The truth?… I’m really not happy with my body

There. I said it.

In fact, there are maaaany days when I just am tired of dealing with this whole body image thing.

This has pretty much been the story of my life… “Why, Why, WHY can’t I just be thin?!!”

Can’t someone invent a pill, a fat-sucking device, SOMETHING to just make this problem GO AWAY?!

Isn’t it enough that we work all day, raise children, clean house, whip up meals worthy of a Master Chef final in the kitchen and re-create a Sex and the City episode in the bedroom?

Do we really need to look like “Little Miss Perfect Booty” too?

I tend to be a bit hippy.

No, I’m not talking free love and bra burning (not that there’s anything wrong with that), what I mean is, when I put on weight, it makes a bee line straight for my butt and thighs.

Classic pear shape. That’s me.

So weight loss, for me, has always been a challenge to say the least.

Drop some weight, it comes straight off my boobs and arms. GAIN some weight, and you could use me as the poster girl for “Baby Got Back”.

But there is HOPE!

After thirty plus years of dieting, it seems I’ve learned a thing or two.

Here’s my 7 Key Lessons on Weight Loss

1. You Don’t Have To Look Like A Supermodel

Unless you are one. In which case you already do.

But for those of us with regular ‘ol (and equally fabulous) genes, you DON’T need to look like the women in the magazines. They are presented, all air-brushed and glossy looking, for a reason.

To sell stuff.

And they DON’T look like that in real life.

2. Your Dreams Are Worth It

And so are YOU!

Don’t give up on improving your health just because you’ve failed at your gazillionth diet attempt.

Here’s a novel idea… try something new! If dieting hasn’t done it for you, why not Ditch the Diet and opt for a less torturous approach that works with your REAL LIFE!?

3. Keep Going Until You Get There

We’d all like to wake up thin tomorrow, but you know what?

NEVER. GONNA. HAPPEN.

Seriously, get with the program!

Who are YOU to tell your body how long it has to get in line with what YOU deem an acceptable shape?

HEALTHY weight loss takes as long as it takes. Deal with it.

4. Your Past Leaves Clues

The problem with diets is that they have a “start” and a “finish”.

Or to put it another way, a diet means: three week long, pre-diet pig out followed by monumental, award worthy (and often soul crushing) binge.

If you managed to shed weight on a diet and KEEP IT OFF, then huzzah to you.

But for the rest of us, repeating the same technique over and over, expecting a different result is, well… I think you know how it goes.

Ditching the Diet simply means choosing a NEW approach that works FOR your body, not AGAINST it . No start. No finish. Just you at the drivers wheel of your own life. Yeah, baby!

 5. Standing Out Is Better Than Fitting In

I know you THINK you would like a perfect body, but guess what? So do I and millions of women all over the globe.

Imagine if we all got our wish? How totally BLAH would we be?

EMBRACE your unique qualities. Trust me, they really are your strongest point.

6. There Is No Such Thing As Perfect

As per my previous point.

7. The Worst Thing Might Just Be The Best Thing

About 3 years ago, I injured the tendons in my shins (well, injured is a bit strong, but they were really, really sore) and they simply would not heal.

I tried physio, podiatrist, GP, acupuncture, alkaline foods, Chinese herbs, massage and then, in desperation, reiki. The one thing I didn’t try?

Adjusting my lifestyle.

I wanted a “quick fix”. I wanted to pop a pill or have “someone else” just make the problem go away.

But it didn’t.

And you know why?

I had (and still have) a lesson to learn.

I FINALLY accepted that I needed to SLOW DOWN and stop working like a chipmunk on crack cocaine. I took up meditation and yoga, and I stopped stressing so much over the little things. I started juicing again and switched up my diet from a raw vegan diet to (queue horrified scream) PALEO.

So what happened?

Well, this week, for the first time in three years, I have been able to do some gentle exercise. Yay for me! (insert happy dance here).

But you know what?

If I had just popped a pill and got my instant “cure”, I would never have made the lifestyle adjustments that needed to be made. You see where I’m going with this, right? There’s a lesson for you to learn with your weight loss. Find it. Deal with it. Learn from it.

Now, I’d love to hear from YOU!

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned from your years of dieting? What’s the golden nugget  of wisdom you can share with us?

Join the discussion below!

And then… if you’re ready to slap emotional eating in the face, break up with it and kick it to the curb, then check out Ditch the Diet Online Bootcamp.

Women world wide are blitzing their weight loss goals, and creating a life where chocolate cake is no longer calling their name at 3am 😉 

CLICK HERE to find out more

Here’s to Ditching the Diet!