Body Mass Ineptitude

A number of states have already implemented body mass index, or BMI, testing in schools. When Michelle Obama launched her “Let’s Move!” campaign, she proudly noted that they were partnering with the American Academy of Pediatrics to work on BMI testing. Use of the BMI has become so commonplace that I don’t think most people [...]

“Either stop living or get fat”

Updated and graciously reposted from Gurze Publications…In an interview at the close of Paulo Coelho’s  The Witch of Portobello, he explains that his goal in this book was to elaborate “on the feminine side of God.”  I find myself drawn to Coelho’s novels because he “writes to understand himself.”  In reading his words, I often [...]

The Blessing of Affirmations

When you look in the mirror, what’s the first thing you say to yourself? If you are like most women, it’s not something kind or complimentary. Most of us are WAY too hard on ourselves, and the media doesn’t help with that. Think about it…can you recall ONE company that promotes happiness with what IS [...]

Bodies Die But Connect Spirits Forever

My birthday has never been celebrated in the traditional sense because there was always a Lent and Easter celebration. I suppose as a child I felt left out but as an adult my birthday is meaningful in a non traditional way. A long time ago I started a tradition of giving my mother a gift [...]

#RealDeal Applauds First Lady Obama — “Health Not About Size or Weight!”

First Lady Obama, #RealDeal applauds and salutes you!! THANK YOU for lending  your voice to help others learn that HEALTH is not just about size or weight and for stressing that every person’s body is intended to be different.  It is time to put an end to weight obsession! From PRWire dated March 18, 2013 [...]

Worth the “Weight”?

I never thought I could learn so much about myself from a cactus! Upon a recent trip to Arizona, I learned something about the Saguaro cactus (the really tall ones that can have a bunch of “arms”, once they are 75 years old). They can shrink and expand, based on how much moisture they hold [...]

The Circle Game*

“And the seasons they go round and round…” As spring approaches I find myself thinking about the cyclical nature of life.  This isn’t very deep or profound; the circular pattern of the seasons is a topic of contemplation, poetry, and prose with a long history.  Depending on my frame of mind, this repetition, or redundancy [...]

Fashion Weak

Every February New York City hosts an international extravaganza of fashion.  Year after year despite an increasing amount of public protest and outrage about the lack of size diversity of the models, the images associated with Fashion Week remain unchanged.  Recently, however,  Israel decided to ban models who have BMI’s under 18.5%, Denmark  is considering [...]

Meet Matt Wetsel, the Newest WATRD Contributor

Hello, Real Deal readers! My name is Matt Wetsel and I wanted to introduce myself as one of the newest contributors to ‘We Are the Real Deal.’ I’m excited by the premises and guidelines of the Real Deal pledge, and I’m looking forward to adding my own experience and voice to the already excellent body [...]

Mixed Nuts

Like a can of mixed nuts! That’s how I feel about Valentine’s Day. When I was growing up, those cans of Planter’s Mixed Nuts® would magically appear once or twice a year in the living room. At first glance, they looked like the regular dark blue can of roasted salted peanuts, easy for me to [...]

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