Amparo Penny, LCMHC, C-DBT, CCTP

Writing – The Messy Middle

In addition to my therapy practice, I write the Messy Middle Reality Check series — a collection of articles that challenge polarizing narratives about food, body image, and health.

This series is an idea that’s been percolating for a while. I’ve wanted to write a few musings about some of the black-and-white messages I’ve encountered online lately.

These messages seem to imply that we have to pick a side—that we are either “prioritizing our health” or “giving in to diet culture.” It’s as if the internet has decided that you can’t have a health goal and a life at the same time.

As I scrolled through the polarizing scripts and the “all-or-nothing” memes in my feed, this ignited my inner Carrie Bradshaw, and I couldn’t help but wonder:

In a world obsessed with picking camps, is it possible to exist in the middle?

New articles are published regularly on Substack and Medium.

SUBSTACK
MEDIUM
A series challenging the black-and-white narratives about food, health, and body image — because most of us are living somewhere in the middle.
Exploring the ‘Messy Middle’ of health data— Do you want to explore if you’re being controlled by the data, and focus on building your own blueprint?
I had to wonder… in our desire to embrace body positivity, have we accidentally created a new kind of body policing? One where the ‘crabs in the bucket’ aren’t just diet culture, but also the anti-diet groups who claim to be setting us free?
Tackling the concept of “Ozempic Face” used to describe celebrity weight loss.
I had to wonder: If someone’s appearance change makes you uncomfortable, is it necessary to label the entire process as “wrong” to dissuade others from trying?
I had to wonder: Why are we so quick to label the quiet of a stable routine as disordered, while we normalize the chaotic mental prison of the “I’ll start over Monday” cycle?
Diet culture calls them magic. Anti-diet culture calls them dangerous. Meanwhile, real people are uneducated on how these tools actually work.  I had to wonder: What if both camps are so busy being right that they forgot to be helpful?

Ready to go beneath the surface?

Many people come to therapy feeling stuck in cycles of self-criticism, emotional overwhelm, and food struggles. Together, we’ll focus on what’s underneath and build kinder, more sustainable ways to respond.

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