Bridget Bites : Are You 'Too Thin'?

Q:

Hi Bridget, I just wanted to say that I love you and your blogs-your outlook on life and meditation has helped me massively :). However, as someone who has recovered from an eating disorder I just want to say that your instagram and site are really triggering- you barely eat any calories and avoid carbs a lot. You should be careful what you post as you are an inspiration to many girls who will follow you and think that just eating vegetables all day is healthy. You also post pictures of yourself looking too thin- this acts as a message to fellow girls that "too thin" is okay, which it is not.

A:

Hi! I am really glad you like aspects of my blog 😀 Thank you for writing in; I appreciate it and you very much.

I do need to respectfully defend myself here. First of all; I am so glad you are in recovery. I have my own history in this arena, and it is such a struggle to pull out of, and then maintain health, so I am so proud of you for getting there. I also will take your comments into consideration, as I do want to be a good role model for young women and men.

However, I do not just eat vegetables all day. Yes I do eat a lot of them – but I also eat other foods daily too. I am wondering if it is because my day on a plates are all based around when I am in training, and am eating a very low carbohydrate diet; in order to meet the body expectations of a certain brand. However I regularly write about how I eat loads of nuts, avocados, fruit, quinoa, superfoods etc. So I have to stick up for myself here; one cannot live on vegetables alone and be healthy! I definitely do not. I will do a day on a plate out of training for you guys though. Need to keep it real.

In the past I have used myfitnesspal to keep an eye on all my vitamins and minerals, and to make sure I hit all my nutritional needs on a vegan diet. I am not interested in how many calories I take – I definitely do not count them – but that app told me I was eating around 1500-1600 a day, the majority of which are from carbohydrates. This to me seems pretty healthy given my activity levels.

Finally, I am built the way I am. I am a model; I have always been lanky and slender. It is nearly impossible for me to put on muscle, and the older I get the easier it becomes to maintain my weight. In the past I yo-yo’d a lot; and this is from the diet I was eating. I have learned to eat consistently, to eat a lot of good, whole food, and I am proud of my efforts in this arena. Eating three meals a day was something I had to learn, and eating enough of everything was a real struggle for a long time for me. But this is all behind me too now. This is the size that works for me. I am a size 2-4, I eat dessert if I want it, and I have the energy to live life. I am by all means not “too thin”; I get my periods, can run for miles, and kick someone’s ass. I certainly didn’t always have the energy to do this.

Most importantly, I am not a slave to my food. I eat when I am hungry and what I am craving.

I hope that this response is ok for you. I am coming from a very peaceful and loving place – I just want you to understand that everyone has her or his own journeys. Being a positive female role model in this society is extremely important to me, and I try to be as transparent as possible. I am a woman, and my weight will go up and down. I am also a model with very specific instructions as to how my body should look at certain times. However I cannot change the way I am built, I have learned to embrace the fact that I will always have a small B cup (orrrr an A) and be on the smaller side. I like myself.

I am always happy to talk about this topic; to hear where I can improve in this arena. Again, thank you for bringing this up with me – best of luck with everything 😀

 

Peace and love,

Bridget