20 Ways to win at losing weight (#3)
 

3. Cut yourself some slack. The main thing is to make peace with yout body before you try and change it, say Bob Harper. "Okay, you're overweight. But how great that you've decided to do something about it! Accepting where you are at the moment takes away the white knuckle feeling that can saotage you fast: 'I've got to lose weight! Damn, I didn't lose any weight today. I've failed! Forget it, I won't try andymore."

My thoughts: I don't know, I don't feel like there is very much worthwhile in #3. But that's just me.

Your thoughts on "way" #3??

I don't know how, personally, I would accept being overweight. That doesn't make sense. it would seem like you are satisfied with yourself if you accept yourself. I don't understand that point.

beating yourself up about over not losing that day and giving up- not me. I weigh everyday to track my progress and keep me encouraged and when I don't lose- I actually push myself even harder. I had been stuck at 185 since 11/24 and not lost (or gained) but I know how far I still have to go and not seeing a change keeps me going.

Maybe they didn't say it right. I think if your losing weight expecting to look like Julia Roberts your doomed to failure.If you want to be the heathiest,happiest person you can then you stand a better chance.

I don't think he means accepting your present body when he says to make peace with it - maybe he means you have to accept the fact that you're very fat (a negative) and tell yourself that you accept the challenge to change (a positive). That way you've made peace with the fact that its a long-term challenge, so there's no undue pressure on yourself to have immediate results.

ok- making peace that it's a long term challenge- no immediate results. I understand that...
Thanks Jillegal

I love this point. I am always trying to lose weight, hating my body, not buying myself clothes, makeup, really ANYTHING for myself because I don't feel like I want to accept who I am now. So where does that keep me? Fat. And when I fail, I cry and hate myself more. But when you hate yourself you can't take care of yourself, you can't make positive choices, and you certainly can't lose weight in the right kinda way.

I've always had a great self-esteem. Sure there are days when I can't stand to look at all my rolls and cottage cheese but I accepted the fact that this is the way I look a long time ago and that if I don't want to look like this, I need to change it myself.

It's just been within the last couple of weeks that I've also come to accept the fact that I probably won't make it to 150 in 2005 and I'm okay with that, now. When I started on this journey back in Mar, I just knew that I could get all this weight off by next Labor Day. As the pounds have been slowly coming off, I kept putting those goals further and further back (I had originally had a goal of being below 200 by the end of 2004 and now I can only hope to be below 250). As long as the weight is coming off and not going back on, I'm on the right track.

I think this is an important one. For many who have a lot of weight to lose, the road ahead can be so overwhelming that they can barely get started, much less weather the lower motivation times or small slip-ups or plateaus. In accepting our bodies and where we are NOW, we can better accept that it's going to be a long haul and we're going to have to just ride it out through both the bumpy times and the smooth rides. If you start out with self-hatred and self-flagellation, it's a lot harder to build the positive habits and coping skills.

Just my .02!

I like it.

Am I the only one here who thinks I'm beautiful? Surely not!

I don't think that anyone can start to do anything about their weight until they decide that they love themself.

But maybe I'm on the wrong track with this one, who knows!? :dizzy:

You have to come to terms with what you are and how you got there first. Once you decide to do something about it you’ve made a major step. But you have to accept the fact that there isn’t any fast fix. Because of that, you have to cut yourself some slack…otherwise you’ll give up at every little bump in the road. In the long term it’s better to try your best even one week of the month, one day of the week, or one hour of the day than not to have tried at all.

Melissa