But now, the fun times are over, the decorations have come down, and the festive debt is owed. It’s time to put right the damage you have done to your liver and your cholesterol levels. Or is it? I gave myself full permission to indulge over December and to not worry about either my calorie consumption or how much weight I gained, safe in the knowledge I would sort it all out come January. So, I ate. Boy, did I eat.
No, I didn’t see this one coming either. But by creating a guilt-free window in which to gain weight without judging myself, I came to view my body, not through the lens of media messaging, but through my own eyes – and I really like my belly, goddamnit! I noticed myself stroking and patting it, like pregnant women do. I found it very comforting to have this gelatinous mound to cradle from time to time. I’ve never been really thin, but this is the first time I can recall having a proper gut, and I really like it.
I spent a year telling men where they were going wrong in bed
Read MoreWe are now living in a post Ozempic world, where injectable, highly effective diet drugs are a mere click away. The whole of Hollywood seems to be shrinking before our very eyes, and it’s not just for celebrities anymore. I know so many people who are taking semaglutide-based drugs to lose weight, hell, I even tried it myself.
The whole thing has got me thinking about our relationship with our bellies and the amount of shame they provoke. I like mine! How can something that feels so gloriously tender also be regarded as grotesque?
Doctors warn us about abdominal fat more than any other kind of fat, and while I wouldn’t want to contradict their concerns, it is worth pointing out that they aren’t asking anyone to maintain a 22-inch waist with washboard abs. Doctors would just like us to try and keep their waist measurement to less than half their height to reduce the risk of potential health problems.
And yet, there are “belly blasting” exercise classes you can sign up for, shapewear you can buy, teas you can drink, and dubious “gut slimming” pills you can buy online. For the record, no herbal supplement or tea will make your stomach smaller. Wherever you look, there is a whole lot of stomach shaming going on. Fat bottoms are still all the rage, so why do we hate our paunches so much?
The abdomen is also the hardest area to slim down and firm up in the gym, which is why muscle definition in this area, or the “six-pack”, is so prized as a signifier of the body beautiful. It takes a lot of hard work, discipline, and self-denial to achieve that, whereas a pot belly is acquired primarily through leisure and pleasure. As a result, we can be very judgemental about a belly, viewing it as evidence of a lazy, slothful existence.
Pendulous pillows of flesh were also regarded as symbols of femininity and fertility. In Classical art, Aphrodite herself is universally depicted as having some junk in the trunk because fat on a woman was a thing of beauty. No self-respecting artist would have dared to depict the goddess of love as a size zero. She had some cushion for the pushing, and so do I.
I know it is not healthy to be severely overweight and I wouldn’t want anyone to think I am glorifying obesity or playing down the dangers it poses. But does that mean we have to so aggressively reject anything less than a rippling six pack? What’s wrong with a little gut? So, your belly sticks out over your jeans or floats when you get in the bath? So what? Isn’t it also beautifully curvaceous? Didn’t you also have a lot of fun growing it? I know I did.
So, let’s make 2025 the year of the belly – if you have the guts for it.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( How I’ve made peace with my middle-age belly )
Also on site :