In my last blog, I challenged you to write out your story and forgive yourself.
Did you take that powerful step? It’s transformative, isn’t it?
Today, let’s take the next step.
Until now, you might have been carrying the weight of regret: for gaining weight during pregnancy, for prioritizing family over gym time, for those exhausted evenings when cooking felt impossible.
Since then, you may have found ways to lose weight, or if you’re like many of my clients, you may have spent the last several years gaining and losing the same weight. What worked for you in the past might not align with the body and life you have now. And that’s perfectly okay. We’ll discover what works together.
Once you’ve shed the burden of “should-have’s” and “could-have’s,” it’s time to take an honest look at where you are today.
But here’s the crucial part: without judgment.
Where are you now, without the stories and underlying shame and guilt?
Chances are, it isn’t as bad as you’ve been telling yourself.
Let me share a story from one of my clients who found herself facing a 30-pound weight gain. It crept on gradually, amidst caring for an aging parent, managing work responsibilities, and juggling her kids’ schedules.
Her narrative was woven with regret. “I should have prioritized cooking. I let myself down, I was just so lazy. Some days, I could barely face myself in the mirror. I was so mad at myself for gaining so much weight.”
When I asked her to explain this story as if it was her sister going through the same thing, her eyes welled up with tears. “I would never talk about my sister like that.”
These are the stories.
As we processed through them and let them go, she began to see her strength during that time.
Until then, she was only looking at her weakness.
As she embraced her reality, she had a newfound energy to reinvent herself.
When you stop beating yourself up, you let go of the guilt and shame.
You stop trying to get away from yourself by using food.
Your cortisol levels go down, and your body starts burning fat instead of storing it.
Can you look at your body as it is right now and find the strength? Can you find the parts of you that you love that will carry you on this journey?
This will make an essential shift: you’ll begin to feel empowered rather than defeated.
When you feel empowered, you become deserving of lasting change. You’re worth the investment and the love it takes.
Without doing this deeper work, weight loss is temporary.
If going deeper is calling you, schedule a time to talk to me about where you’re stuck and what you need help with.