Are Keto and Body Image Connected?

I have an hour commute to and from work, so I tend to listen to podcasts for entertainment.  One that I listen to a lot is “Unf*ck Your Brain.”  I suffer from anxiety, so this is a podcast that helps me with my mental health.  The other day, the host, Kara Loewentheil was talking about a friend of hers who offers coaching around body image.  Kara is not a fan of this type of coaching as it’s about self-acceptance for her.  As a proud feminist, this made me think about how I reconcile my feelings about keto and body image.  So, here comes another series where I look at how I see myself and how keto fits in.

Are Keto and Body Image Connected?

They can be – and that’s an unfortunate truth.  Our expectations of women’s bodies became increasingly unrealistic throughout the decades.  And now, with new technology, even the women who are role models for our bodies aren’t good enough.  You hear models and actresses talk about how self-conscious they are about their bodies and how editors shave off a little curve here and there in their photos.  If you do keto because you want to look a certain way, you’re going to run into problems.

Women sometimes turn to keto to lose weight quickly.  It seems an easy way to get down to your ideal weight.  But, like other fad diets, even if it works quickly, it doesn’t last.  Unless you commit to keto in the long term, you will regain the weight and maybe even add more.  And, if you are just doing keto to lose weight and try to get that perfect body, you won’t sustain it.  Keto isn’t easy – it takes planning and dedication.

My View of Keto and Body Image

I have always been on the curvier side of the coin.  If you look at the paintings of women in the Victorian era, I’m just about perfect.  Now, not so much in the eyes of society.  The smallest I’ve been is a size 12 and that’s just the way I am built.  Size 0 doesn’t even make sense to me – how can you be a size nothing?  You wouldn’t exist!

To me, keto is more than how I think my body looks.  It’s about my health, my energy levels, and my mental health.  I believe that keto helped with my anxiety, and that is important to who I am and how I view myself.  I do feel better since I lost some weight, but my body image is still shaky at best.

How Much Is Enough?

Lately, I’ve worried about my body image again.  I’m putting myself out there as a role model for those who want to do keto, and here I am with a flabby stomach and a roll over my hips.  I’ve thought about going back to very strict keto again – not to improve my energy and health, but to lose those 10 pounds.  You know what?  I won’t.  Not for body image.  Because my motivation isn’t there.  And, if I don’t stop that cycle, I’ll just start feeling bad about myself and it will end up hurting my mental health.

It will never be enough.  Society teaches women at a young age to compare themselves to others and see where they are lacking.  My friends were skinnier than me.  My boobs were too large.  It’s constant.  On the flip side, my friends often envied my curves and my boobs.  There is no time when women compare themselves and think, “Damn, I’m the perfect woman.”  Not even those who are on the cover of magazines.

A Final Thought About Keto and Body Image

The trick is that body image is not about your physical looks.  It’s all about your thoughts about your looks.  If you feel confident, you will appear confident to others.  And that’s not about what you eat – it’s about self-acceptance.  

I did not start keto because I wanted to look a certain way.  I did it for my health and Bill’s health.  Was I excited to fit into a smaller size jeans?  Of course!  I’m human!  But, my entire self-worth was not tied to that.  That doesn’t make me better than anyone else, it just means I have done a lot of work with my brain to get there.  And don’t get me wrong, I still struggle when I see a bulge or a roll.

My feminist side says that none of this should matter.  But, I know that it does.  I’m a part of society, and society says my weight dictates my body image.  I fight that every day, but it is always there.  If keto can help your body image, that’s great.  If you can separate keto and body image, that’s great too. But don’t turn to keto to try to change your body image, because it will never satisfy you.  Society will say you aren’t enough.  You are enough – just the way you are.

Wendy