Body Checking: What It Is and Tools To Stop

I don’t know about you, but I very rarely meet someone in our society who can confidently say they love their body.  Many who have found a sense of peace with their body’s have usually been through a journey of self discovery and/or recovery, and have come to a place of learning to appreciate what their body does for them and foster a relationship of care and support with their body.  From that foundation of appreciation, the nitpicking, hate, and constant yearning for physical change can begin to shift…and let me tell you- that work takes TIME. 

We always tell families that we work with in our Youth Eating Disorder Recovery Program that body image is the last to go in the eating disorder recovery journey.  There seems to be this expectation, that once someone is recovered from an eating disorder, they will feel more positivity and acceptance towards their body, but this is not usually the case.  Most often, one comes far enough in their recovery that they choose to care for self, nourish self, and continue to make recovery positive choices in spite of how they feel in their own skin. 

There are common behaviors that one does when struggling with body image and negative thoughts about body, and arguably the most common of those is body checking.  So let’s explore today what “body checking” means and learn some tools to help you shift away from constantly body checking.   

What is body checking? 

Body checking is the constant checking, tracking and/ or analyzing one’s body- either specific body parts or the entire body, with the intention of tracking one’s weight, size or shape.  Different people engage in body checking differently. 

Body checking can look like:

• Constantly stepping on the scale

• Measuring parts of one’s body with a measuring tape (or string, ruler, or other means of measuring)

• Using a garment of clothing (ie a pair of jeans) to track size changes

• Taking “progress” pictures of one’s body

• Analyzing old pictures and comparing them to current pictures

• Touching and feeling areas of one’s body (ie cheeks, stomach, arms) to see if they feel different or have changed or to feel what is “wrong” with them

• Analyzing self and body in the mirror (and other reflective surfaces like windows) and scrutinizing over parts

Why is body checking harmful? 

Constantly analyzing our body or parts of our body can lead to a very unhealthy obsession, and add fuel to the fire of a current one. 

Have you ever had a worry?

When we worry about something and we think about it often, that worry grows. It becomes bigger and bigger and bigger until it seems to take up every ounce of mental space and you begin to wonder why no one else is worrying about it too.  Body checking is like that.  It is focusing on your worry and allowing it space to grow and take up more and more space in your life.  It leads to one’s fear, anxieties and insecurities about body getting even bigger.  

The thing about body checking is that the more someone body checks, the more they want body check and the more urgent and compulsive the behavior becomes.  In the moment, we are often looking to see if things are “OK”, in whatever way we have defined OK to be…but in reality, no matter how we look, when struggling with food and body, we will usually not feel OK with what we see, and often, what we see is very skewed and constantly shifting (body dysmorphia).  Perception isn’t fixed. It is variable, and ever changing.  What we perceive is a response to how we think and how we feel, and our inner and outer environment. 

Our perception of our body, when we are body checking, is merely the current lens from which we are viewing it.  

How do you stop body checking? 

Like I said at the beginning of this article, body image is the last thing to go for most individuals on a journey to eating disorder recovery.  While becoming more body neutral, and in time feeling more positive and accepting of body is a wonderful goal, it is by no means the priority in the early stages of eating disorder recovery where refeeding and physically stabilizing are of top priority. Many choose to wear looser fitting and more comfortable clothing during this phase as many mental and physical discomforts are arising…and this is absolutely fine for that moment in time.  

With more time and readiness, body image and body checking will need to be addressed. 

Here are some tools to implement as you work towards stopping body checking: 

• Become aware:

  Notice and write down all the different ways you are engaging in body checking through the day.  Yes, some are obvious, like stepping on the scale, but others may be more sneaky/ less clear, like touching your cheeks frequently. 

• Move away from restriction:

  Working with your nutritionist and recovery team, aim to establish a regular pattern of eating, eating enough nutrients and variety and showing up to balanced plates. Dieting and restriction actually increase body checking.

• Ditch the comparisons:

  Unfollow or mute social media accounts that trigger you and lead to comparative thinking, put away old photos that do not serve you, delete any body pictures you have taken of yourself or any photos you use as a means of comparison.

• Get rid of the scale:

  Honestly, the scale can show us nothing of use to what we are actually hoping to use it for.  That fluctuating number doesn’t tell us how worthy we are, how we look, or even if/ how our body composition has changed.  It only leads to more negative thoughts about food and body, more body checking and more compensatory behaviors.  I truly think you should toss it! It is not serving you. If you find you really cannot toss it (or smash it), try putting it in the trunk of your car.  That creates a barrier between having the urge to check, and acting on it. Sometimes with space in between urge and action, we can choose again.  

• Embrace your inner child:

  Place a picture of your younger self (ie a picture of when you were a child) on the mirror.  It may just shift the way you talk to yourself and analyze yourself when you realize you are that person.  

• Utilize support after meals:

  If body checking increases after eating, try asking for a friend or family member to hang out with you after meals and try to engage in an activity that doesn’t allow as much space to focus on body such as watching a movie, doing art, playing a game, or even doing homework.  Stay away from showering, getting changed, doing makeup, etc immediately after eating. 

• Urge surf:

  When you have an urge to body check, try and create some space between the urge and the action.  Set your alarm for a set amount of time (even 5 or 10 minutes is great), and do something else! 

Shifting away from body checking and negative body image takes a lot of time, patience and compassion with self. There is no rush here, and you can still live a wonderful and full life while working towards this.

It is important to remember that your body is not the problem… and that trying to “fix” the parts of your body you deem to be problematic actually increases negative thoughts around the body, increases body checking, and increases stress and anxiety around food/body/self. When the urge to body check gets high, remind yourself that body checking leads to more body checking, that it has NEVER made you feel better, and that it makes it more difficult to make positive choices for your healthy self (recovery supportive choices).  

If you are struggling with body image and body checking please don’t hesitate to reach out.  We offer free calls, and are always happy to connect, share resources and help guide you to the best types of support for your recovery.