Photo credit: Silke Berg
All of us carry around certain beliefs about our body. Most of them are:
I need to be thin to be loved.
A bigger body is an unhealthy body.
I need to be slender to be beautiful.
I’m ugly because I have fat.
If I stop dieting, my body will explode.
My body betrays me.
People don’t respect me because I’m big.
He doesn’t like me because of my body.
I’ll never get this job with the weight I have.
I can’t ever be happy until I have lost 10 pounds.
Fat in food leads to fat on my body.
All these beliefs are ingrained into our cells, into our molecules, into our every move, every decision, every step. They carry us, hold us, lift us up and tear us down.
All of these beliefs can either make or break our lives.
These beliefs, they are our religion.
We live by them without mercy.
When we fail to meet these beliefs, we fail as human beings, as mothers, sisters, wives, girlfriends, aunts. We are not worthy. We are not valuable.
These beliefs, this religion we live by, can come from many places: childhood traumas, conversations you’ve overheard, the advertisement & weight loss industry (of course), super models, blogs, movies, moms, dads, friends, doctors, fitness experts and the list goes on.
These beliefs make us do crazy things like spending 40 + years living on different diets, skipping family gatherings, stopping eating altogether, exercising to the point of hurting ourselves, spending thousands upon thousands of dollars/euros/pounds/etc. for weight loss pills, supplements and even surgeries.
These beliefs can ruin our wedding day, the birth of our child, the day that could’ve been the best day of the entire year.
These beliefs are kinda dangerous.
The hard thing is that they’re so deeply embedded in our thoughts that we can’t even imagine them not being right, not being true. The hard thing is to make that switch from *knowing* the *facts* to be absolutely 100% true to seeing that they aren’t.
Here’s the truth:
You don’t need to be skinny to be loved. Look around you – aren’t there people who love you now? Would they really love (more) you if you were thinner?
You don’t need to be thin to be seen as beautiful. The amazing thing about our planet is that different people like different body types. Some men love thin women, others don’t. Some women love muscular men, others don’t. You’re unique. You’re you. You’re beautiful in your own way.
A bigger body is not an unhealthy body. Just not true. Read up on the science.
Your body doesn’t betray you because it cannot stick to an unhealthy diet. Your body doesn’t ever want to betray you. It’s on your side. Always. Your body – just like food – is the doorway to your true life, the real you. If you are on a 800 calorie diet, your body will naturally want you to eat more; thus “sabotaging” your weight loss efforts. You’ll hate it for doing so, but your body is just looking out for you.
He doesn’t not like you because of your body. Don’t use your body to excuse every disappointment in your life. There can be a billion other reasons for a guy not liking you or a boss firing you.
You can be happy even if you’re not slender or never reach your goal weight. It may not be easy or what you think you want, but you can sure as hell change your mind and live a life of happiness and joy.
Your body religion does not always correlate with reality. Your happiness doesn’t ever correlate with your body religion. Your body religion doesn’t mean you’re a hopeless case.
Don’t let your body religion destroy the rest of your life and instead begin the first day of a life you truly want today. Your body religion can always change and you’ve got the power to take those steps. Today. {Click to Tweet}
