Loving Yourself: a Key Element in Fitness Formula
Uncovering The media illusion of slim = beautiful = happy = successful
According to a new
European study, which was a collaboration between researchers from Portugal
and Wales, it was discovered that overweight and
obese women aged between
25 and 50 overcame emotional (comfort)
eating habits and lost more
weight when they were
helped to love and accept themselves. More than 200 women, who had no other
health concerns and were free of medication, participated in the study
In this study, the authors focused on helping the participants love and accept themselves in two unique ways:
The women created an more realistic ideal body shape for themselves;
The women felt greater acceptance for how they looked and realized that
they were more than just their looks;
Results: The study showed that when the participants realized
that their looks were less important than their sense of self and the
importance of their life, they changed their emotional eating habits; they lost
seven percent of their starting weight, whereas women who did not make
this psychological realignment lost two percent. For a woman weighing
200Ibs, that's a 10Ibs difference.
Making short-term decisions can lead to
choices. These choices cumulatively affect the health of our cells, and when
our cells don't function properly we experience symptoms that we label as
disease, ranging from obesity,
There is no doubt that media has made being slim (thin) acceptable and being
overweight unacceptable. Increasing the burden on women to look thin and
perfect all the time. Try to recall, when was the last time you saw an obese
actress play a leading role in a major Hollywood movie?
rightfully said lies in the eyes of beholder and is far away from the physical
appearance. There are plenty of women who have a lean, toned body, yet they
too are unhappy, low on financial resources, and are unsatisfied with their
Happiness is independent of our looks, it's about being content with what we
have in each and every moment, regardless of what we're doing, what we look
like, and how much money and material objects we have.
When you love yourself, just as you are RIGHT NOW, you are able to
easily generate the emotions that
motivate you to take
care of yourself and do what needs to be done to be healthy every day.
The instant question that comes to mind is, How can I be HAPPY?
In a new SELF poll, the majority of women—75 percent!—say they're
dissatisfied with their shape. To see what's behind this negativity, we asked
nearly 1,000 respondents detailed questions about their body image and
lifestyle, then compared the answers of the discontented group (we dubbed them "unhappies")
with the 25 percent who were satisfied with their figure (aka the "happies").
According to James P. Krehbiel, Ed.S., LPC, Unhealthy eaters can untwist their
maladaptive thinking and meet their weight goals by:
Learning to rationally respond to negative thinking. For
example, instead of saying, "I'll never meet my weight goals, I'm just
worthless," one might say, "Just relax and be patient, Rome wasn't built in
Identify cognitive distortions such as castastrophizing,
labeling, personalizing, and black and white thinking. An example might be,
"If I can't lose 5 lbs. this week I might as well give up" (black/white
Instead of being unkind to yourself, talk to yourself the
same compassionate way you would to a dear friend who is experiencing the
Instead of assuming your negative thoughts are accurate,
examine the evidence that supports your conclusions. "If I don't lose 15
lbs., will people really think I am hopelessly obese?"
Instead of taking full responsibility for your weight
problem, you can assess the many factors that may have contributed to it and
address those issues with the support of others.
Set a realistic agenda. Ask yourself, "What would it be
worth to me to stop my unhealthy eating? How hard am I willing to work on a
maintenance progress based upon the process — the effort you put in —
rather than the outcome. Your efforts are within your control, but the
outcome may not.
Substitute language that is less emotionally loaded. "I
shouldn't have eaten that extra helping" can be redefined as, "It would have
been preferable if I hadn't eaten more."
(James P. Krehbiel, Ed.S.,
LPC author, freelance writer and cognitive-behavioral therapist practicing in
Life is far too rich, interesting and short to waste on hating your body.
Dated 28 September 2011