#38 - Why Do Men Hide Their Body Image Issues? With HAES Dietitian Aaron Flores

Guys have body image issues too, they just aren’t talking about
it. In fact, research shows over 90% of men struggle in some way
with body dissatisfaction and negative affect (negative opinions
of self), or negative emotions and thoughts towards one’s body
(Castonguay et al. 2014).


In this episode, fellow HAES dietitian Aaron Flores and I discuss
the “dad bod” that requires men to have muscle and a bit of
softness to show they like to workout and eat pizza. While it’s
still body oppression and a singular “ideal” for men to strive to
become, we acknowledge that it’s much more forgiving and flexible
than the thin ideals for women.


We delve into the ways men’s body image issues look different
than women’s and why most men wouldn’t dare to bring up their
weight and body concerns with their friends. Mainly, it has to do
with societal expectations of men to maintain power, be strong,
and solve problems, not have problems.


We discuss how men can set boundaries with their male friends
around diets, weight loss, and muscles to protect their
well-being. Aaron shares how he understands his male clients’
desires to change their bodies while helping them learn how to be
more kind to their bodies through self-care instead of diets.


Join Aaron's “100 conversations” with men about their bodies at
bvmrd.com


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About Aaron


Aaron Flores is a registered dietitian nutritionist in Los
Angeles, California. With nearly 10 years of experience, he's
worked with eating disorders in a variety of settings. A large
part of his career was spent working at the VA Greater Los
Angeles Healthcare System where he helped develop and launch one
of the first Binge Eating Disorder programs to help Veterans
struggling with this disorder.


Since leaving the VA, Aaron has continued to work in the eating
disorder community helping run groups and providing individual
counseling to adolescents and adults. He currently works
part-time at Center for Discovery and part-time in his private
practice in Calabasas, CA. His main areas of focus are Intuitive
Eating and Health at Every Size and in his work, Aaron helps
individuals learn how to make peace with food and develop
body-positive behaviors.


Aaron’s work has been featured during Weight Stigma Awareness
Week, in blogs for the National Eating Disorder Information
Centre and was the closing keynote speaker of the 2016 Binge
Eating Disorder Awareness Annual Conference. He also is a co-host
of the podcast, Dietitians Unplugged.


Links


The “Dad Bod” explained - slate.me/2u9nIBz

Research on male body image issues - bit.ly/2u9qcz

Brene Brown on The Power of Vulnerability - bit.ly/2u9cCwb

Dietitians Unplugged podcast -
http://dietitiansunplugged.libsyn.com



Find Aaron


Website: http://www.bvmrd.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/BVMRD

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BVMRD

Blog: http://bvmrd.blogspot.com



 


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Nothing in this podcast is meant to provide medical diagnosis,
treatment, cure, or prevent any disease or condition. Individuals
should consult a qualified healthcare provider for medical advice
and answers to personal health questions.