them on it with something like a “Seriously…you’re really doing this?”
Nothing worse than pressure to drink…it can be pretty bad here (Ireland), because our drinking culture is a bit mad. I’m not a big drinker and never have been, if I’m out at a gig during the week I likely won’t drink. But people always act like I’m being a fuddy duddy…
Mary – that is so horrible that your co-workers would make jokes about your weight! So rude and mean. You poor thing!
Last night I left my house at 6:10 pm and there was still a touch of light in the sky. It made my day! There really is a promise of longer days and warmer temperatures in the future.
There is a huge range of health and weight where I work. We have one person in my small department who is obese and another who looks like a model (in a good way, not an anorexic way). I’m about average, but I don’t feel any pressure to be thinner, thank goodness! Of course this is also an academic, desk-job sort of situation in which our appearance is generally not involved in any part of our work.
Having just read the title of this blog at first, my gut reaction was “yes!”. I just decided to give up my corporate business job to go back to school and become a RD. Even though I have just returned to school, I already feel the pressure to get to my happy weight. I’ve been trying to lose weight for 1.5+ years and although I’ve lost a significant amount of weight, I still have weight to lose. It is definitely a motivator for me.
I also realize that when I get out into the field, people are going to look to me for an example of how to live a healthy life. One thing I have already dedicated myself to teaching my clients is to practice BALANCE and I hope that they can see that in my lifestyle. I also hope to teach my clients that “HEALTHY” does not always mean “THIN”. While I am still classified as overweight right now, I am in the best shape I’ve ever been in my life both physically and mentally.
After reading your blog, however, I was a little shocked that the reader said there is pressure among her program and to get into the intership. I haven’t had that many experiences with my school’s dietetics department yet, but I can’t imagine that feeling and I hope my school is not like that! Obviously the school cannot judge your admission to the internship program based on your physical appearance, so I wonder if it is more internal pressure or pressure from classmates in the form of rude comments or judgments about the students who are not “thin”? I wish that everyone seeking a career as a RD would also believe in balance, but I guess not.
People do not realize that being a RD is just like any other job really. There are RDs out there who do not take care of their health, just like there are doctors that smoke. Not everyone practices what they preach, so to speak. That makes me sad, but that’s life! I think the best thing we can do is live life for ourselves and not worry so much about how we stack up to everyone else. I, too, need to take this advice because it’s something I struggle with all the time!
Thanks for the perspective :)
Great post! I work for myself so my own pressure comes from me! I am not a tough critic though ;) haha. Wayyyyy back when I used to work at Aldo and we had to be in shape more I feel to make ourselves more “presentable” very frustrating! So I would “forget” lunch some days ;)
Have a great day!
XXOO
Currently, I work in a very small office, so what I find interesting is the only form of pressure I get is from the women in the office complaining about their weight and what they ate and how they haven’t exercised in weeks. They all eat prepackaged oatmeal for breakfast and Lean Cuisine’s for lunch! I have to remind myself sometimes that I’m healthy and I will never succumb to this kind of torture on my mind and body! :) Funny thing is, these women are fit and beautiful!
This is the same as my office! I run out to a local produce store a few times a week to make my own salads or bring my own homeade soups and am constantly getting flack about how much easier it would be to bring 5 lean cuisines and microwave oatmeal in each day. I try to remind myself that I am making the best choices for my body. For the ones who are thin and eat this way… I really believe that it will catch up with them one day in some form or another.
Thank God I have no pressure to be thin at my job.
Working in fashion there is definitely pressure to be thin. I used to be affected by it, but not so much anymore. In fact…I have become so into health and wellness, I have one foot out the door at my fashion gig (Shhhhh….). I have learned one of the most important aspects of health is self-acceptance. Once you can achieve that, you can achieve anything in life, health, and like they always say – in love! And I always tell myself…Perfection is BORING, dare to be different — in all walks of life!
I don’t feel pressure at my job, but I *do* feel pressure now that I’ve started a healthy living blog. My blog is just starting out, so a good amount of my readers are still my family, friends, and “acquaintances” that have found my blog through Facebook. Since they see that I have a healthy living blog, I feel pressure to a) look good and b) eat good at all times. The thing is, I eat not-so-healthy foods pretty often, and I’ve already gotten comments from people like “oh, are you gonna post that on your blog?” And I say, “sure am!” So I’ve been doing a pretty good job of not letting these sort of comments bother me, but they’re still in the back of my head.
I’m also currently struggling with some health issues. I have high cholesterol, a thyroid disorder, a low IgA (immunity) a possible case of mono!! I feel so…hypocritical for having a healthy living blog yet being quite UNhealthy. It was hard to admit these sort of things on my blog, but I felt it necessary. This is my reality, and now I need to try more than ever to live as healthily as possible.
Shew, I’ve gone off on a tangent :P Getting back to your ORIGINAL question, regarding pressure to be thin, my blog has definitely affected that as well. With bikini season around the corner, I do feel like I have to drop a few pounds and tone up to look my best and “show” people that I’m healthy through what my body looks like. I hate to even admit that because I always tell other people that being thin doesn’t necessarily mean being healthy. Maybe I should start practicing what I preach in THAT sense, huh?
Thanks for this post. It really opened my eyes to some things that I’ve been thinking and feeling without even fully realizing it! Your posts always have a way of doing that :P
I’m a teacher so I don’t feel particular pressure at work, but when I was in college I definitely did. My school was a very fit place and everyone was very healthy (well, healthy but drinking constantly of course). I did not do well in that environment and I am much healthier now without all the pressure.