Weight Loss Articles

 

Anxious Because Your Jeans Are Too Tight?
By Sarah Maria

So you're not anorexic, you're not bulimic, and you don't
binge eat . . . most of the time. But do you love your body?
According to the latest statistics, the answer is probably
"no".

If you don't love your body, you may be stifling your
creativity, draining your energy, and limiting your
potential. You may be flirting subtly - and not so subtly -
with body loathing, a condition which, if left unchecked,
can turn into a serious disorder.

Most people don't have acute eating disorders, but 80-90% of
adult women dislike their bodies. Incredibly, 15% of women
say they would sacrifice more than five years of their lives
to be thinner, and 24% say they would sacrifice up to three
years of their life. These numbers are equally disturbing
for girls, of whom 81% of 10-year-olds are afraid of being
fat, and the number one wish of girls 11-17 years old is to
lose weight.

The fact is that if you are not proactive in affirming your
natural beauty and self-worth, chances are that you are
reacting to a society that constantly says you are not good
enough or at least that you should be better than you are.
In a society that constantly promotes weight loss, wrinkle-
free, and youthful beauty, it can be a Herculean task to
feel good about yourself as you are.

If you don't feel great about your own body, chances are
your daughter will face a similar struggle. Fortunately,
there are things you can do to improve your own body-
acceptance as well as empower your children to fully accept
themselves.

What is Body Loathing?

While the term may be unknown, the experience of body
loathing is familiar to most women. Body loathing is
characterized by a feeling of preoccupation and
dissatisfaction with one's appearance. It includes anxiety
over particular parts of your body, shame and guilt over
real or imaged physical flaws, and generally results in
self-consciousness and envy.

There are a number of signs that you may be suffering from
body loathing. Ask yourself the following questions and
answer honestly. If you engage in the following activities,
you may not be fully in love with your fabulous body.

Do you:

1. Avoid looking in mirrors?
2. When you do look in the mirror, do you obsess about a
particular body part or perceived flaw?
3. Dread trying on clothes?
4. Become depressed after trying on clothes?
5. Experience anxiety about your jeans feeling tight?
6. Avoid bathing suits or shorts because of body
dissatisfaction?
7. Worry regularly about gaining weight?
8. Feel uncomfortable being naked and feel like you need to
"hide"?
9. Become self-conscious when your lover caresses certain
parts of your body?
10. Suck in your stomach when you see your reflection in a
window?
11. Beat yourself up if you eat too much at one meal?

Many of these behaviors are considered "normal" for women in
today's culture. In fact, you may have these experiences
multiple times each and every day. What you may fail to
understand is the negative effect these thoughts and beliefs
have on your well-being.

There is a growing body of scientific evidence explaining
how our thoughts and emotions influence our physiology. When
we think negative thoughts or experience negative emotions,
there is a direct impact on our psychophysiology-- or our
mind-body link. This is especially true when the negative
thoughts and emotions are directed towards ourselves.

Whenever we think negative thoughts about ourselves, we are
affirming the notion that we are not good enough as we are.
The more we believe we are not good enough, the worse we
feel. The worse we feel, the less energy we have and the
less effective we can be in every area of our lives.

Our vibrancy, enthusiasm, and creativity, slowly get
siphoned away. Rather than being engaged in the world to
make a difference, our talents become co-opted by negative
body thoughts.

Conversely, when we feel great about ourselves, we can
accomplish the miraculous and live extraordinary lives. When
we love and accept ourselves fully, we become capable of
feats we never even believed were possible. The better we
feel about our bodies, the more we are willing to love and
accept ourselves fully, the greater our ability to create
and live the life of our dreams.

Here are some tips for overcoming body loathing and
unleashing your power and your potential:

- Cultivate gratitude. Every day, come up with a list of 5
things that you are grateful for about yourself. Gratitude
is a potent force that can transform your negative outlook
into a positive one.
- Be conscious about your thoughts. When you catch yourself
thinking a negative body thought, choose not to listen to
it.
- Re-populate your thinking. When you get rid of a negative
body thought, come up with something positive to say to
yourself instead.
- Focus on noticing the beauty in everyone you see. As you
break free from the hypnosis of social conditioning you will
find beauty in yourself and everyone around you.
- Learn to meditate. Meditation will help you break free
from habitual thought patterns and programmed responses

Refuse to allow society to determine your self worth.
Instead, set a new standard for beauty and be proactive in
affirming yourself.
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Sarah Maria is a body-image expert and personal empowerment
coach who helps people love their bodies no matter how they
look. She leads workshops internationally and works one-on-
one in consulting sessions to assist people in overcoming
hatred and dissatisfaction with their bodies using holistic
healing and spiritual principles. She's a certified
meditation teacher, Yoga instructor, and Ayurvedic Lifestyle
Counselor.

Get her $27 e-book for FREE: "5 Steps to Loving What You See
in the Mirror"

 

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Susie and Otto Collins are Relationship Coaches and authors of 4 books on relationships and personal growth. To get their FREE weekly newsletter filled with practical tips and ideas for creating more connected, passionate and alive relationships send a blank message to mailto:collins@aweber.com 
or visit their web site at http://www.collinspartners.com 

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