Weight Loss without Worry

These are the words of a woman who currently weighs 198 pounds.  If she loses 2 pounds a week she will reach her goal in 24 weeks, that’s 6 months. Does this mean she is planning to be miserable until that magical number appears on the scale? 

This “I’ll be happy when…” mindset is one I hear a lot and it comes in many forms:

   “Once I lose this weight then I can feel good about myself.”
   “When I reach my goal I will start dating.”
   “I am not buying new clothes until I drop this baby weight.”

The flaw in this type of thinking is that happiness is not defined by a number on a scale or the size on a pair of jeans.  You are a very unique individual with your own unique gifts, skills, interests, and personalities.  Yet it is easy to lose this authentic self in pursuit of who you think you are “supposed” to be. 

The average super model is 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs 117 pounds.  Is this who you are supposed to be?  The media might make you feel that way but it’s not and the great thing is that you don’t have to feel bad at all about not being that person because you are pretty impressive on your own.

When is the last time you appreciated your two legs and the fact that they move you from point A to point B?

When is the last time you marveled over your ability to drive a car, ride a bike or unlock a door while holding a bag of groceries and appreciated the complex motor and mental skill involved in those tasks?  Skills that have developed so well in you that you take them for granted.

When is the last time you really looked into your eyes in a mirror?  It is an interesting experience.

The human body is amazing in so many ways but did you know that by merely appreciating your body it can help you lose weight?

How do you treat something you don’t like?  In my home we have an old shower door on rollers, it only works half of the time and I hate it.  Because I dislike this door so much I treat it pretty harshly, I yank it shut and punch at it when it doesn’t close properly but the thing is, I don’t know what I would do without it, you see we couldn’t really replace it unless we redid the whole shower and tub and that is not something we plan on doing anytime soon.

If you hate your body how do you treat it?  Do you feed it fruits and vegetables?  Make sure it gets plenty of rest?  Or are you more likely to treat it like I treat my old shower door?  The fact is you need your body.  Sure there might be some things you wish were different right now but those things can change and they will change if you start looking at your body differently.

Some people worry that if they start to like who they are now they will feel too content and never lose the weight.  In reality the opposite happens.  When you learn to love yourself now, as is, you start to treat your body better, you naturally feed it better foods because you love it and you want the best for it. 

I challenge you to start appreciating small things you like about your body or you in general.  Start right now: Do you like the color of your eyes?    Do you appreciate that you have strong lungs?  Are you thankful that you don’t have any diseases?  Acknowledge that these are good things and feel really good that they are part of you.

Appreciate your body now, not when you weigh…

The benefit you will find is that you stop fighting against your body and you start to work with it in harmony.  This makes reaching your goal much easier.