MOTIVATION, we all need it!

 Last week I ran into an old friend of mine who I had not seen for quite some time.  Upon seeing her again it was apparent that she had gained a lot of weight in the past year. Before I could give her a hug to say hello she disclosed to me about how horrible she felt and was almost in tears out of  sheer embarrassment.  Well, that hug turned out the more than a hello, that physical connection was to let her know that I could totally understand how she was feeling and take the pressure off  her at that moment. I did not want her to feel judged about these emotions so I began to share with her my own struggles that  revolved around weight obsession, emotional eating and negative body image . And while that thinking seemed so far behind me now at that very moment it seemed like yesterday when my mind and emotions were filled with anxiety, depression and  never ending chaos. With much anxiety she told me that she was so upset and embarrassed because she “let her go.”  by putting this weight on.  I told that she was not alone and that millions of women go through the same trauma every day but there is light at the end of the tunnel. While emotions might run deep now she was in the path of what could be colorful rainbow in her path and she needed to see it and reach for it.

 For many years I ate myself into a never ending trail of  denial and could not get my eating under control.  I remember years of insanity and how food was the only comfort that I relied on in a world of craziness. Some how  though when it hits you personally you are likely to think you are in this solo and that there is no one who understands. But for many they do GET IT  and are in a similar situations.  She confessed that she was feeling depressed and was desperate to lose the weight and get back into a fitness routine, the only problem was that she could not find the WILL to do it. She said she thought about it all of the time but somehow just could not get up and do it. Sound familiar?  Sure it does, as this happens to millions of women every day. The want is there but that is where it stops.  She was not sure how she gained this weight  but one day she woke up and there were more, hips, butts and thighs on her body. SOUND FAMILIAR? It did to me. While she laughed about it again I could see and feel her distress.  I remember that devastation of wanting to give up and waking up one day to more hips, thighs and belly and  how could I turn this around so I could look and feel better.  I wanted her to know she was not alone in this journey and that most who have issues with weight and eating could easily call it quits and just give up for a period of time. I remember having this conversation in my own head many times over the span of many years. I told her that now is NOT the time to  isolate but get support from those who will not judge or try to fix you. It is time to start over again and to move on and that I truly believed in her but she needed to believe not only in herself  but to know that she deserved to feel and look better. I told her that she was worth feeling better but would that make her begin to get on track. Now is the time to get up and begin again.