Self-Love

Yesterday seemed to be a "tough love" day in Blogland, several weight-loss bloggers laying down the truth, doing the math, telling us to just put down the fork, already! I was right there with you all and feel that I'm better for it.

Today, though, I'd like to focus on self-love. Remember when we were kids and our parents had to discipline us for something? We were naughty, we got out of line so they set us straight. Whether it be time out, removal of privileges, whatever, we got "spanked." (Hopefully not literally, but that's another story). Afterward, though, that discipline was followed up with love. They'd hug us, explain what we did wrong, and we'd move on.

Well, that's what I'm doing today. We got "spanked" yesterday, reminded of how we're supposed to be doing this dieting thing, and encouraged to get our s**t together and get back on track. Now comes the love, from ourselves, not just each other. Because, really, no matter what our cyber-friends say, we have to live with ourselves, with our choices, 24/7.

Perusing some of my favorite blogs this morning, I found this quote from Lisa:

"Again, I am too important to fuel myself up with crap."

And then there's this one from my darling Valerie Bertinelli:

“I’ve realized I’m more important than food is. Being thin is about changing the way you think about yourself. It’s about saying you deserve to be healthy."

So, here's what I'm thinking. How about instead of considering every day of dieting one of self-denial, how about thinking of it as an act of love? Saying no to the bacon/french fries/pizza isn't punishment, it's self-love. Sweating it out on the treadmill or around the park with my dog isn't torture, it's self-love. Choosing salad over a Big Mac isn't deprivation, it's self-love. See what I mean here? Doesn't that tiny little shift in perspective change the whole diet mentality? It sure does for me!

So, I'm going to spend today working on that shift. Every time I feel tempted to eat something not good for me, I'm going to whisper to myself, "You're worth more!" "You deserve so much better!" "Don't settle for less!"

I challenge you to do the same, to spend just one day in a total self-love, doing what is best for you, as much as you can, then check back and let me know how it goes.

Because you know what? We deserve it!