Thoughts swirl around in our minds all day long. And not all of them are rose colored. I started keeping track of my non-rosy thoughts this morning (knowing that I would be writing this post)… My hair is a mess. I should have worded that email differently. She’s so much fitter than I am. I should get up earlier. …and it’s only 10:00. It's normal to have a wide variety of thoughts. What a relief, right? The key to creating desirable outcomes has nothing to do with eliminating all of our negative thoughts + feelings. That's im-fricken-possible! It’s about being able to step back and witness our unproductive thoughts + emotions without letting them run the show. When you can see the thought + not judge it + not buy into it, then you … [Read more...] about Is “I’m Fat” In Charge of Your Life?
Self Acceptance
Top Non-Diet Weight Loss Strategies – The Self Compassion “Diet”
See if this resonates with you… Go on a diet - feel a crappy feeling - overeat to numb/distract/escape feeling - beat self up for overeating and for feeling “bad” - feel worse - give up on diet (screw it!) - eat mindlessly - gain weight - beat self up for gaining weight - go on another restrictive/punishing diet... You guys, I see this ALL THE TIME. The more we beat ourselves up, the more we want to check out and give up so we can escape the beatings + self-criticism. Then, one day we start right back up where we left off - with another restrictive + self-punishing diet. The way to reach your goals is through self-compassion and forgiveness (not, I repeat NOT self-criticism). Try these instead… Listen to your body Eat when you’re … [Read more...] about Top Non-Diet Weight Loss Strategies – The Self Compassion “Diet”
Accepting Your Body Isn’t Easy (and that’s okay)
The body acceptance movement has kicked it into high gear lately. Lane Bryant’s, I’m No Angel campaign is currently buzzing + trending + telling us that… …sexy comes in all shapes and sizes. So we look at ourselves in the mirror - trying to conjure up love + acceptance + sexiness. And when we can’t - we feel like shit. Guess what? Accepting your body is hard. Really freaking hard. We’ve been bombarded with images of what an ideal body is supposed to look like our whole lives. Even the I’m No Angel models are suspiciously cellulite, stretch mark and imperfection free. Nice try Lane Bryant. Listen, I’m never going to look like Sofia Vergara - and neither are you. But that doesn’t mean we have to feel like crap day after day or give … [Read more...] about Accepting Your Body Isn’t Easy (and that’s okay)
You’re Doing the Best You Can
"You are imperfect, permanently and inevitably flawed. And you are beautiful." ~Amy Bloom I want to make the case that you are doing your best right now. Yes, you. We tend to forget this truth. If you’re thinking – no, I could be doing better. If I could just stop turning to food when I'm bored. If I could just stop eating when I'm comfortably full. If I could just make healthier choices. In the real world, there are no “ifs” – there is only what is. These “ifs” require time and practice. If it could be better, then it would be. Could you be a better parent, driver, cook --- right now? No. You are always doing you best. Even if your best sucks in comparison to what you hoped for or planned for or what’s expected of you. So … [Read more...] about You’re Doing the Best You Can