You Call This Fat?

"We cannot change anything unless we accept it. Condemnation does not liberate, it oppresses." ~Carl Jung

Although its importance is often underestimated, maintaining a positive body image is one of the keys to maintaining a healthy, sexy weight. It's imperative that you gain confidence in your unique body physiology, so you avoid engaging in the negative self-talk and body control behaviors that impede weight loss.

The following are specific ways in which poor body image can torpedo your weight loss efforts (and conversely, how a positive body image can facilitate weight loss):
Feeling badly about your body becomes self-fulfilling in that the worse you feel about your body, the worse you treat your body, including making poor food choices and failing to engage in regular self-care. Haven't you noticed this? It can be very difficult to treat your body well when you dislike it.
The stress inherent in having a poor body image (I.e consistently saying bad things about your body & feeling like your body isn't good enough) activates a stress response in your body, making weight loss more difficult.
Your perspective is your reality: the better you feel about your body, the better you feel about your life. And the better you feel about your life, the more inclined you are avoid emotional eating -- which often leads to weight gain.
The more unconditional love and acceptance you have for your body, the easier it is to focus on eating for health and vitality rather than eating to lose weight -- which so often involves deprivation followed by binge eating and weight gain.
Having a poor body image leads to the myth that only once you reach your ideal weight can you be happy, taking a lot of the fun and joy out of life. Not to mention being patently false.
The better your body image, the more motivated you are and the greater you fall in love with the journey of self-discovery that is naturally a part of any successful, long term weight loss.
The better your body image, the more empowered you become to listen to your body's natural hunger signals, creating a peaceful, mindful relationship with food (and within all other facets of your life as well).

Therefore, moving forward, as you approach your weight loss efforts, challenge yourself to come from a place of body love and acceptance, rather than self-judgment and ridicule. Right now, in this present moment, you are worthy.


If you need assistance in boosting your body image and releasing weight, you can start by getting your FREE MP3, "Holistic Weight Release: A 7-Step Protocol for Slimming Down with Joy," at http://www.healthysuccesswithlela.com/ Lela Juarez, J.D., M.S., C.H.T.

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