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Saturday, May 26, 2012

It's all in your perception

Recently I've been having some "whoa's me" moments about my body not changing fast enough. I've been doing the Primal diet since mid-April and thought I would be a lean machine by now.  Of course that was not a realistic expectation but I was still hopeful.  The reality is that I have lost three pounds and since I only had 10 to lose, and I'm gaining muscle, the number actually means nothing.

After complaining to my husband yet again about hating how my clothes look, he suggested that I go buy a couple things that look great. Not just "ok" but great.  Of course I'll never turn down a shopping opportunity but I'll admit I was a bit scared to meet that "great" expectation because frankly I haven't been feeling great about my body.

A good friend of mine joined me on my venture for new clothes and together we worked out two outfits.  I was still expecting these outfits to make me suddenly look like a lean machine when in reality, they were just what looked good on my body.  After our shopping trip, this wonderful friend said something to me that really put everything into perspective.

She had stopped working out after gaining weight from her workouts and was feeling defeated.  She was wearing clothes that were too big to hide the curves she wanted to lose.  She then noticed an acquaintance of her at a gathering and noted that she looked stunning.  This woman's body was no different then her own but she was not afraid to show it with nice fitting clothes.  It then occurred to me that by wearing baggy shirts and frumpy pants, I was making myself look very unattractive not only to myself, but to others.

We can't always change our body makeup overnight but we can embrace what we have while going through the process.  The size of our clothes and the number on the scale really mean very little compared to how we feel.  Frankly, eating a primal diet makes me feel full of energy and clearer in my thinking than my pre-primal state.  I could have easily sabotaged my primal journey by letting my lack of weight loss get me down.  I now realize how important perception can be in maintaining a good sense of self-esteem.

How about you guys?  Anyone out there ever sabotage their fitness goals based on poor perception?

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