IFS and Our Eating Parts: Letting Go of the Legacy Burden of Diet Culture

<p>Have you ever thought about what made you start using food for comfort?  Or how you started hating your body?  Or what made you think you need to lose weight?  </p> <p>You might answer that with, "Of course I've thought about that, Kim. And I know exactly how it all started  My grandma used to bake me cookies when I had a bad day."  Or, "My mom dragged me to Weight Watchers when I was 10."  Or, "I was teased by kids in school because of my size."  </p> <p>All of that makes <em>so much sense.</em>  Of course those experiences made you focus on your eating, your body, and/or your size.  And of course your feelings about food and your body were heavily influenced by others.  </p> <p style="text-align: center;" data-redactor-style-cache= "text-align: center;"><span data-redactor-span="true" data-redactor-style-cache="color: rgb(88, 70, 102);"><strong>When you really stop and think about it, though, how much of your feelings and beliefs about food and your body <em>actually came from you</em>? </strong> </span></p> <p>Did <em>you</em> decide on your own that your body wasn't good enough?  Did <em>you</em> create a relationship with food that was both a blessing and curse?  Did <em>you</em> decide what bodies are deemed acceptable and what bodies aren't?</p> <p>No.  No you did not.  </p> <p style="text-align: center;" data-redactor-style-cache= "text-align: center;"><span data-redactor-span="true" data-redactor-style-cache="color: rgb(88, 70, 102);"><strong>These beliefs about food and about bodies were passed down to you.  </strong></span><span data-redactor-span="true" data-redactor-style-cache="color: rgb(88, 70, 102);"><strong>And I believe it's time to give them back.</strong></span></p> <p>On this week's podcast, we're talking about an IFS concept called <span data-redactor-span="true" data-redactor-style-cache="color: rgb(88, 70, 102);"><strong>Legacy Burdens</strong></span>.  And this is one of my favorite concepts in IFS.  Legacy Burdens are essentially beliefs, feelings, and emotions that are handed down t