When a retailer recently announced its new XXXS size, there was some backlash. However, a New York health psychologist says the new size isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
“It could be viewed as there are options for people of all shapes and sizes,” says Willo Wisotsky, PhD, psychologist at the Center for Weight Management at Syosset Hospital. “There are people who are physiologically built in a very small frame and need options and don’t necessarily want to wear children’s clothes during their adult or teenage years.”
Dr. Wisotsky cautions that some may take news of the XXXS size as a competition to lose weight and fit into the smallest size offered. That can lead to problems. She said a woman who experiences:
An obsession with body image and weight
Fear of fatness
Dramatic weight loss
Loss of menstrual cycle
Significant increase in physical activity
may have an eating disorder. She suggests that women who have a negative self image work on reframing their thoughts to feature more positivity.
“Reframing our thoughts can aid in the modification of that disordered thought process,” Dr. Wisotsky says. “A lot of times people will just focus, they’ll look in the mirror and they’ll focus on that negative thought or they’ll focus on the part of their body they’re dissatisfied with instead of focusing on the part of their body that they’re very satisfied with. So a lot of the mind and body exercises that are focused on just pure visualization and positive self talk could go a very, very long way.”
To see a video about this, click here: http://bit.ly/1kaB3Kc
Dr. Wisotsky cautions that some may take news of the XXXS size as a competition to lose weight and fit into the smallest size offered. That can lead to problems. She said a woman who experiences:
An obsession with body image and weight
Fear of fatness
Dramatic weight loss
Loss of menstrual cycle
Significant increase in physical activity
may have an eating disorder. She suggests that women who have a negative self image work on reframing their thoughts to feature more positivity.
“Reframing our thoughts can aid in the modification of that disordered thought process,” Dr. Wisotsky says. “A lot of times people will just focus, they’ll look in the mirror and they’ll focus on that negative thought or they’ll focus on the part of their body they’re dissatisfied with instead of focusing on the part of their body that they’re very satisfied with. So a lot of the mind and body exercises that are focused on just pure visualization and positive self talk could go a very, very long way.”
To see a video about this, click here: http://bit.ly/1kaB3Kc
