TGIF! Diet thoughts...

First, thank God it's Friday!

It  is a rainy, nasty friday...but it's friday, so who can complain?

I did not run this morning, I figured my legs needed a rest for the long run tomorrow.

Last night, I was looking at a friend's facebook page. She restores furniture, and since I am currenly OBSESSED with all things moving/decoration, I was looking at the work she has done. While going through her pics, I come across this picture:

I read this and thought, "OMG, this is the perfect summation of dieting/maintenance"

Since I have lost a lot of weight, people constantly ask me what the secret is to losing or maintenance. Usually the people who ask are people who are Monday dieters, someday dieters, or the gung-ho type--you know the type-- the type that starts on monday, gets all fruits and veggies for the week, work up a workout plan of EVERYDAY working out. These are the peeps that typically fizzle out around Tuesday morning. Or maybe even Monday night.

When people ask me, 'how do you DO it', 'how can you keep it off'...I always say, start simple and realize that it's not about perfection. I always get a side-eye glare and, the famous, 'but it's HARD!!'. To which, I reply, 'duh'. LOL. Not really. But you get the point.

I think, people for the most part, think that this is all about perfection.

The secret is so not about perfection. In my 13 years 'on plan', I have:

Binged--more times than I can count;

I've had to mourn the fact that I am NOT a naturally skinny person;

I've gotten angry at my body;

I've fallen off the wagon, let the wagon roll over me a couple of times.

I have also,

Forgiven myself for my mistakes;

Gotten over the fact that I will never be a size 2, it's not realistic to even put that pressure onto myself;

I work out, even when I don't want to;

I make good decisions MOST of the time;

I still allow myself to indulge;

And most importantly, just embraced the fact that this is for life. I don't want to be miserable, so I have to work within my limitations.

Reading that quote not only helped ME put my imperfections into perspective, but I think it will help a lot of dieters/maitainers who will take the time to absorb the information.

It's really not about perfection. It's about being kind to yourself and loving your body.

So lets love our bodies and ourselves.

I will love my body by cherishing what I put into it and how I work it out. I will love myself by focusing on the positive, not the negative.

I am a firm believer that if you appreciate your imperfections, the rest will follow.

Happy friday and peace out!