KS&L 322 The Image Element in Weight Loss - a Personal Story Part 3

Finally, to make my transformation permanent, I had to change my life long attitude toward exercise. I still don’t sweat, but I have figured out how to work out and not pass out. Along the way, I met some really great women, who were/are just like me, seeking to transform themselves and take better care of their bodies.

I had to change my attitude toward portion size and how to eat. I can eat 100 calories every three hours and lose weight any time I want to because I have retrained my body to do so. I always ate in a healthy way, now I do it with greater awareness.

Life is going to go on with my family and friends. I still go to lunch. There are still lots of visitors, birthday parties and holiday celebrations and there is always a lot of great food, but now, I am far more conscious of the calories I am eating and their affect on me. I am now always mindful of my food choices.

Keeping weight off when I travel is admittedly a challenge, however, in my travels, I did not gain weight. The same wise choices made at home, can be made on the road, it is just harder.

I have changed myself. I have watched people change how they see me. I realized that I could never keep weight off unless I changed my image of myself on every level. I love wearing clothes that fit again. I love this elegantly proportioned body and how beautifully she has responded to the love and focused care I am giving her. I love how my husband fully supports the new wardrobe and ‘wearing me on his arm again.’

I still have about 15 pounds to lose, as I head toward a size 4-6 petite. I am still working on it, every day, and along the way, I am having a great time. I see the food traps and I see the food path. Ironically, you have to eat well, to lose weight. I have also noticed that my energy level is significantly higher.

I am most grateful to my daughter, Jeanne Marie for having the courage to challenge me to be better than I was and for helping me to change. I have to say, I think I was a pill sometimes but she did not give up and now when we go clothes shopping, we discuss outfits that we can share.

I have even embraced the physical and spiritual practice of yoga, seeking this crucial [for me] next step on my spiritual path. Yoga, practiced correctly, can help you ‘de-age’ faster than anything I can think of because it brings your body into balance on every conceivable level. Even my husband has discovered how much he appreciates how yoga has helped him make so many aches and pains, purely old memories.

None of us are perfect. Each of us is seeking to find those areas where we can reach positive spiritual growth through even the most mundane processes, and that includes losing weight. Perhaps sharing my experience will be helpful to someone else.

Achieving the perfect weight isn’t as much about food as it is about changing yourself on multiple physical, emotional and mental levels. Diets will never work long term. What will work for the long view, is a personal commitment to seeing yourself as a thin person, beautifully dressed with an energetically strong body and a new perspective on your life as you are now going to be living it.