Mirror, Mirror on the Wall……

Do you stand in front of the mirror, look at yourself, and say, I love you to yourself? What do you see? We’re born with self-esteem it just doesn’t magically disappear. If you have a negative opinion of yourself and cannot recognize the beautiful soul inside of your physical body, or feel that you deserve to loved and valued as you are, you will not lose weight successfully. It isn’t possible.

Here is a tip to get you started. In order to change the way you think, start by looking at yourself in a mirror every day. Notice one thing about yourself, for instance, begin with your eye color. Then each day practice by seeing something good about yourself (and say it out-loud to yourself with gusto), “I have beautiful eyes” or “I love my hands” until you believe it. You will eventually be able to say, “I love you” easily and with confidence.

At another time in my life, whenever something went wrong whether someone rejected me or I experienced a difficult situation, I ate my pain away. It was easy to sit down with a big bowl of pasta, a dish of ice cream, or something comforting and eat to feel better. I may not even been hungry.

Eating thoughtlessly is simply because we have no self-esteem. I had many pity parties; sometimes my feeling of disappointment was so big that I even had a symbolic bottle of wine, balloons and cake. It’s very easy to wrap our mind around our faults when we get hurt or are disappointed and run to the fridge. If each time we go through a tough situation we eat, then our weight balloons out of control and we have put ourselves into weight loss agony.

Let me share a secret with you. We draw the kind of people and situations by the way we think of ourselves and what we feel we are worthy of. I’ve looked back on my life choices and realized that because I had so little self-esteem that whatever I reflected was the type situation I drew into my life. Then, because I would imagine that it wouldn’t work out, to make myself feel better I would eat. That was an assumed outcome and excuse. By believing that I was going to have a negative experience, I did.

Trust in yourself. Self-respect is the key to weight loss, not the latest, trendiest diet or exercise program. No matter what weight loss program you try or how much you work out, if you do not love yourself first, you won’t lose weight permanently. I can say this because I’ve lived it. So, are you ready to rock the world yet? Well, it’s time to start your “I Love Me Fest”.

 
Begin by creating a journal. Record everything you eat and how you feel. That’s right, everything, (no sneaking) and add a note, I was hungry or upset when I ate (and include what you ate, how much and why.) This sounds difficult, but it will help you to create a new thinking process so that when you reach for something to eat, you will start to pay attention to the way you feel, and determine if you’re really hungry or if you’re upset or feeling unhappy.

You are the only person who can control what you eat and how you feel. Before you start any kind of lifestyle change, determine the reasons you are making the choices that you do. It may help to join a group focused on weight loss. Share what you want to do with a good friend or someone in your family who will support and encourage your progress. This will make your chance for success truly possible.

Remember these important points:

1. Each day find something to love about yourself
2. Think about how you feel when you’re eating
3. Don’t confuse disappointment and lack of self-esteem for hunger
4. Start a journal to discover ways to avoid eating emotionally
5. Decide to take control; get support from a friend or family member

If you need help, please feel free to send an email to laura@yourethebest-us.com