New year, same you: Celebrating who you are and the body you’re in - today.

It’s that time of year again… the holidays have come and gone, we

are dreaming of longer days and warmer weather here in the

northeast… and we are all about to be endlessly bombarded with

toxic diet culture messaging from the left and right. From tv

commercials to social media ads, the $70+ billion dollar weight loss

industry is busy at work trying to convince us all that our bodies

cannot be trusted and need to be fixed. Spoiler alert: our bodies are

not the problem. They never were. In fact, it is these very bodies

that have kept us all alive through some pretty challenging times in

these past few years alone.

A new year is often touted as a blank slate, a fresh start. Though I

think it may be even more useful used as a time to reflect back…

How have you been feeling in your body? How have you been

treating it? What has been going well? What has been challenging

for you? What would you like to include more of in your life? What

beliefs and/or behaviors are no longer serving you? And an

important thought to consider as we enter into the new year: How

might you be able to work to improve upon your relationship with

food and your body?

Is there anything that sticks out at you when reflecting on these

questions above? That may offer some insight on ways or areas in

which to focus on yourself or show up for yourself differently in this

new year ahead.

And maybe this year instead of making resolutions, we replace them

with affirmations - using these encouraging statements to remind

ourselves that we can change our language and shift our perspective

to reframe our thoughts. We can remind ourselves to think

differently than we have in the past and work towards food freedom

and peace within our bodies.

Here are a few affirmations to

consider:

I deserve to take up space

All bodies are good bodies

I fuel my body with foods I enjoy

I am more than a body

I am not defined by weight or illness

I am worthy

I am learning to speak kindly about my body

I move my body in ways that feel good, including rest

I am learning to trust my body

I am enough just as I am

And here’s a little PSA: No matter how your December eating may

have differed compared to other previous months last year, you still

deserve to nourish your body with yummy foods today. No matter

how you forced yourself to move your body in 2022, you still

deserve to find joyful ways to practice movement and rest today.

And lastly, no matter how your body may have changed over the

past 12 months, it still deserves respect and compassion today.

Here’s wishing you all a very happy 2023, hoping it is filled with

food freedom and body respect!

-Niki Pillitteri, RD, LDN

Registered Dietitian

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