Hi friend,

 

I know there's a major American holiday to go before we hit January 1, but I'm taking a couple of weeks off, so I want you to have and hang onto this guide for when you need it.

 

I'll next see you with a new Body Liberation Guide in mid-January.

 

Depending on your personality and life commitments, the turning of the year may be a time for deep peace and reflection or a wild whirl of parties and celebrations. But as New Year’s Day approaches, many of us are becoming more aware of the day’s ever-present accompaniment:

 

 

New Year’s resolutions are by their very nature intended to improve us.

 

 

Resolutions can be used to uplift us, to challenge us, and to set and achieve goals. But unfortunately, they can also be used to beat ourselves and each other up, to fill us with shame, and — by unscrupulous people and companies — to manipulate us into buying more stuff to try to fill that achievement gap.

 

The classic New Year’s resolution is, of course, weight loss, in the form of gym memberships and new (or repeated) diets. But we know that intentional weight loss– whether you call it a diet, a lifestyle change, keto, clean eating, yoga for weight loss, Whole30, or anything else — doesn’t work in the long term.

 

So if weight loss doesn’t work in the long term, what are we supposed to replace it with?

 

From ditching diets to replacing unachievable goals, here’s your mini guide to a positive new year and to setting resolutions that are healthy both mentally and physically.

 

Unapologetically fat,

 

» Subscribe to Amanda Martinez Beck's Substack, The Fat Dispatch* (see)

 

» I feel like all the abuse fat people put up with in the name of "I'm just worried about your health" has been shown for the lie that always was because if people were all that worried about actual health, the last four years would have looked a LOT different. (read)

 

» Nightshade, the free tool that ‘poisons’ AI models, is now available for artists to use (read)

 

» What if instead of asking if we’ve done enough to deserve rest, we ask whether we’ve rested enough to do the things we’re committed to in a loving and sustainable way? (read)

 

» Weight Loss Before-And-After Photos Frame Fatness As Purgatory (read)

 

» You cannot be antiracist and cling to fatphobia. (read)

 

🦄 Unicorn chaser: Predjama: The world’s largest cave castle (see)

 

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