Spring is here, summer is coming…fast.
Ladies!! You’re going to be in a bathing suit – like, half naked in front of people, SOON!
There’s going to be BBQ;s and parties outside in the heat, and you’ll probably be wearing shorts and dresses.
If you’re anything like my clients or myself, hearing and thinking about those things might bring up feelings of pressure for you. Pressure that you need to look a certain way and pressure that time is quickly running out to do so.
It might even send you running to the internet to start Googling how your favorite celebrity lost those last 10 pounds quickly.
It is totally normal to feel that way! You are absolutely, 100% not alone.
My one-on-one clients are talking about this a lot right now, and I’ve felt this pressure too. I’m just a normal girl, wanting to feel good just like you!
That’s why I want to give you a quick tip on how to best handle this scenario to better enjoy your spring, summer, and beyond.
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I’m inviting you to resist the temptation to jump into a quick fix weight loss program or plan that revolves around restriction of certain types of food, or food groups, or calories.
Hear me out 🙂
By listening to someone else’s instructions on what’s good, what’s bad, when to eat, and how much to eat vs. your own body’s instructions on what it needs, you’re throwing your body out of whack and messing with its natural balance it’s trying to get into.
For example, if you’re following a plan that has you eating less calories than your body actually needs, you’re slowing down your metabolism which will give you less energy, eat away at your muscle, and you’ll burn less fat. If weight loss is your goal, this is pushing you further from it in the long run.
The whole diet industry is based around teaching us that our body is the enemy, that it isn’t good enough, it needs to be fixed and changed, and that we can’t trust it. We need to control what we eat by relying on rules and a plan…unless we’ll just eat junk food all day long.
Because of this, we start to think our body doesn’t know what she needs and that we do need to control, track and restrict our food intake to look and feel a certain way.
This. Is. So. Untrue!
Even for those type A’s out there like myself that love rules.
By re-learning how to listen to our body’s voice – understanding that she wants to be balanced, she wants to be healthy, she wants to feel fabulous, and learn to love ourselves enough to give our body what she’s asking for, THAT’S when the magic happens.
Instead of making food choices based on someone else’s plan, make food choices based on how you want to feel.
Focus on feeling good instead of focusing on being any certain weight or size. This is normally a big shift for people, I absolutely understand, but it will feel so much better for you now and in the long run.
Ask yourself what food will feel good in your body based on how you want to feel, one choice, one decision, and one moment at a time. Come from a mentality of self care vs. self control, and really be compassionate with yourself in this process. You’ve been thinking and acting a certain way for a while, change doesn’t just happen overnight.
Regardless of your starting point, you deserve to feel good and come from a place of love and respect for yourself right now, no matter where you’d like to end up. You’ll get there a lot faster coming from self care vs. self control. If you do end up eating something that doesn’t make you feel good, question yourself why, learn from it, and move on.
Before I wrap up, let’s talk comparison.
Do you ever find yourself comparing yourself to other girls at the gym, on Instagram, at the beach or pool, while hanging out with friends, just walking around Target?
Sure you do, I think everyone does!
Ask yourself this, what happens when you compare yourself to someone else? What thoughts pop up? How do those thoughts make you feel? What good comes from comparing yourself?
For me, no good comes from it. It can make me feel bad, become overly critical of myself, it negatively affects other areas of my life, and can cause me to self sabotage.
For example, have you ever felt chubby after comparing yourself to someone else, then thought “well I may as well eat a sleeve of cookies cuz I’m already chubby!” Yeah, been there. I think we can all agree comparison doesn’t add any value to our lives.
I saw a quote on Facebook the other day that said: Comparison is the thief of joy. I love that!
Since it doesn’t support you in your new goal to do things that make you feel good, capture any of your thoughts of comparison as they pop up, and turn them down. Start to recognize when this is happening, and actively decide to let it go, one choice and one instance at a time. Be kind to yourself and move on from there.
I love recommending my clients unfollow anything or anyone that gives them the slightest feelings of insecurity or that they compare themselves to on social media. Instead, set yourself free, surround yourself with things and make decisions that make you feel good.
If you’re looking for more support, I’d love to invite you to join my free Facebook group Fed Up Dieters Find Food Freedom – a community of women just like you working on finding their happiest healthiest self.
Want more, personalized support to get to your healthiest and happiest self even faster? Check out my one-on-one coaching program and/or set up a free mini-session with me!
