How Do You Feel About YOU?

How do you feel about YOU? Do you 'beat yourself up' because you're overweight (or think you're overweight)? Do you ever say or think, "I hate myself"? Do you hope you'll succeed, but know you'll fail?

If any of these sound like you, you're not alone. Many women have self-esteem issues stemming from their weight. But how are you going to be good to your body if you hate it?

To lose weight and grow strong physically and emotionally, you need to believe that you deserve it. It won't wait until after the weight is lost (which we sometimes view as nirvana, where everything will be perfect, but that's a different post ...), you need to do it now or you won't be able to get it done in the first place. You must believe that you deserve good things -- to be healthy, happy, strong, content.

It's far easier to make positive changes when you believe you deserve them than when you don't believe you do. In fact, I'll go as far as to say if you don't think you deserve to be fit and happy, the odds are very, very long that you ever will be.

Each morning, look at yourself in the mirror and say, "I deserve to be happy and fit. My body deserves to be treated better than I've been treating it. My loved ones deserve for me to love myself as much as they love me. I deserve to feel good." Adjust it to any specifics that are important to you. If you need to, print it out and post it on the corner of your mirror. Eventually you'll memorize it and be able to repeat it to yourself throughout the day.

Once you believe it and stop hating yourself, and you stop working against yourself and your body, your whole life will become more balanced. You'll feel better, be more positive, and smile more. Self-sabotage will become a thing of the past. And you'll finally be able to dedicate to yourself the time, effort, and planning it takes to lose weight.

All kinds of good things come out of loving yourself. Give it a try and see what positive changes occur in your life!