Love Yourself

Every day I speak with women who tell me they hate how they look.  They hate the rolls of fat on their stomach.  Because of self-hate they do what I like to call self-flogging, they go on strict diets and extreme exercise routines.  The end result is always a feeding frenzy in front of the refrigerator.  

I lived like that for years.  A bad day at work, a relationship ending, feeling stuck, and even celebrating good news – a food frenzy always followed.  I never felt better afterwards.  Food did not make a bad day better or enhance a celebration.  It lead to feelings of guilt and more self-punishment.  I was never able to change my weight because I was doing it out of self-hatred rather than self-love.  I hated me so I had to change me.  

Think of it like this how often do you cooperate with someone who disrespects you or puts you down? I never have. I fight back, I rebel.  It’s human nature.  When you do that to yourself why would the results be any different?   

It wasn’t until I loved myself that I wanted to stop hurting myself.  The way I ate hurt me.  It hurt me emotionally and physically.  After a binge I would look for a way to “fix it” another diet.  Diets don’t work because they take away our ability to trust are own judgment, that is another form of self-punishment. 

Once you take the first step to self-love you will stop wanting to hurt yourself.  You will look for ways to “take care” of you, not “hurt” you.  I tell women to make a list of non-food things they really enjoy.  Next time they feel they need to have a food frenzy – pick an activity on the list.  Really notice how they feel doing that rather than eating afterward.

Before you start the next extreme diet really at how you view yourself.  What are your beliefs are about yourself? You are a wonderful creature who deserves all things magnificent – especially love.  Love is the greatest miracle cure.  Loving ourselves works miracles in our life.