Coping With Body Image
- Grammy-winning singer and rapper Lizzo, 36, is reminding fans that “everybody’s body is different” as she recently took to TikTok Live to share how she’s dropped excess weight.
- “Body image is both the mental picture that you have of your body and the way you feel about your body when you look in a mirror,” Dr. Marianna Strongin, a New York-based licensed clinical psychologist, tells SurvivorNet.
- “As you allow yourself to spend more time looking at all of you, you will begin having a new relationship with your body,” Strongin suggests.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says, “Being overweight or having obesity are linked with a higher risk of getting 13 types of cancer.” Some of these cancers include breast, colon, ovarian, and stomach (gastric).
- The National Cancer Institute (NCI) says fat tissue “produces excess amounts of estrogen,” which is associated with an increased risk of certain cancers, including breast, ovarian, and endometrial cancer. Obesity is associated with high levels of insulin, which can lead to colon, kidney, prostate, and endometrial cancer.
Lizzo, 36, spoke about her weight loss journey, which began about two years ago, in a TikTok Live this week—revealing she stays away from “sugary” foods in the morning, according to People.
Read More@lizzo I love TikTok live now
Lizzo admitted she believes that the one things that “works across the board, science-wise, is calories in versus calories out,” adding, “That’s just how the human body works.”
While monitoring her calories, Lizzo also recalled how she stopped drinking several large Starbucks drinks each day, as she realized she was consuming about 1200 calories from those beverages alone.
Lizzo admitted she “had to start applying a calorie deficit” as she was “prone to binging,” and uses it “as a tool to fight against the American food system.”
She also noted how she’s been working to control her anxiety that comes along with weight loss.
“I meditated. I calmed myself down. And I isolated a little bit, but not like made myself lonely, not the way I used to when I was depressed. I isolated myself in a mindful way where I had no distractions,” she explained.
“I loved to distract myself with people. I loved to distract myself with food. I loved to distract myself with drinking. I loved to distract myself with problems that I would create. I would love to do that. And I stopped doing that. And I just focused on me.”
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Back in April, Lizzo offered some more insight into the hard work she has put in to allow her body to change, captioning an Instagram post, “This is your body. You only get one of these. Enjoy it and let it enjoy You.”
Speaking on the “On Purpose With Jay Shetty” podcast, Lizzo admitted she’s on an “intentional weight release journey,” which she hasn’t been shy to make public.
“I think over the last year and a half of doing it, my body has been changing, very slowly, but I don’t think people were paying attention. I was still very anti-fat phobia on this entire journey,” she said, noting how it often “appears” like her weight loss happened overnight, but no one sees the hard work she has put in and how she’s transformed.
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Lizzo continued, “I want to be very intentional with the words that come out of my mouth, because there’s young people who are watching me and they are experiencing what I’m putting into the world and they’re applying it to their own experience and their own life just how I did when I was a kid.
“I’m still not perfect, I still have some diet, toxic culture things that still come in my brain and I just swat it away like a fly. This is your body, you only get one of these. Enjoy her and let her enjoy you.”
On January 25th of this year Lizzo commemorating reaching a milestone weight loss goal, by sharing a mirror selfie on Instagram, writing, “I did it. Today when I stepped on my scale, I reached my weight release goal.
“I haven’t seen this number since 2014! Let this be a reminder you can do anything you put your mind to. Time for new goals!”
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Body Image & Positive Psychology
Meanwhile, Dr. Marianna Strongin, a New York-based licensed clinical psychologist, also has some helpful advice. She encourages people that spending time in front of the mirror can help with body image.
Although “research has found that when looking in the mirror we are more likely to focus on the parts of our body we are dissatisfied with” which can cause “a negative self-view and lower self-esteem,” it’s important to look at the parts of your body that you love and the parts of your body that you don’t.
Eventually, Dr. Strongin says, doing so can help you create a more accepting relationship with yourself.
“Body image is both the mental picture that you have of your body and the way you feel about your body when you look in a mirror,” she said. “As you allow yourself to spend more time looking at all of you, you will begin having a new relationship with your body.”
MORE: My Confidence Was Destroyed: Dealing With Body Image During Cancer Treatment
Whether you are living with cancer or some other type of illness, it’s important to know you’re not alone if you’re having a hard time with how you view your body after receiving a diagnosis or going through treatment.
SurvivorNetTV Presents: ‘SN & You Body Image: Embracing Your Body’
Another way to cope with body image and mental health is through positive psychology, an approach to mental well-being that focuses more on a person’s strengths and how they can help themselves rather than just trying to curb individual symptoms and/or diagnose a disorder.
“It is a fundamental sort of different way of thinking about patients, thinking about their experience,” Dr. Samantha Boardman, a New York-based psychiatrist and author, told SurvivorNet. “It’s not just focusing on what’s the matter. It’s also asking them, what matters to you?”
Dr. Boardman noted that positive psychology is a reimagined approach to dealing with mental struggles. “Making people feel less bad is not the same as making them feel good,” she said, referring to how this new approach encourages people to try to find happiness rather than just try to stop sadness.
This approach can be a major benefit to people who are dealing with an illness like cancer because it focuses on finding those great parts of life.
What is Positive Psychology & How Can it Help Cancer Survivors?
“Positive emotions have unique benefits above and beyond managing negative emotions,” Dr. Boardman explained.
“Sometimes you can treat a patient and get rid of some of their symptoms, and it’s not necessarily then that you find a flourishing patient you might even get an empty patient. So, really tapping into those resources where do they find positive emotions? What provides a sense of engagement for them? How can you promote positive relationships?”
If you happen to be struggling with body image during a health struggle, it’s important to know you’re not alone if you’re having a hard time with how you view your body after receiving a diagnosis or going through treatment.
Celebrity stylist Ann Caruso, for instance, previously opened up to SurvivorNet about how she was never the same after her 12 breast cancer surgeries.
Celebrity Stylist Ann Caruso on Beauty and Femininity After Cancer
“You’re not the same carefree person that you once were, and it was very hard for me to look at myself every day,” Caruso said. “It was like I was a totally different person and didn’t fit into any of my clothes for so long.”
But as time went on, Caruso said the expereince helped her redefine femininity and body image as she knew it.
“Femininity is a state of mind,” Caruso said. “And I think that’s something that we have to remind ourselves.”
Tips On Overcoming Adversity
Overcoming adversity can seem daunting. Many people think reciting upbeat mottos or pretending to be cheerful will help, but these solutions can make someone feel even more dejected than before. Instead, focus on the following steps to make meaningful change.
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1. Set a goal. No matter what the situation, create a new goal for yourself. If you have just been diagnosed with cancer or a chronic illness, perhaps one goal would be to educate yourself about the disease and the possible treatments as much as possible.
2. Make a plan. How will you achieve this goal? Your plan will help you focus on that goal. Dr. Siddhartha Ganguly refers to this determined, focused mindset as “the eye of the tiger,” which can help people dealing with health problems, such as lymphoma and other cancers. “You have to have the eye of the tiger to go through this grueling process that is necessary these days to get rid of these virulent and aggressive cancers,” Dr. Ganguly, a cancer specialist at Houston Methodist, told SurvivorNet.
3. Rely on others. Spend time with people who show you unconditional support and encouragement. They will ease your stress and help you remember that you’re not alone in this! Dr. Samantha Boardman, a psychiatrist and author, tells SurvivorNet that one “coping strategy that can be productive is reaching out, talking to others. Having support we know is really critical in the healing process.”
4. Use positive self-talk. Leave messages with affirmations in places you frequent. Put notes around your mirror or your computer screen that say “You got this!” or “Keep going!” Cut out inspirational quotes from people you admire and surround yourself with their words. Dr. Boardman explains to SurvivorNet that “Positive emotions have unique benefits above and beyond managing negative emotions.”
More On Obesity & Cancer Risk
In a previous interview with SurvivorNet, Dr. Stephen Freedland of Cedars Sinai Medical Center said, “Some of the best data we have is that obesity increases the risk of not just getting prostate cancer, but actually dying from prostate cancer. Obese men are 35 percent more likely to die from prostate cancer.”
While obesity or a person’s high weight will not always cause them to develop cancer, other conditions associated obesity, like diabetes and heart disease, can lead to complications from cancer treatment if a person already has cancer. In addition, these conditions can sometimes prevent patients from receiving the recommended first-line therapies, as well as increase a patient’s risk of undergoing surgery.
Dr. Andrea Tufano-Sugarman of NYU Langone Health explained to SurvivorNet the benefits of losing weight.
“While all cancers cannot be prevented,” she said, “losing weight is a great way to reduce one’s risk.”
Sugar, The Western Diet And Cancer Prevention
Dr. Tufano-Sugarman said that this is especially true for women; they lower their risk of developing breast cancer and endometrial cancer when they lose weight and keep it of.
Obesity has also been linked to a variety of health issues like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal issues, mental health problems, cancer and reproductive health.
Even without losing weight, adopting a more nutritious diet can help.
“Food choices, independent of weight loss, may also help to reduce risk,” Dr. Tufano-Sugarman said. “Research has shown that the Mediterranean diet (rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes, fish and olive oil) is associated with a decreased risk of cancer. Whereas diets rich in red meat may be associated with an increased risk of colorectal and prostate cancer.”
According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), fat tissue “produces excess amounts of estrogen,” which is associated with an increased risk of certain cancers, including breast, ovarian, and endometrial cancer. The NCI says a person who is severely obese is “7 times” more likely to be diagnosed with endometrial cancer.
Obesity is associated with high levels of insulin, which can lead to colon, kidney, prostate, and endometrial cancer. It can affect cancer survivors in various ways, including the chance of cancer recurrence and overall quality of life.
To learn more about your ideal healthy weight, determine your body mass index (BMI).
Body weight that exceeds what the body mass index deems appropriate for your weight and height can help determine body fat content. Although your BMI can help you learn if you are at a healthy weight, underweight, overweight, or obese, other factors may contribute to your overall health.
How Can Diet Affect My Cancer Risk?
The NCI analyzed several studies to observe physical activity’s impact on overall cancer risk. The NCI says that “higher levels of physical activity are linked to lower risk of several types of cancer.”
Regular exercise, a balanced diet, and managing stress are some ways people can practice leading a healthy life. For cancer survivors, a healthier lifestyle alongside getting regular checks for recurrence may improve your quality of life.
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
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