Shame and Blame

How often do you hear others say, “I was bad tonight because I ate too much or I had a snack and I shouldn’t have”? Or “I have to go for a run to work off that huge meal that I ate last night”. Perhaps you even hear “I’m gonna skip a meal to make up for all the noshing I did yesterday.”
Our culture perpetuates the notion that thin is good and if we keep our weight down we’ll be happy, sexy, and more appealing to others. We live in a world of should. “I should be thin, fit, and more attractive”.
The reality of life is that some people have it easy and others have to work a lot harder to achieve their successful image of how they want to be seen by themselves and others. There’s a variety of things that can get in the way to make the ideal weight and body an elusive dream:
- Having kids
- Various physical and mental health conditions
- Certain medications can lead to weight gain or weight loss
- Time pressures
- Climate
- Work hours
That isn’t to say that we can’t overcome these issues or that being and feeling healthy isn’t within reach. If we can reassess our standards and consider what’s important to us and try not to let others rule, then we will move in the direction toward personal choice rather than the unrealistic expectations of ourselves and others. Start with giving up the shame and blame and take your own baby steps from there.
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