Self love can be challenging if you hate the body you are in, but self love and weight loss are possible! It’s starts with changing your mindset. Below are 22 invaluable tips to help you learn to love yourself while you are losing weight.
How to love yourself when you're fat
1. Love yourself for who you are
We live in a society where skinny is good and fat is bad, and most of us believe that nonsense. But has it ever occurred to you that you are perfect the way you are?
Hating your body won’t make you love it. In fact, if you hate your body as it is, you’ll punish it by eating more unhealthy foods, which will make you fatter, and that will make you hate it even more.
The remedy is to appreciate yourself because you are so much more than just your body. You can start small and work your way up. You can be grateful for your beautiful nails, your hair, your eyes, your long eyelashes, your skin, your personality, your sense of humor, your sense of loyalty, your intelligence, your kindness, etc. You can appreciate little things too, like the fact that your hands are really strong, and people are always asking you to open jars.
The point is to be grateful for what you have because, by doing so, your mindset about yourself will slowly change. As you start to think of yourself more positively, you may start making healthier choices for your body.
If you believe in the law of attraction, this will make sense. According to the law of attraction, whatever you put out comes back to you. So if you are hating your body and you are constantly criticizing it, you will attract more reasons to criticize your body. Flip that and start focusing instead on things you can be grateful for.
Also, consider that whatever we focus on expands, so if you are obsessing over your weight, you will get more of it. Instead of obsessing about your weight, how about obsessing about becoming a woman comfortable in her own skin?
2.Be kind to yourself
Self love and weight loss is challenging, but it’s time to stop shaming yourself and start treating your body as its best friend rather than its worst enemy. Treat yourself the way you would treat a small child. Be thankful for who you are, where you are in your life, and where you are going on your path. Focus on your blessings rather than your flaws.
3. Become aware of your thoughts
What’s going on in your head is directly reflected in your body. Negative self-talk will work against you and become a spirit-crushing punishment. Allow yourself to feel good about your body and believe that you are worth the effort.
4. Learn to eat healthy foods
Your everyday dietary choices will have a large impact on how you feel now, tomorrow, and in the future. Eating a well-balanced diet rich in healthy, whole foods is important to your overall health. It is true that eating healthy does cost a little more than junk food, but you are worth it! You have to make the conscious choice that the money you are spending is to improve your physical and mental fitness.
5. See unhealthy food for what it really is
Candy, cakes, pastries, fast food, and any other unhealthy foods are cheap and delicious. The problem is that when you’re buying cheap, unhealthy food, your body is going to suffer and you’re going to pay the price later in the doctor’s office. So it turns out, you’re going to be spending the money anyway — decide if you’re going to spend it at the grocery store or at the doctor’s office.
6. Change your mindset about food
We all know that unhealthy foods are not good for us, yet many of us still eat them. That’s because we are in the habit of eating poorly, and it’s really hard to change that habit. It takes time and a conscious effort to make that change.
Changing your mindset may sound difficult, but you’ve probably already done it in other areas of your life. For example, have you ever had a boyfriend or a friend who you thought was perfect and wonderful, but once you got to know them, you realized they’re actually quite terrible, and you no longer thought of them in the same way? The same transition can happen with unhealthy foods.
7. Set yourself up for success
When I work long hours, I find myself craving chips. When I eventually get to the kitchen, I’m starving and I don’t want to wait for food, so I give in to my cravings and eat the chips. Fortunately, this is not a common occurrence, but it is nonetheless bad. Instead of waiting for my body to become ravenously hungry, I should:
- Eat something healthy as soon as I feel hungry, instead of waiting till I crave the unhealthy.
- Not have chips in the house, leaving myself no choice but to make something healthy! (Although, we allow ourselves chips once a week during movie night.)
In your life, find the moments or situations that lead you to unhealthy choices and change them. If you need comfort food after you watch the news every night, maybe don’t watch the news. If staying up to date with what is happening in the world is important to you, maybe listen to the news highlights on your way to work.
8. Stop focusing on the numbers
Forget about the dress size or the numbers on the scale. Your self-worth should not be dictated by those numbers. You have value and worth, despite the numbers or your outside appearance.
Also, the numbers don’t offer a complete picture. The scale will tell you your weight, but it will not tell you how good you’ve done that week, or how much your family and friends love you just the way you are.
While you are on this self love and weight loss journey, it is important to understand that reaching your ideal weight will not make you funnier, cooler, prettier, smarter, stronger, or a more likable or worthy person. You are already all those things!
9. Tell your inner critic to shut up
Make an honest attempt to quiet your inner critic. Stop listening to that voice that says you’re not good enough, clever enough, or skinny enough. Don’t even think of saying it to yourself if you wouldn’t say it to your best friend.
10. Create a healthy morning ritual
Because our morning rituals often influence the rest of our day, set the tone. When you wake up in the morning, you have 24 brand-new hours ahead of you. If you made mistakes yesterday, forget it. It’s gone! Use this chance to start your day healthy and focused, improving the quality of your life and laying the groundwork for success.
11. Be grateful for your progress
Don’t wait until everything is perfect before you enjoy your body. Appreciate yourself for where you’ve been, where you’re going, and where you are on your path to happiness.
If you can’t be grateful for what you have now, how will you be grateful for anything you get in the future? Be grateful for the difficulties you overcame to get to where you are—without them, you would not have discovered your inner power.
12. Be patient with yourself
You can’t go from an unhealthy lifestyle to a healthy one overnight. There will be too much conflict between the old you and the new person you are becoming. This self love and weight loss journey requires baby steps. Consider following James Clear’s 2-minute rule, as described in the video below.
@jasonscalora The #2minuterule will CHANGE YOUR LIFE // 🗣 #jamesclear & @iamrichroll // #mindset #habits #atomichabits #buildhabits #selfcare
♬ Tell Me Why I'm Waiting - Timmies/Shiloh
13. Don’t be overly strict with yourself
If you set a goal to never eat chocolate or pizza or chips again, it is likely unattainable and you’re likely to be miserable. Instead, allow yourself a cheat day or time every now and again.
In our home, it’s Friday and Saturday nights. We eat as healthy as possible during the week, but on those two evenings, we may get pizza and snacks for a movie. By allowing ourselves these indiscretions, we never feel deprived.
14. Understand that healthy living is not all doom and gloom
You may like the destination of healthy living, but dislike the journey you think you have to take to get there.
Perhaps you’re thinking that you’ll have to eat rabbit food and miss out on the unhealthy foods you’ve enjoyed for years. But it doesn’t have to be like that. There are tons of healthy meals that are quick to make and delicious too!
And perhaps you’re dreading the idea of sweating it out in the gym. Once again, it doesn’t have to be like that. You may love dancing classes, where you are getting a workout and having fun at the same time. You may even meet new friends. Or you may discover that walking on a nature trail is therapeutic for you because it’s an opportunity for you to get away from everyday stresses.
15. If you fall off the wagon, get back on
You’re not meant to be perfect, you’re real, and real people fall off the wagon now and again. If this happens to you, just get back on, and don’t berate yourself about the mistake you made.
Keep in mind that you are not overweight because you ate a handful of chips one day. You’re overweight because of a habit of overeating. But you’re changing that habit. So if you’re living a healthy lifestyle 90% of the time, falling off the wagon now and again is not that big a deal.
16. Create a lifestyle that will help you be healthy
You may have a job that you absolutely hate, so when you get home from work, all you want to do is veg out on the couch, eat unhealthy foods, and watch tv. If your job leads to unhealthy situations, perhaps it’s time to make a switch.
Or perhaps you love your job, but you are too tired to cook when you get home, so you end up eating fast food. In a situation like this, perhaps batch cooking in advance will not only make your life easier but allow you to eat healthier.
Basically, find the crutches that make healthy living hard, and figure out how to get rid of them.
17. Change the way you look at exercise
Physical exercise is not fun for everyone, but it can lead you to a life of well-being.
If the idea of going to the gym feels like torture to you, don’t go there. Instead, find a physical activity that you actually enjoy. And when the inevitable roadblocks come, find a way around them. For example, if you enjoy walking but you find it boring, put on some headphones and listen to music, an audiobook, or your favorite podcast.
Or maybe you think you don’t have time. Consider that perhaps you don’t have to watch Netflix every night. Perhaps Netflix on the weekends will be your reward for all the hard work you have put in during the week.
Also, keep in mind that getting healthy is a gradual and steady process. Exercise should be your way of life, not your destination.
@jasonscalora #exercise spills over into ALL areas of your life // 🗣 #jamesclear & @iamrichroll // #habits #fitness #gymtok #selfcare #mindset #motivation
♬ Runaway by Kanye Piano - Henry Cantu
18. Don’t let perfectionism rob you of your joy
Learn to respect and cherish your body as it is today. You’re not meant to be perfect, you’re meant to be real. And who says a size 10 is perfect, anyway?
You are believing that you are imperfect because society has taught us that skinny is good, but you don’t have to believe that nonsense anymore. Instead, start learning to appreciate your body while losing weight. A little self-love may shift your perspective on life and help you feel proud of who you are right now.
Self love is when you love yourself as you are now. Self destruction is when you decide to only love yourself if you look a certain way.
19. Practice mindfulness
In the same way that exercise is a way to train your body, mindful meditation is a way to train your mind. You can use it to improve your emotional and physical health.
Many religious and philosophical traditions have stated for years that you will experience the most joy when you are present and attentive. Mindfulness practice will make it simpler for you to be completely involved and experience life’s pleasures.
20. Nurture your friendships
Loneliness and social isolation are equally as dangerous to one’s health as obesity. According to studies, if you want to live a long and healthy life, you should maintain strong social interactions with good friends. It has been shown to improve both physical and mental health and can be the key to a lifetime of wellness.
21. Do the things that make you happy
Concentrate on the things that make you the happiest and healthiest version of yourself. Continue to pursue your passions, set objectives, and realize your greatest ambitions.
22. Consider natural or holistic methods
If the everyday hardships and uncontrolled turmoil of life are depleting your physical and mental health while you’re trying to lose weight, it might be time to take a more holistic approach. Consider yoga.
By introducing a daily yoga practice into your life, you may naturally guide your body to self-healing. This centuries-old method has several indisputable advantages. It may be beneficial in terms of building coping skills and achieving a more optimistic attitude in life.
