things that matter more than the size of your body

It went viral (?), so I'm giving it a permanent home on Substack.

Abbie Attwood

Jul 31, 2025

A note before we begin:

It feels dissonant to write anything “normal” right now. As a provider in the eating disorder field, I spend my days helping people recover from the harm of starvation — from the physical, emotional, and psychological toll it takes. Which is part of why what’s unfolding in Gaza feels especially heavy. Watching the deliberate, systematic starvation of an entire population is gutting. It’s grief layered on outrage, layered on helplessness.

If you’re feeling that way too, you’re not alone.

Two organizations I’ve been donating to, in case it’s helpful to you as well:

🕊️ Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF)
🥣 World Central Kitchen

I also wanted to share two recent pieces that relate:

🎙️ This week’s podcast episode on the Minnesota Starvation Study. A look at how starvation impacts the body and mind — not just during, but after.
📖 This newsletter: “The Starvation We Choose, The Starvation We Ignore.” A reflection on how diet culture desensitizes us to suffering — and whose hunger gets praised, ignored, or pathologized. I also answer a reader / client question about Gaza and eating disorders, and feeling guilt and shame for restricting when others are starving.

Last week, something I wrote went a little bit viral (I think? What is the definition of viral?). It definitely wasn’t polished, and it wasn’t even a grand declaration or a takedown of diet culture.

It was simply a list. A list of the small, sacred, ordinary things that matter so much more than the size of your body.

Because in a world that constantly asks us to shrink, to flatten our joy, to measure our worth in inches and pounds…it’s much easier to get caught up in the lofty promises, and much harder to remember what actually tethers us in the precious time we have here.

So, here it is again.
Something to breathe into.
Something to come back to.

things that matter more than the size of your body: how your dog meets you at the door. when someone knows your coffee order. potatoes, in every form. laughing so hard that you cry (or pee). the feel of a clean hoodie. the perfect playlist. saltwater - on your skin, from the sea, in your tears. the way you say no, even if your voice shakes. the ways you’ve learned to say yes. the moon showing off. bread and cheese. the courage it takes to rest. soup when your throat is sore. the smell of garlic in olive oil. your boundaries. a text that says ‘just thinking of you.’ lip balm on dry lips. your favorite mug. taking off your bra. clean sheets. a really good book. people you can sit with in silence. morning light in the kitchen. a banana that is ripe in all the right ways. a deep belly breath. the voice that says ‘keep going.’ the one that answers back, ‘I will.’

there is more to measure, more to live, more to love. and none of it is smaller than you.

I’d love to hear a few things that would be on your list.

The little stuff. The oh-so-easily forgotten stuff. Yet, the stuff that makes up a life.

When you think about what matters more than the size of your body, what comes up?

ICYMI…

This week’s episode of the pod is a really important one. It’s an exploration of what happens to the brain, body, and mind when we’re deprived of enough food. As I mentioned, it’s a poignant topic right now amidst this humanitarian crisis. And, on a personal level, if you’re healing your relationship with food and have been feeling like you’re eating “too much,” or that your hunger is “too much,” I think you’ll find a lot of validation and support in this conversation.