To Flatter Your Figure, Be Fitter Not Fatter

by James Rainer

(The Gender Centre advise that this article may not be current and as such certain content, including but not limited to persons, contact details and dates may not apply. Where legal authority or medical related matters are cited, responsibility lies with the reader to obtain the most current relevant legal authority and/or medical publication.)

First of all, I'd like to thank all the transgender folk who have helped me with this article, for sharing your thoughts and feelings with me. I appreciate the warmth and kindness I have been shown.

With obesity becoming a national epidemic, let's talk about weight loss. After all, it will soon be Mardi Gras season, which always seems a great excuse to wear that fabulous frock you've been eyeing off. But sometimes there are those extra kilos that we wish weren't there.

Who hasn't been on a diet, only to find that afterwards the weight came back, usually with some extra? These diets may even have risks, including gall-bladder complications, heart palpitations and feelings of depression, to name but a few. So let's look at some strategies that may help you.

In a perfect world, we would eat simply for the sheer pleasure of experiencing different foods. Or we might eat for the enjoyment of the company with whom we share our food. But as you know, the world is not perfect. There are many reasons why we eat. Some reasons we are aware of, and some we may not be.

When we begin to use food to excess and eat for reasons other than nutrition and enjoyment we often run into weighty problems. Using food to deal with stress is very common. After all, food never says no. I know it's difficult to change your habits.

If stress is causing you to over eat, exercising and eating well will be important but so will becoming more aware of when and why you eat. Keeping a journal could be helpful so that you can recognise what is causing you stress as well as when you are most likely to be stressed and more likely to abuse food.

For some of us food is our primary coping mechanism. Who hasn't sought refuge in food when ever we felt unloved or bad? Eating can appear to make one feel comforted and safe. But even if problems are buried under cushions of fat the problems are still there. Food can be like a narcotic drug that buffers us from pain, sadness, anxiety and emotions we do not want to feel.

Going to a gym has a number of benefits which are generally well known. Often though, we forget that exercising has a positive impact on our mood. Exercising releases endorphins, which are chemicals in the brain, these endorphins can beat depression.

So now you have at least two reasons to go to gym, get a great body and a better mood Some sisters have expressed concern to me that going to gym will make them really muscly, this is not true! Working with a fully qualified instructor, like Ingrid at Fit X Gym, an individual program can be designed for your problem zones. Be clear about the outcomes you desire, have a think about when and why you may self sabotage and get to it!

Finally, we all need to accept and love ourselves, no matter how we look. That means loving ourselves just as much now as when we reach our goal.

Polare is published in Australia by The Gender Centre Inc. which is funded by the Department of Community Services under the S.A.A.P. Program and supported by the N.S.W. Health Department through the AIDS and Infectious Diseases Branch. Polare provides a forum for discussion and debate on gender issues. Advertisers are advised that all advertising is their responsibility under the Trade Practices Act. Unsolicited contributions are welcome, though no guarantee is made by the Editor that they will be published, nor any discussion entered into. The editor reserves the right to edit such contributions without notification. Any submission which appears in Polare may be published on our internet site. Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor, The Gender Centre Inc.I, the Department of Community Services or the N.S.W. Department of Health.