Trying to love my body along the way

This is a great approach.

I can say from experience that I've been young and stupid and hated my body and felt fat at my thinnest, and I've loved and respected my body and felt beautiful at it's obese heaviest.

Guess which version of my body got the best care from me?

I became obese through several years of sustained, unmanageable stress. My excess fat was nothing to hate or be embarrassed by, it was the battle scars of a long-fought war.

Once I was out of that situation and able to take better care of myself, I loved and nurtured my body like an honoured soldier returning home.

I bought my body the most flattering clothes so I could feel attractive exactly as I was. I fed my body the highest quality food, and I moved my body in ways that made it feel good.

I treated my body like the precious, valuable resource that it is.

I was like someone lovingly restoring a vintage car that needed a lot of TLC. I enjoyed the process and reveled in each step along the way as I got healthier and stronger. It wasn't some horrible punishment I put my body through for not being good enough, it was an empowering experience of building myself up.

I loved my body the entire time AND I loved the process. I still do.

Just like the vintage car, the work isn't done once it's rehabbed, it takes a lot of loving maintenance.

When self-care is done from a place of self-love, it's easier, more enjoyable, and becomes your favourite habit.

I LOVE feeding my body delicious, healthy foods. I LOVE moving my body in ways that feel good and maintain my strength. I LOVE getting quality sleep, spending time in nature, cuddling with pets, spending time with loved ones, etc, etc. All of those life activities that improve and sustain good health.

When I regained some weight due to illness and medication, I didn't love my body less, I felt protective and worried for it, and even more committed to self-care.

Your current weight is there for a reason. Chances are you were doing your best and life happened. You either didn't know how to take really good care of yourself or didn't have the time/energy resources to do so. Regardless of the reason, there's a reason. Try to compassionately understand that reason, and focus on giving yourself the resources you need to manage it.

A healthy lifestyle is basic self-care, and self-care is infinitely easier to sustain when motivated by self-respect and self-love. Not beating yourself up when you are usually just trying to do your best.

Care for that wonderful body of yours like it's the most precious resource you will ever own, because it is. Figure out what you need to be able to do that.

Also, hear this and absorb it: your body is amazing. Right now, your incredible body can do things that others would kill to be able to do. I lost my ability to walk properly in 2020.

I look back on my younger, fit, lean self and remember how much she hated her body and it's embarrassing. Right now, I would go back to my obese body in a heartbeat because that body could walk properly. Even then, I still love this current body, and I'm *still* grateful that I can get around with just arm crutches and I recognize how privileged I am compared to those who need wheelchairs, or whose hands don't work properly.

Your body is AMAZING.
Take really, really good care of it, and FFS enjoy it along the way. You get this one. Just this one.

Lastly, don't make looking a certain way the goal. Make the healthy lifestyle the goal, and looking great is just a fun reward for taking really good care of yourself.

I don't look in the mirror at my lean body and think "yeah, I suffered to look this good." No, I look in the mirror and see the wonderful, rich, healthy lifestyle I live reflected back in my skin, eyes, hair, and muscles.

For example, I didn't quit alcohol to look younger, I quit to be healthier. A bonus is that I look years younger.

I try as much as I can to avoid weight/appearance goals. If my healthiest version of my body was obese, then obese would be my goal. I don't do ANY of this to look a certain way. I accept whatever shape my healthiest body looks like. As a reward, I get to enjoy that my healthiest body looks great.