Wow! there is an emotional component to this.

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wallyg7
wallyg7 Posts: 15 Member
in Motivation and Support
Have any of you experienced anything similar?

I goin out on a limb (communication-wise) here so be kind...
I was feeling down about my most recent plateau (3 weeks at least). At first I lied to myself and just said my body is fighting me. But my wife helped me to see where I was actually getting sloppy in my meals. Then the trainer gave some pointed observations. So in an effort to encourage my self I started going through old pictures when I was heavier and came across one that was taken at a men's shop in Italy on a Vacation 5 years ago.
In the picture I am huge but smiling. I was looking at ties (that's all that could fit me in that shop) as i looked at the pic, I thought to myself, "What were you thinking? You didn't look good. Why did you even go on a nice vacation like that, let alone shop at a fashionable store. The guy in that picture should have just wore burlap and hide.

Then I caught myself. NO ONE should talk to himself that way. We all need to love ourselves at whatever size we are. I need to love the old size me and the newer size me and the next sized me too etc.
This healthy loving myself must include caring enough to eat very clean and take excersizing seriously. That's the behavior of someone who truly cares about himself. I wasn't caring about myself 5 years ago, eating to look like that way i wasnt caring now with the negative self put downs. A light bulb went off in my head. I can't hate myself in any way shape or form. How commited I am to this journey is directly related to my self esteem ( something I never thought was deficient in) who knew?


Those who know me in the real world admire my confidence. ... Sad to say getting fat and staying fat for so many years was because I didn't like myself enough to care. This epiffany made me own my program like I never did before. The result was a 3lb loss in the last few days.
So no more thinking "just get this weight off'a me and I don't wanna here no psychobabble" there is definitely an emotional component to sussesful weight loss journeys.

Replies

  • Balice57
    Balice57 Posts: 125
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    Well said, and glad you have come to that realization. It's certainly not just the food! So many of us are negative with ourselves. I know I am certainly my own worst critic. Good luck!
  • Ohbutiloveicecream
    Ohbutiloveicecream Posts: 37 Member
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    Thanks for stepping out on an emotional limb to share your thoughts. I agree: the self-respect doesn't always coincide with reaching our ideal weight. Fortunately we don't even need to change a pound to start seeing ourselves in a more positive light.
  • stevenleagle
    stevenleagle Posts: 293 Member
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    Wally great post. Agree that it's important to like yourself no matter your size. However I have to say I too am a little disappointed looking at some of my old photos and how long it took me to realize I needed to change. It's not just about how you look, it's how you feel (fitness/energy wise) and how healthy you are when you are lighter. Emotions are not a bad thing either as long as you use them to your advantage. I now get angry at myself when I see me sliding back into my old behaviours. I like to humiliate myself when I see myself doing so. But I don't mind tooting my own horn when I'm doing the right thing either.

    Ps well done on your journey so far Wally, I've been keeping mye eye on your progress ;)
  • JessieArt
    JessieArt Posts: 275 Member
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    I agree. It's definitely emotional. How I do each day depends on my emotions. How well I do effects my emotions. It's an emotional nightmare. LOL!

    You seem like a really great person. Hang in there!
  • monty619
    monty619 Posts: 1,308 Member
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    So no more thinking "just get this weight off'a me and I don't wanna here no psychobabble" there is definitely an emotional component to sussesful weight loss journeys.

    hence the effects of cortisol. proper hormone function is the main factor in losing body fat. stay positive and good things happen
  • vestarocks
    vestarocks Posts: 449 Member
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    That's why it bothers me so much when people, after they've lost their weight, say how much they hated their "old self". Ouch.
  • Amy_nz
    Amy_nz Posts: 145
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    Perfectly put - and absolutely true. Part of this experience for me has been not apologising for myself, and not beating myself up. I don't get motivated by other people insulting me, why on earth would I be motivated by me insulting me?! I've still got a helluva long way to go, but I'm never going to hate the 'old self'. I'm littler, but I'm fundamentally the same person. If I hate the 'old self' I hate the littler self, and that just isn't going to happen.

    And perhaps not coincidentally, for the first time this feels permanent. It's not a diet, and it's not a race to lose weight faster than everyone else. I know that I can maintain this for the rest of my life, because this IS my life. I don't get to quit.
  • jasperann
    jasperann Posts: 136 Member
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    Perfectly put - and absolutely true. Part of this experience for me has been not apologising for myself, and not beating myself up. I don't get motivated by other people insulting me, why on earth would I be motivated by me insulting me?! I've still got a helluva long way to go, but I'm never going to hate the 'old self'. I'm littler, but I'm fundamentally the same person. If I hate the 'old self' I hate the littler self, and that just isn't going to happen.

    And perhaps not coincidentally, for the first time this feels permanent. It's not a diet, and it's not a race to lose weight faster than everyone else. I know that I can maintain this for the rest of my life, because this IS my life. I don't get to quit.

    This is exactly how I feel now!

    But I know what it is like to realize that you hated yourself, or didn't care enough to change. Makes me sad for the old me when I see the pictures, but I don't hate the old me.
  • SuperScrabbleGirl
    SuperScrabbleGirl Posts: 310 Member
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    This is a brilliant thread. Well done. I'm really happy for you. We should all bookmark this x
  • sk2775
    sk2775 Posts: 703 Member
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    So proud of what you have done thus far Wally. You have come a very long way. This journey is weight loss with our body, but it is also a very much a mental game. Keep up the great work.
  • nicholettebell
    nicholettebell Posts: 414
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    Fantastic post! Describes my journey very accurately!
  • marci423
    marci423 Posts: 130 Member
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    That's why it bothers me so much when people, after they've lost their weight, say how much they hated their "old self". Ouch.

    I have heard people say they didn't like/hated their old self.........that stinks! I never thought that, I was happy when I was heavier, I just wasn't healthy :o) the health part is why I stared my journey down the scales :o) I don't want to be a burden on my daughter when I get old............she doesn't deserve it.

    :bigsmile:

    on my way down the scale slope!

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