There’s a tagline after my signature on every email I send. It says…
You can’t hate yourself healthy. Healthy is a place you get to with love.
So many of us want to lose the weight so we can escape the pain of being in an overweight body. But here’s the truth – it’s what I had to really “get” before I was able to lose the weight for good.
Ready?
You won’t accept your body – no matter how much weight you lose, until you learn how to accept your body right now.
Did that kind of blow your mind? Yeah, me too. Let me explain.
When we think we’ll be happier when we’re thinner, we block ourselves from enjoying life fully right now. We lock ourselves in a prison and the only way out is to become physically smaller.
Can you see how painful that situation is and why it might not be the best way to inspire weight loss?
Try this. Recall a time when you stumbled upon an old photo of yourself and thought – whoa, I looked soooo good back then. But did you think you looked good in that moment? Or were you wishing you were thinner?
You don’t need to be smaller in order to be happier. Now that doesn’t mean you give up on losing weight. But losing weight in order to escape pain doesn’t work. Your problems will follow you – you can’t melt them away on the treadmill.
My mentor, Brooke Castillo summed it up perfectly on her most recent podcast:
“If we can’t learn to appreciate this moment, we won’t appreciate the future moments either.”
Let that really sink in.
Your capacity for joy is the same today as it will be a year from now – or 10 years from now – or 50 pounds less than now.
Happiness doesn’t magically materialize because a number finally appears on the scale. Happiness shows up when we make a decision to accept ourselves and make the most of our lives. Happiness shows up when we stop waiting for that future “better” moment to arrive.
- When I can retire
- When I can rock a pair of skinny jeans
- When this project is over
- When the kids move out
- When I find the perfect man
Losing weight from a place of acceptance and joy is SO MUCH EASIER. You don’t have to wait until you have that elusive thigh gap or the perfect job or a house on the beach to feel good.
You can still want all of those things – go out there and rock your goals – but stop telling yourself that you’ll be happier when you have them.
If your happiness is dependent on a big goal, you are cheating yourself out of feeling those emotions during the journey towards reaching your goal.
And once you really understand that – once you start living instead of wishing and grasping and waiting – you’ll finally be able to release the extra weight. Losing weight will no longer feel like a never ending battle.
You’re not hungry for more cookies – but you’re probably hungry for more love, more peace, more inspiration, more contentment. And you can have all of those things – right now – no matter what you weigh.
Robyn Spurr is a Certified Health Coach, Weight Loss Coach, Personal Trainer and founder of Chickadee Weight Loss. She helps women reach their healthy, natural weight and stay there without all the diet craziness.
For more information on Weight Loss Coaching, click here.