Losing weight often creates a whole new set of problems to deal with. I receive letters from women all the time telling me how they’ve lost up to 100 lbs. but nothing has changed inside of them; they still feel fat and they still hate themselves.
Or now they’ve found other things about themselves to hate, like loose sagging skin, or the fact that losing weight has made them look older, or left them feeling very exposed and vulnerable. Or they complain about how friends and family treat them differently.
Happiness is a state of mind that isn’t dependent on what you look like or what’s happening in your outer world. If you didn’t know who you were before you lost weight, what makes you think you will know after? Getting to know yourself is an inside job; it has nothing to do with the appearance of your body.
If you’ve identified yourself as a “fat person,” then losing that identity can be very threatening and disorienting. It takes time to let go of that identify and find out who your real self is. You’re more than a body, your true self or spirit is eternal and unchanging; it’s been with you through fat and thin, happy and sad, and all the stages in between.
If you think you will no longer have to think about food and weight once you hit your goal weight, you will be sadly disillusioned. Weight loss is the easy part; maintenance takes real dedication. It’s what happens after you’ve reached your goal, and too often, people think they’re now on Easy Street. Unfortunately, Easy Street leads right back to where you came from – being overweight.
I don’t mean to be a downer, but life will always sometimes be a struggle. Why? Because all humans struggle with life. Happily ever after only occurs in fairy tales. Life is a journey with its ups and downs, triumphs and sorrows. You don’t get one without the other. Being thin won’t spare you from the essential pain of life.
Weight is managed, never cured. Weight management is based on your daily attitudes, beliefs, and choices. It never ends. It’s a day to day journey and all that is required is to show up and participate fully to the best of your ability.
When you can accept that, you’ve moved through the biggest hurdle: choosing reality over fantasy. And reality is better than any fairy tale – it’s real – and it’s yours to shape as you wish.
Are you ready to make your fantasy real?
How you do food is how you do life!®
Are you ready to take the first step? I offer a free consultation. Contact Me!
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