Maybe I’m going out on a limb here, but…
If you’ve got belly fat, I’m willing to bet you aren’t loving it.
Am I right?
So, when I’m saying “love it” in the title, you may be skeptical.
I get it.
For most of us, the reaction to belly fat is usually one or more of these feelings:
Disappointment, discouragement, disgust, and disbelief.
(“love” isn’t usually on the list)
When I first saw fat around my middle, I was in disbelief.
Then I moved into disappointment.
And a little bit of disgust (and shame if I’m being honest.)
Having those feelings come up didn’t feel good.
Not even a little.
And although I wanted the belly to go away, I wasn’t sure where to begin.
That’s when I remembered a very important thing I’ve learned as a coach and yoga teacher:
You can’t change what you don’t accept.
Acceptance
Acceptance just means acknowledgment.
It doesn’t mean “Ya, it’s great! I’m fine with it.”
It just means seeing what’s true for you, at this moment.
So, what was true for me at that moment was that I had gained some belly fat.
That’s it.
My thoughts about the belly fat made me feel disappointed and disgusted.
So, it was up to me change those thoughts about my circumstance.
And create thoughts around acceptance of the facts about me and my body.
- Fact: I had additional belly fat.
- Fact: I was in my mid-forties
- Fact: My workplace was laying off and my job description wasn’t clear
- Fact: I was sleeping 6 hours a night
- Fact: Although I was a pretty healthy eater, I was eating way beyond my hunger
These are all facts for me from that time.
And when I look at these facts, I can feel compassion for myself.
And it’s clear that my body wasn’t the enemy.
Instead, my body was just showing me that I was out of balance.
And – this is where LOVE comes in…
That’s when I decided to go beyond acceptance and into LOVE of my body for showing me what I needed to see.
Yes, love.
Love
LOVE may be a big step.
Acceptance may be enough.
But I invite you try on LOVE.
See if you can LOVE the fact that your body is working in service of you all the time.
Your body is designed to keep your safe, in balance.
And it’s also designed to show get your attention when something is off.
Can you LOVE that your body is doing its job?
When you can get there, then I believe you can make real change happen.
Loss
From LOVE, or at least acceptance, you can lose belly fat.
It’s very hard to lose fat out of dissappointment, discouragement, or disgust for your body.
For example, bring to mind someone you don’t like so much, someone who irritates you.
Do you feel like taking care of that person?
Probably not.
If you had to take care of that person, you’d do it begrudgingly, painfully.
It would feel like a punishment.
Now, apply this to your own body.
Trying to lose weight or get healthy, while you’re holding onto negative thoughts about your body, will feel like a punishment.
So, eating healthy, exercising, going for walks, and getting to bed at a descent hour will feel like torture.
However, when you can get to a place in your mind where you love and appreciate your body, you will actually want to take care of it.
You’ll actually get motivation and enjoyment out of it, knowing that what you’re choosing to do is benefitting you.
And when you see it this way, you never have to make the choice between loving your body or losing weight.
It’s both.
When you love your body as it is, then you want to care for it from that love.
And when you care for it, positive changes will happen, including healthy fat loss.
Fat loss will happen more easily as a result of love, not as a pre-requisite for love.
Does this resonate with you?
When we work on belly fat in the Belly Fat to Belly Fit coaching group, we’re really learning to accept (and even love) our changing bodies.
And fat loss becomes just a by-product of that.
So often I hear clients say that they want healthy living to feel natural and easy.
And I say that it can be, if you’re willing to love your body now, exactly how it is.
From that love, all the lifestyle changes will feel more like self care and less like punishment.
Keep moving forward,
Debbie
P.S. Are you tired of feeling disppointed, discouraged, or disgusted with your changing body? Then let’s go… Join me this month as we kick off the Belly Fat to Belly Fit group coaching program.