Depression and weight

Hi All,

About 6 months ago I bought a self help book online. I have never in my life read a self help book so this was totally out of character but I was at a time in my life where I was desperate for answers to questions that I hadn't even asked yet. Just put it this way, I was confused and at a cross roads and desperately grasping at anything to help. I felt depressed and worthless.

Anyway, the book arrived. I looked at it. And that was it!!! A couple of months later I was eating my lunch and picked it up and randomly opened a page and this is what it said:

*Lindy's Story
Lindy was 7Kg overweight and loathed herself. Every day she would look in the mirror and call herself and "ugly b**ch". Is this what you would say to your best friend to motivate them to eat more healthily, go to the gym and feel better about themselves? Absolutely not!! And did this criticism get Lindy anywhere? Of course not. It simply kept her stuck in a spiral of self-disgust, lethargy and comfort eating.
When I met Lindy sh'd been feeling this way for six months. When I asked her why she insulted herself she said that she felt she didn't deserve to be spoken to more nicely until she had summoned up the will power to get her body under control and lose weight. When I pointed out that her strategy had been in place for over six months and had produced absolutely no results she was genuinely shocked. She hadn't noticed that she had failed to make one iota of progress; she had simply gone on being nasty to herself in hope that it would work.
I asked Lindy whether she would speak to an honored best friend using this kind of abusive language. She reacted angrily, saying that she wouldn't dream of speaking to anyone else like that, let alone someone she liked. The moment she said this she realised that she was behaving like an enemy to herself by being abusive, threatening, insulting and undermining.
I asked Lindy to experiment by living for one week as her own best friend, offering herself moral support, encouraging words, kindness and consideration. I asked her to do and say all the things she would if she were supporting a close friend.
Lindy agreed, and after a week she reported back that she had absolutely loved treating herself so differently. What's more, the difference it made to her morale and energy levels was staggering. Her need for comfort food dwindled as she gave herself real comfort in the form of kind words and support. She negotiated with herself over going to the gym, rewarding her efforts with a massage. At the end of the week Lindy had lost 2Kgs and was feeling much lighter in body and in spirit. Lindy had discovered how much easier life could be with her own backing and she went on to lose the rest of her excess weight easily and comfortably.* - PG 96 Be Your Own Life Coach - Fiona Harrold

I was Lindy. I said all of those things to myself. I was self sabotaging and I didn't even know it. I had done it to myself for years and years. My self worth had dwindled. After I read this I had that moment where I realised that I had caused my weight gain and had prevented myself from loosing it. Well not anymore!!!

I'm happier now than I've ever been and most importantly, I'm good to myself. I've started my last ever weight loss journey.

Kitty xo