This one could get ugly, muffins. I'm warning you right now. I've included some nice little pictures with inspirational quotes to break it up and make you feel warm and fuzzy along the way.
Let's talk about something we all wish we knew but hate to acknowledge:
Why are people overweight?
Being "fat" has gotten a lot of negative attention over the years. For some reason, it has become perfectly acceptable for a person's value to be tied to the number on the scale and the size on the tag. Entire industries have been built on telling people they are not thin enough to be considered attractive or worthy of attention, and what happens? People become depressed. What do depressed people tend to do? Eat their feelings. Vicious (delicious?) downward shame spiral ensues, and we are left with a situation where way too many people are facing serious health concerns and crippling unhappiness with their current situation. I may sound a little nonchalant about all this - been there, done that, bought the XXL t-shirt and ate the cookies.
I really see weight issues as a symptom of low self-esteem and low self-worth. We come by it honestly, with all the shit that gets shoveled on us through the media. Unfortunately, this means that we tend to see our goals as worthless and unattainable (leading to the shame spiral again. Hello, tequila, we meet again!)
Let's look at this another way: If you have 29 things to accomplish in a day, and you are pretty sure you're only going to have the time and energy to get to 14 of them, and you're already suffering from "I'm a fat piece of crap"-itis, chances are you're not going to feel motivated to go work out or think up a delicious salad idea. This is usually where companies like Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig come in: "We'll make losing weight effortless! All you have to do is eat our frozen pre-packaged crap or count points and you'll lose weight! It's simple!" Let's be realistic: if you're not making a healthy lifestyle a focus in your life, chances are you're not working on what got you into your position in the first place, and WW/JC are not going to cut it.
That's why you need to do a little soul-searching. What the hell is keeping you from losing the weight? What are the benefits you are getting from keeping it on?
I find I have a hard time losing weight if I don't have a goal I'm working towards. It's something I'm struggling with right now, post-6 week challenge. For me, it's not good enough to say "I want to lose weight." I work best under pressure. Maybe you do too. More on this another time.
If you've identified that are you fed up with things the way they are, and you are needing a giant boot in the ass, here ya go. (It's pom-pom time, bitches!)
You are the only one that can decide you're worth it, and you're going to have to be your biggest cheerleader. You can't rely on other people noticing the changes you're making (some of them will even try to sabotage you, those bastards). You have to be satisfied that you have done all you can at the end of the day to make yourself proud and happy, and you can't beat yourself up when you slip up.
Start being selfish. Or rather, start giving yourself what you deserve. You are allowed to be happy. You are allowed to make mistakes. You are allowed to eat chocolate if you want. You are allowed to let someone else figure out dinner while you go for a run. Start making the time and doing this shit for you, because no one is going to offer it up.
If not now, then when? Life is too fucking short to spend it unhappy.
You are overweight for a reason, but that doesn't mean it can't be changed and you're damaged goods. Get your shit together. You can do this.
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