I love my body! I really do. I catch myself looking in the mirror every time I walk by. When I walk up to the door at work every morning and see my reflection, I still can't believe that's me! Sometimes I see myself and don't even recognize this person.

There are parts that are not my favorite, but overall, I am so happy exactly where I am that I can deal with them.

Love your body and it will love you back. The body can only do as well as it can based on the food we feed it. Crap in, crap out. It is not the body's fault it is just reacting to how we abuse it. An Elder once told me "we must learn to forgive ourselves our humaness". We are human, we have faults, we make mistakes, we learn from those mistakes and continue forward. We need to love ourselves, accept we are human with all our flaws, once we relax and let go of hate or other negative thoughts/emotions aimed at ourselves we will then be free to progress as nature intended. The human mind can be a prison if we allow it or it can be a limitless horizon - we choose which.

I am anxious to add more bulk to my body along with some fat cushion on my well-defined cheek bones so I will be bulk-ordering beef tallow and lard both from a farm that raises grass-fed animals. I plan to stir fry veggies in pig fat and toss in some shrimp, scallops, clams or mussels for variety, along with herbs, spices and sauces ranging from hot to sweet, sour, hot and sweet, sweet and sour etc using lemons, limes, orange juice etc...maybe some blueberries. I will scramble my eggs in pig lard and woof them down with heaping mounds of sausage or bacon. I will eat fatty nuts every day and honey by the spoonful. Avocados drenched with fresh squeezed lemons all day long. Maybe some sweet potato fries cooked in beef tallow and sprinkled with seasonings? If there is fat, I will find it and scarf it down, deluxe style, BEAST mode.

The issue with me is I can eat bacon burgers soaked in animal grease all day (minus the bun and cheese since I am 100% Paleo and GFCF) and not gain a pound. I actually had to cut-down on my cardio in order to maintain a healthy look. Before Paleo it seemed like I could run for miles and sweat buckets without shedding a single fat cell from my waist.

My waist is 28. I weigh 130. I bench about 200.

What I like most about my body is I feel like I look like a diagram that walked out of an anatomy textbook and came to life. Honestly, I feel like a kinesiology class could use my body as a specimen in order to identify all the major muscle groups. When I look at myself I can see all the wonderful intricacies in places where there used to be unnatural bulk; curves, edges and striations that make elaborate, complex motion possible. I am less enamored with my self and more just amazed by physical existence in general and the potential that we have to live well, eat, sleep, drink and mate like there's no tomorrow. This Earth is an incredible gift to experience in the flesh.

I've never identified with the love or hate mindset wrt the body. On most days, I'm just "meh"; other times when I really think about it, I just feel a humble respect for such an amazing multifaceted instrument on temporary loan, despite my occasional abuses.

I try hard to love my body every day, although at times it's difficult. Seems so easy to criticize every bump and lump, spot of cellulite, changes in skin etc. But I try to be thankful, in awe of it even, when I am able to perform feats of strength, run fast or help people with something physical. I am very greatful every day that I have my health and strength and try to be mindful that perfection doesn't exist and your flaws are what make you human.

Great question!!

I'm in the process of learning how to love my body - I'm not there yet - but one day I hope.

I know that I am my own toughest critic! And I wish that I could see myself the way my partner sees me. Like I said - hopefully one day!

There is a line in a song that I like that goes "I've got a perfect body, but sometimes I forget. I've got a perfect body, 'cause my eyelashes catch my sweat." It reminds me that the perfection in my body is more in the way it WORKS than the way it looks. Kind of amazing the way those eyelashes keep my eyes from filling with sweat at the end of a workout.

I don't always love what my body looks like (although I do more and more since starting Paleo), but I love what it can do - breathe, walk, have great sex, lift heavy things, laugh, carry two children inside it, make milk for those children, etc.

I look, sound and act just like Shia Lebouf. No joke. From his face, to his mannerisms, even his hair. My whole family, friends, and random strangers tell me that I could be famous. When I watch some of his movies, I can't even believe it myself. It is quite odd, but I am older than he is, so I was here first. haha. The good thing is that him being a famous guy now kinda puts my "look" on the map.

Most people I know tell me that I have a good sculpt and build. I keep fit pretty easily and I'm far stronger than my size would indicate. I can bench press over 300lbs now. At 155, I would guess that's not very common. I can also run like the wind and am very quick on my feet. When I play racquetball, my brother, who competes on a pro-level and does quite well, says I am faster on the court than anyone he's ever played. So that's pretty cool.

One of the 'genie' wishes I'd make is to be slightly taller. I'm 5'8" and wouldn't mind being about 6 feet tall. Two of my brothers are 6'2" so I kinda feel like I got gypped in the height department. Maybe I just have "short man's envy". I also wish my skin generated its own moisture more efficiently. I've had dry skin on my arms/hands and legs/feet since I was a small child and often wondered if being given the bottle of nasty early 80's formula from birth up until 6 months didn't help with that. It was only when I became so sick that my parents feared for my death enough to ask the Doc what was going on. Doc said to switch to breast feeding and somehow my mom was able to at 6 mos. Not even drastically changing my diet a year ago helped with that so I am stuck using Eucerin skin creme for now. But oddly, I have noticed that tanning might be helping. That may be my third thing. I would like to tan easier but it's not that important really. I am part Peurto Rican and part Jewish, so I do tan well and my skin can become a nice golden brown. It's just that it takes more effort than I'd like.

Overall, if I had to choose between keeping my body as is or some random, unknown guy in a blind swap sort of a deal, I would stick with what I've got. So I think that answers the question.

my relationship with my body is complicated. but, I always love my body - sometimes I need to remember the importance of respect for my body.

I neither love or hate my body.

I have to say that the question itself represents our unhealthy overall understanding of our bodies. Rather than love or hate I try to focus on a more practical understanding of my body. How can I utilize my body to do things I want to do. If I can’t execute that action to the degree I want I institute changes in diet and lifestyle that will hopefully develop my ability to perform those actions better in the future. Be clinical about it.

And I would add that an underlying theme in questions of this sort is that you understand food more as a reward/treat than as a fuel. I would say that for longterm success in shaping the body and person that you desire this understanding needs to change. Be clinical about it: make tasty food of course, but understand that it is fuel; derive pleasure from other things in life – relationships, physical culture, play, kids, dogs, whatever.

Our culture, at least in the US, tries to derive too much pleasure out of food. Don't misunderstand me and simple say "but i want it to taste good!". We all do. The two ideas are not mutually exclusive. You can make tasty food but understand that its fuel. Its not the highlight of your day.

I really do love my body, and the way I look (although before paleo I had moderate acne for many years, and I was not nearly so happy!). Being healthy in the short and long term, and looking good, is a huge priority in my life.

That doesn't mean I pamper myself physically 100% of the time - sometimes I don't eat or sleep enough, or I eat foods I know disagree with me. But honestly I take better care of myself than almost anyone else I know. I am also a perfectionist, and it makes me happy to know I'm doing it all right. Plus I get to feel great in return (and shitty if I don't do things right, my body is very sensitive and I had a lot of chronic health issues pre-paleo).

It also doesn't mean I don't see room for improvement - I consider myself too skinny and am always trying to gain. But this low weight is natural for me and I look fairly healthy (and am fertile), so I don't have too many complaints. I just want to look my best, be stronger, and have some extra mass for health's sake!

It's worth noting that by being naturally underweight and with lower body fat, my body is a lot like that of the women who predominate in advertising these days... of course that makes a difference in my self-perception, and the way other perceive me. It's 'okay' in our society to be very thin, and some people even idealize my (very rare!) body type. Also my weight has been constant for about a decade and my shape has hardly changed at all since I attained my adult height around 14 years old. I think that makes it a HELL of a lot easier for me to have good self-esteem. Most people, especially women, I know have undergone large and seemingly uncontrollable changes in their shape and weight from their early teens into their 20s and beyond. That's a very different experience from mine.

Love - it's the only one I've got!

And if it looks like it looks - it was me that fed it crap... But that was the best I could do with the knowledge I had at that time. So what? I do better now - as far as I know.

We all cheat on our diet! I popped an oreo cookie in my mouth an hour ago. It was ONE and guess what I am eating now for lunch? Grilled chicken, homemade avocado, peppers and broccoli. If you fall off, get RIGHT BACK ON the next meal. Do not say-I will get back on tomorrow.

Yes I love my body. Also let me ask-did you go and buy all the sugary food, then take it home and eat it? For me, I am just too cheap to go and buy it. I have trouble when I am with others at their house, and they have a dessert spread (free for me!) to indulge in.

But remember, every sugary bite will keep that layer of fat over your abs! (that's what I tell myself).

I haven't hated my body since it stopped trying to kill me. I was very asthmatic until I was 12. Once I could count on breathing and stuff I was happy, the looks thing doesn't matter as much to me.

I think there's a difference between loving or hating how your body looks to you in a mirror, and loving your body. When I saw the title of the question, I thought--I love my body! I love how I can run, clean a loaded bar, throw, and scramble up rocks. I love everything I can do with my body. I didn't think (first) about how my body looks. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to see some more shifts in body composition and gain a little more mass (of course, that also would help me move better), but the primary reason I eat paleo is that it enables me to move better, and move more, and enjoy my body (not just how my body looks) more.

I don't want to discount the appearance and body composition issues, but I think it's good to remember all that our bodies can do.

I think loving your body (or not) is a decision you make. It's about making d.ecisions that support your body in feeling good, looking good and performing well. I was walking down the street yesterday and thinking of all the ways I used to "cheat" when I knew darn well what I should and shouldn't eat. And I started to yearn for french fries. How bad can they be? But then I thought, "why would I want to eat something that is going to make me and my body feel bad? Where is the joy in that?" This is a really important question for me to ask (ahead of time) -- my mind gets an idea, but I need to runt that through the reality check meter. I "think" this is going to taste great or whatever, but what effect will it really have?

That is loving my body.

I'm working towards acceptance. When I was younger I abused it by eating junk, later on I starved it to the bones because my mind wasn't healthy. But the older I get the more I appreciate the amazing and complicated machinery of my body, not just the fact that I can rock a bikini better now than I could at 22 (I'm 32). Sometimes I think my thighs are too big, so I tell myself that I ran four miles with ease on them yesterday, and that they are strong and healthy and what a blessing good heath is for anyone. Sometimes I feel bloated and want to call myself a cow, but I stop the thought by telling myself "shut up, it's just water, you aren't fat, you're healthy, be grateful!" It's hard, especially for women, not to spiral into the abyss and nitpick our imperfections and make ourselves miserable.

The women in my life growing up always told me that my good health was a precious gift, and never to abuse my body or take it for granted. But I still looked in the mirror and thought, "Fat, Ugly, Jiggly, Big". I am a perfectionist, and I don't know if I'll every be completely happy with my body. But, I've developed a love for fitness and I'm finally starting to appreciate my body and all the hard work I've put into it. I love my body because I know how precious my health is, and how quickly it can be taken away. That said, I don't always like my body. Especially around certain times of the month when I retain water like CRAZY and get bloated. :p

I've always been in a love/hate relationship with my body, as I've been overweight for a large chunk of my life (still am, albeit working on it very slowly). It's a hell of a cycle to be stuck in: you're disgruntled with your body, but you have to love yourself to get that extra oomph you need to get it to where you want it to be. So I've taken baby steps, not only in how I approach my own body, but others as well.

For those of us here in America (I'm not sure if those of you in other countries have experienced this), there's a popular saying that I see floating around in the fat positive circles, "Real woman have curves". I used to repeat this to myself, in my head, like a mantra. On top of that, I've been guilty of looking at someone on the thinner side and thinking "Yeesh, someone could afford to eat a little more". From what I've seen, it's more socially acceptable to voice that very same thought, out loud, to a complete stranger, than it is to tell someone fat that they really, really shouldn't eat that.

I've learned, thankfully, that this sort of attitude did me absolutely no good in dealing with my own body image, and the only thing it ever accomplished was to reinforce the idea that an x body is better than a y body, whatever they might be. I absolutely believe that being more compassionate about someone else's body has made me more compassionate about my own, and I've certainly made healthier decisions for myself since I tuned out that little critic in my head.

It's a work in progress, and I have a feeling it always will be.

How I feel about my body, and my life in general, is so linked to what I eat that it's scary. When I eat wheat and sugar, I hate my body, feel bloated and lethargic, get depressed, and start spiraling into a self-pitying cycle that just makes me feel worse because I'm so pathetic. When I get my diet dialed in, after about two days, I feel like I've lost ten pounds. Even though I know in my head that I look the same, I feel slimmer, more vital, much happier, and hopeful about my life and my future in general.

For me, the trick is treating my body as though I love it by nourishing it properly. I'm making baby steps (trying to overcome a childhood where abstinence from sweet and starchy foods was viewed more as a punishment than a gift to oneself), and just experienced a five day descent into a sobbing, wheat-induced hell that has strengthened my resolve to stay away from it as much as I can. So the short answer is now I like my body--the way it looks, feels and performs. Last week.... not so much.

Starting to love it! but of course like everything thats worth its salt, it takes a little bit of effort to keep it that way. I know that its flaws are a reflection of my own, especially at my age, all my battle scars are there and some other stuff!!

I'm also starting to understand it as well, mine doesnt function like everyone elses and I shouldnt treat it the way that others treat their. Its a shame that it took me so long to connect to my body but I guess its never to late!

I must hate mine, too. Not surprised.

I don't love my body, I love being alive, I love my family. To do what's right for my family I take care of me. That's how I look at things. If you want to be around to see your family's growth, you need to take care of yourself. It's not about loving your body, it's about doing the right thing.

I love what my body can do. I struggle with the changes that have occurred with multiple pregnancies and age, but ultimately, I am proud of my body. Not sure that I love it all the time, but I'm grateful for it and that's what matters.

I have a problem with sugar. I'm working on it. I don't feel that eating sugar means that I "hate" myself, just that I haven't worked through something... and so I'm using the sugar as a means of changing my brain chemistry to elicit a different mood. I'm okay with that in limited amounts. I'm human. I enjoy sugar sometimes. It's not great for me, but for that matter, bacon probably isn't either (gasp).

Unsure- I feel as though the more weight I lose, the more I cringe looking into the mirror.. I'm 26 at 200lbs down from 285lbs and I'm lucky enough to have all this wonderful skin, hooray! And much more weight loss to go! Ugh, it feels defeating at times.. It got to me yesterday pretty badly.. Almost hate my body.