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What is the perfect body? Where did you get your idea of the perfect body? How do you measure up to this ideal?
If we are not careful we start to believe that the images that we see consistently on magazine racks represent a perfect reality and that we somehow fall far short. We forget that most of what we see in magazines has been retouched to remove imperfections.
When we compare what we see in the mirror, to these perfect unrealistic images, we are often disgusted by our own obviously imperfect bodies. We long for pills, diets, gimmicks, surgery, or anything that will help us measure up. We want something that will make us acceptable.
We are critical of our bodies, we tell ourselves that we are fat, ugly, and gross. The problem is that this is a poor way to motivate a change in our behavior. Hating the way we look and hating ourselves does not lead to taking good care of our bodies.
Self-acceptance is vital for attaining a healthy weight. Without self-acceptance weight loss efforts are often futile. The self-acceptance must come now. You need to accept that you are beautiful and wonderful just as you are.
Some mistakenly believe that criticizing themselves is a way to motivate change. However putting yourself down, just leads to feelings of hopelessness. You start to see yourselves as a fat person. You start to believe that you will always be that way.
Some are afraid that self-acceptance will lead them to just end up being happy and fat. They fear that they will lose all motivation to lose weight. But accepting and loving yourself, as you are, does not mean denying that you want to weight less.
It does however mean that because you value yourself, you have a much greater motivation to care for and respect your body.
Self-acceptance means that you stop judging yourself, that you stop criticizing yourself. It means that you completely accept and appreciate yourself, warts and all. It means focusing on what you like about yourself and at the same time working to improve where you need to improve.
When you tell yourself that you will be happy when you reach a certain size or you can fit into certain clothes, you keep your happiness continually in the future. Or if you happen to reach your goal weight, your happiness is fleeting. You don’t really see yourself as that thin person and you return to your previous weight to match your beliefs about yourself.
Begin by nurturing and caring for your body as it is now. Dress attractively in clothes that fit comfortably. Clothes that are too tight only emphasize extra weight and clothes that are too baggy do not hide extra weight. Chose clothes that fit your body and are the most flattering to you.
Get your hair or nails done. Find some make up that suits you. Find things that make you feel good about you. Stand up straight and smile. You can be beautiful and confident just as you are. You are worth it.
