Are you lost?
Photo by Kat Jayne from Pexels |
I sure did. I tried countless diets. I tried Weight Watchers, Paleo, South Beach. When I was younger, I tried odd things, like Slim Fast, cabbage soup, apple cider vinegar, Hollywood juice (which was like Gatorade). There were other things too. Actually, I did not really have a weight issue when I was young, I had a body image issue, and the diet industry left me heavier and unhappier, not to mention my body image became poorer and very damaging.
I felt completely lost. I knew what worked one time and I would try to replicate it, but in the end, I felt as though my body would reject me and I would regain the weight. This was the cycle through most my adult life.
Now, I see, in my case was never a weight issue, it was a body image issue, it was a self esteem issue, it was a self-loathing issue that manifested in excess weight. I over ate to numb difficult feelings that I did not have the skills to cope with. I allowed myself to handle stress with work and family and even health by eating. It was so much easier to eat, as food is all around, it is common place, it is necessary.
I feel as though I have found myself, and it is not because I am skinnier, no way. I found how to experience human emotion without over eating.
I work full time. I work about 10 hours a day plus in my side-gig. I volunteer, I exercise, I have a family. I like many of you lead a very full life with ups and downs. It's no wonder I would cope with food. If you feel like you too cope with food, I can help you with a better way. I am no different than you. But I do believe that I have been found.