Addition and Subtraction

One of the things I struggled with for such a long time every time I thought about losing weight was how punishing the whole thing felt for me.  And you know, there are some aspects of it that are just going to be punishing and there's not much to be done about that.  Getting in shape takes hard work and serious dedication!  But taking that negative, punishing view of things actually backfires in my experience.

It has taken me so, so, so many years just to get the ball rolling on my way to better wellness.  What finally did it for me was a really simple, easy first step.  Instead of making rules about what I wasn't allowed to eat, or the number of days I had to exercise each week or hours each day... I decided that absolutely ANY improvement over what I'd been doing already... was something to celebrate.  I also decided that my journey was going to be about addition, not subtraction.

I don't have rules against eating my favorite foods.  I don't restrict my calories or anything like that.  What I've done so far is I've increased healthy foods.  That has naturally led to a desire to eat better overall, actually, and it doesn't feel so punishing as saying I can never have chocolate or ice cream.  Now, I'm not perfect.  But I don't get caught in a downward spiral of guilt, more bad choices, more guilt, etc. because I'm cheating on my "diet."  My goal is increasing wellness, and every step I take toward that has been a celebration for me.

Maybe that sounds like I'm just lacking in self-discipline.  And I think that's a fair assessment- I probably am.  But this was what it took to get me going.  50 lbs later, I'd say it's a good start.

I think it's important to make the journey to wellness about self-love.  Being gentle.  Doing good things for yourself.  Never punishing and beating yourself. 

Just my two cents!