My name is Virgie Tovar and I’m the author of the new book, You Have the Right to Remain Fat. I’m also a 250 pound woman who unapologetically wears tiny skirts and eats Nutella. After nearly twenty years of trying to get thin, I dumped dieting. I’d like to share the top ten reasons I think everyone needs to embrace their body:
Virgie Tovar by Andria Lo
You need to stop living in the future & live now
Stop indefinitely postponing the things that matter to you most. When I stopped dieting I gave myself permission to wear bikinis, swim in the ocean, and eat delicious things.
What you really want isn’t the “perfect” body
When people tell me “I want to lose weight” they usually mean “I want to feel loved, seen, and respected.” Changing your body does not give you those things.
Statistically, you’re likely to have this body forever
We are obsessed with science, and yet we consistently discard the indisputable fact that body size is mostly biologically determined and we are unlikely to fundamentally change it. Rather than seeing this as a source of hopelessness; see it as a liberating reality.
Hating your body is hard work
I hated my body for most of my life. It wasn’t until I stopped weight cycling that I realized how much effort it took to regulate what I ate, how I moved, and what I wore.
Embracing your body is absurdly fun
Imagine all the things you’d do in your ideal body. Now, take away the ideal body part and just do them. End result = fun times.
You have better things to do with your time than be disappointed with your thighs
Most women I know spend several hours per day thinking about their bodies and doing things to change them. What would you do with all the time you had once you stopped trying to change your body? Photography? Writing? A pottery class? Finally learning the ukulele? The possibilities are endless!
You can reclaim your relationship to food
Eating is an anxiety-inducing experience for many because we’re taught that the key to a “better” body is controlling how much and what we eat. Remember: eating was designed to be a pleasurable experience for humans.
You can reclaim your relationship to movement
When’s the last time you went outside to enjoy flowers, not for a power walk? We believe that the only kind of movement worth doing is exercise, but that’s not true. Enjoy air, sun, and trees with no outcome attached.
Every body is perfect. Period.
Diversity – including body diversity – is one of the most beautiful things about nature.
Bodies are meant to be emphasized, not minimized
My wardrobe used to be comprised of increasingly darker shades of blue. Nowadays, you’ll find mostly canary yellow and pink. My big body gives me more real estate to play with. Don’t hide what you’ve got!
You Have the Right to Remain Fat by Virgie Tovar is out now, published by Melville House UK at £7.99