Lighten Up on Yourself to Move On and Lose Weight

by Permanent Weight Loss Coach JoLynn Braley | Published on Jun 17, 2008 | Last updated Aug 7, 2012 | Emotional Eating

So you want to lose weight but is the fact that you’re being too hard on yourself making it almost impossible for you to move forward?

Are you continually playing those tapes in your head, regretting past weight loss missteps, bemoaning your overeating, and continuing to overeat because you think “why not, look at how far off track I’ve already gotten”? Well here’s what I say…

So What!

So what? That’s exactly right – so what. So you gained weight and now you’ve got an extra 25, 50, 200 pounds or so hanging around with ya. Yeah, I know it’s not a joke and it can be pretty depressing, but what about declaring peace and letting up on yourself today so that you can move on?

I don’t mean saying “so what, it doesn’t matter so let’s keep on a eatin’!” Extra fat on the body just isn’t healthy – it puts a strain on your heart, your joints (knees are a big one), your lungs, not to mention your emotions and self-esteem. It’s not healthy for you in either body, mind, or spirit so it’s a good thing that you want to release it and move on.

Lighten Up to Move Forward

You can’t do anything about the past and the overeating you’ve done – it’s over and done with and now you’ve got a body that is dying for you to love it and treat it with respect and you can do this now if you drop those old tapes.

You see if you continue to play those old tapes, those thoughts about how horrible it is that you gained weight, how do you end up feeling? I’m going to guess that you don’t feel that great and if you’re an emotional eater you’re probably heading for the food.

Declare Today “Let Go of the Past Day”

Here’s another way you can lighten up on yourself, by declaring today “let go of the past day”. I’ve been there before myself, continually thinking woulda, coulda, shoulda, but where does it get you? It only got me down in the dumps and heading for the frig and I think it’s a much better idea to just say, “so what, today is let go of the past day and I can make today and my tomorrows much heathier and happier”.

Are You In?

If you’ve been a little stuck in that stinkin’ thinkin’ of “if only I had done better and not eaten so much”, or “I just can’t forgive myself for overeating all of those years”, are you willing to let go of it today and lighten up on yourself? Are you willing to stop punishing yourself and say, “so what, so I overate, it doesn’t mean I have to keep on overeating!” and declare today let go of the past day?

I sure hope so because if you continue to regret your past actions it won’t help you move forward and choose healthy actions today – at least that’s been my experience, so if you can relate to this then I wish you a day of lightening up on yourself so that you can move forward and get that weight off. 😉

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9 Comments

MizFit on June 18, 2008 at 7:26 am

I love the notion of LET GO OF THE PAST DAY.

works in all arenas huh?

M.

MizFits last blog post..Viewer Mail.
Andrew is getting fit on June 18, 2008 at 3:52 pm

I think when we try to be perfect we set ourselves up for failure big time.

Andrew is getting fits last blog post..Jelly arms & a milestone
Merry on June 18, 2008 at 4:28 pm

Good post. Focus on the things you /can/ change, at least until someone invents a time machine that allows you to go back and have a ‘do-over’ on that chocolate cake.

Merrys last blog post..Whole Wheat Whining; Plus… Plug for Panko?
JoLynn Braley on June 18, 2008 at 4:58 pm

@M, yep, works in life in general, thanks!
JoLynn Braley on June 18, 2008 at 5:00 pm

@Andrew,

Exactly, perfectionism can cause big problems, it’s something that I need to be aware of, too.

@Merry,

Thanks! And re: the time machine, yeah, I say “who cares”, let it go and move on. 😉
Glamarella on June 19, 2008 at 10:55 am

So true! Excellent post.
Angie on June 19, 2008 at 10:47 am

I do this daily…let go of the past! LOL

Angies last blog post..Finding Serenity
JoLynn Braley on June 19, 2008 at 12:40 pm

Hi Angie,

You’re too funny and I love it….letting go of the past every day!

You know what, that’s actually what Dale Carnegie recommends in How to Stop Worrying and Start Living….living in compartments and letting go of the past.

Thanks for reminding me of that, way cool! 🙂
JoLynn Braley on June 19, 2008 at 12:54 pm

@g,

Thanks – I’d love to hear what part(s) of my post grabbed ya, which part resonated with you?

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