Joni Edelman

photo credit: Lindy West (instagram), by

"Food isn't the enemy –– calling it the enemy is the enemy."

My husband and I recently traveled together without our kids for the first time . . . in a while. And it was a brand-new ball game.

Compassion for myself is not a thing I do. It is not a thing I have ever done. It is not a thing I feel comfortable doing. It's time I stop for compassion.

Sam: The first time you mentioned that you have five kids I was like WHAT THE ACTUAL. FIVE HUMANS. FIVE HUMANS CAME OUT OF YOU. Like, not at the same time, but they came out and like, that sounds painful and scary WHY DID YOU DO THAT??

The Cabbage Soup Diet, aka The "Torture” Diet. You just put cabbage in water and cook it. And you eat it. All day. It is not good. You will still be hungry, and farting — very smelly, paint-peeling farting.

I am tired of taking medication. I am tired of relying on the manufactured versions of the chemicals and hormones my body could — should? — make for itself.

Body politics activist. Photographer. Chronic quoter of Monty Python. Unapologetic fat chick.

Nutritionists have weighed in on what to order at McDonald's. Here's what I think you should get instead.

If you're brave enough to take the DIY Brazilian plunge, these tips are a must-read. As in, tip #6: It hurts, but not more than having a baby. Good to know.