Although when speaking to Jennifer Hudson about her weight loss success Oprah claimed she didn't want her to reveal anything she wasn't comfortable with, the legendary interviewer persisted to badger the celebrity to reveal the precised number of pounds she has lost on her recent weight loss journey.
Clearly torn between her own wish not to talk about pounds and her desire to respond to and please Oprah, Jennifer caved --to a standing ovation from the studio audience.
Jennifer Hudson is indeed a weight loss inspiration. She looks great and says she feels like she is better than she ever has been in her life. So why did Oprah have to know how many pounds Jennifer has lost? Because Oprah still clings to the idea that a number indicates success or failure when it comes to measuring weight loss success. This is surprising coming from a woman who comes from "spirit" and defies common success measures in so many other aspects of her life.
Would the singer's weight loss be any less inspiring if she'd "only" lost 60 pounds? Would it have been more amazing if she'd lost 100 pounds? Not to me. Oprah mentioned that she couldn't relate to the Jennifer being a size 6 and neither could most people. I can't relate to a size 6 either, but I find the logic faulty. I wish Jennifer had stuck to her guns and not revealed numbers--either pounds or dress sizes.
Announcing these numbers automatically starts us calculating and comparing--which I believe Jennifer and her Weight Watchers coach were trying to avoid. It isn't about whether you have 20 pounds to lose or 200. It is about how you feel about yourself. We can all see the phenomenal results that Jennifer has achieved on this journey--and the difference in her attitude and appearance should be enough to inspire us no matter how many pounds she has lost.
Telling the world the number of pounds we've lost is less about an internal celebration and satisfaction and more about external recognition. We all deserve to feel good about our accomplishments--whether or not others congratulate us with words, pats on the back or standing ovations on the Oprah Winfrey Show.
Of course it can be encouraging for people to hear about pounds lost. And it feels great to have other people congratulate us on our success. But I believe completely that if we are to have permanent weight loss success then we must lose the weight for ourselves and take satisfaction in our own results. I also believe that our best "advertisement" about our weight loss is our own image--in person and in the form of before and after pictures--and that this is also the best inspiration we can give to others. Happy, smiling faces and energetic bodies show the benefit of losing weight, whereas pounds loss are just numbers.
Showing posts with label before and after photos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label before and after photos. Show all posts
Friday, February 11, 2011
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Simple Tip to Stop Emotional Eating and Achieve Weight Loss Success
I'm alone this week...and will confess to feeling a bit lonely and that I have fallen prey to the comfort food syndrome!
This isn't bad if it just happens once in a while, but I want to be sure I don't make a habit of it or I will 1. be angry with myself (which isn't helpful) and/or 2. gain weight back which will just make me angry with myself...did I mention that isn't helpful?
One thing that I found that IS helpful is to look at a picture of myself as I used to be.
That's me back i
n 2006.
The point of this looking back is definitely not to beat myself up...it is to remind myself of just how far I have come and that I definitely do NOT want to go back to being that person.
And it is the BE-ing that is important...sure it is about the weight, but not the most important part. The most important part is how unhealthy I was, how much pain I was in and what I could not DO because of the behaviors I engaged in.
So I took out a picture from one of my heaviest periods (even more than the one I just posted here) and I put it on the frig so that it is front and center should I reach for a choice that is less-than-healthy. I don't make the food off-limits, but this really helps make the choice a conscious one...and I found that it really helped me to make healthy choices.
If looking at the "old" you isn't enough to keep you on track, take that picture in to the nearest mirror and compare it to the you of today.
Since you can't join me at the mirror, here's a picture to help drive home the point! I sure don't want to having to get into those pants the old fashioned way again ;-)
If you haven't yet achieved your weight loss success and therefore don't have before and after pictures (or before and during pictures...that works just as well!) then look at pictures of how you want to be.
Take pictures from magazines or ads that capture the person you want to be...how it will feel when you have achieved that weight loss success! This can be your own health vision board...one that will definitely help you to reach your goal!
This isn't bad if it just happens once in a while, but I want to be sure I don't make a habit of it or I will 1. be angry with myself (which isn't helpful) and/or 2. gain weight back which will just make me angry with myself...did I mention that isn't helpful?
One thing that I found that IS helpful is to look at a picture of myself as I used to be.
That's me back i
n 2006.The point of this looking back is definitely not to beat myself up...it is to remind myself of just how far I have come and that I definitely do NOT want to go back to being that person.
And it is the BE-ing that is important...sure it is about the weight, but not the most important part. The most important part is how unhealthy I was, how much pain I was in and what I could not DO because of the behaviors I engaged in.
So I took out a picture from one of my heaviest periods (even more than the one I just posted here) and I put it on the frig so that it is front and center should I reach for a choice that is less-than-healthy. I don't make the food off-limits, but this really helps make the choice a conscious one...and I found that it really helped me to make healthy choices.
Since you can't join me at the mirror, here's a picture to help drive home the point! I sure don't want to having to get into those pants the old fashioned way again ;-)
If you haven't yet achieved your weight loss success and therefore don't have before and after pictures (or before and during pictures...that works just as well!) then look at pictures of how you want to be.
Take pictures from magazines or ads that capture the person you want to be...how it will feel when you have achieved that weight loss success! This can be your own health vision board...one that will definitely help you to reach your goal!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
When Clothes Are Too Big Because of Weight Loss Success
So what do you do when your clothes get too big because you have been successfully losing weight?
A "Twitter friend" yesterday sent out a Tweet that she had given away 119 pieces of clothing that are now too big for her. That is so fantastic! She felt really great for her weight loss of course, but she also felt fantastic that because she has been losing weight some other people are benefiting also! She is a great weight loss inspiration--I love that she was willing to give away clothes and that she is willing to help inspire others to succeed and give as well. (Thanks, Stacy--you rock!)
I know it is tempting to hang on to your "big" clothes. We've all been through the ups and downs of yo-yo dieting. When you are dieting you really want to hang onto clothes because you have proven to yourself that you will gain weight back.
That is why it is important to NOT diet. Your weight loss success will be long-term if you refuse to diet, as opposed to the short-lived successes we achieve with diets.
So keep one of your "big" outfits. Just one. Save it for days when you are feeling fat even after you have lost weight. You will be amazed at how good you will feel when you put on that pair of pants that used to be tight...and wow!...there are inches between the pant and you now...or they are falling around your knees!
Use them as a tool to help you remember your success...and take the classic "after" photo of the new you in those old pants--holding out the waistband!
As for the rest of the clothes...divide them into 2 piles.
The second pile--THROW AWAY!
OK, I'm not big into tossing things into the landfill if you can use it. But it is important you don't hang on to these things as clothes...so if you absolutely can't bear to just throw them away then cut (or rip) them up.
In the old days there would have been a "Rag Man" who would collect cotton and linen scraps. I don't think these guys exist any longer, but you can keep some pieces for rags instead of buying cleaning cloths or in place of paper towels.
Or if you are crafty, or a sewer, you might make some quilts or other projects out of them. Use them in a way to celebrate your weight loss success, so every time you look at that piece you bring joy and a sense of victory and accomplishment to mind. Or see if there is a quilting club in your town...you never know, they may be creating quilts for a cause and would be thrilled to receive your squares...
But don't hold onto them "just in case"...that part of your life is behind you. Look ahead to your new, healthy, energetic life.
Congratulations! You deserve it!
- Do you hang on to them, "just in case?"
- Do you throw them away? Burn them? Tear them into rags?
- Or do you give them away?
A "Twitter friend" yesterday sent out a Tweet that she had given away 119 pieces of clothing that are now too big for her. That is so fantastic! She felt really great for her weight loss of course, but she also felt fantastic that because she has been losing weight some other people are benefiting also! She is a great weight loss inspiration--I love that she was willing to give away clothes and that she is willing to help inspire others to succeed and give as well. (Thanks, Stacy--you rock!)
I know it is tempting to hang on to your "big" clothes. We've all been through the ups and downs of yo-yo dieting. When you are dieting you really want to hang onto clothes because you have proven to yourself that you will gain weight back.
That is why it is important to NOT diet. Your weight loss success will be long-term if you refuse to diet, as opposed to the short-lived successes we achieve with diets.
So keep one of your "big" outfits. Just one. Save it for days when you are feeling fat even after you have lost weight. You will be amazed at how good you will feel when you put on that pair of pants that used to be tight...and wow!...there are inches between the pant and you now...or they are falling around your knees!
Use them as a tool to help you remember your success...and take the classic "after" photo of the new you in those old pants--holding out the waistband!
As for the rest of the clothes...divide them into 2 piles.
- Anything in good condition
- Everything else
The second pile--THROW AWAY!
OK, I'm not big into tossing things into the landfill if you can use it. But it is important you don't hang on to these things as clothes...so if you absolutely can't bear to just throw them away then cut (or rip) them up.
In the old days there would have been a "Rag Man" who would collect cotton and linen scraps. I don't think these guys exist any longer, but you can keep some pieces for rags instead of buying cleaning cloths or in place of paper towels.
Or if you are crafty, or a sewer, you might make some quilts or other projects out of them. Use them in a way to celebrate your weight loss success, so every time you look at that piece you bring joy and a sense of victory and accomplishment to mind. Or see if there is a quilting club in your town...you never know, they may be creating quilts for a cause and would be thrilled to receive your squares...
But don't hold onto them "just in case"...that part of your life is behind you. Look ahead to your new, healthy, energetic life.
Congratulations! You deserve it!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Before and After Photos
People have been asking for me to put up "Before" and "After" photos.
Truth is, I don't have a lot of photos. Maybe you can relate. I never really wanted to face what I looked like. I guess I thought if I never saw photos of myself maybe I really wasn't that big after all. Hmmm. That would be WRONG!
I'm not going to claim that never looking at photos of myself allowed me to get so big, but gosh, I don't think it helped. The truth was it was extremely painful to look at the pictures because I felt so out of control. I honestly felt like there was nothing I could do to lose weight--after all I had tried "everything"! So I chose to ignore it and hoped it would go away.
A lot of the "before" photos focus in on my face only, so I had to look for one that showed my entire body. And believe it or, this one looks GOOD! I actually was very proud of myself as I had lost 25 pounds when this first photo was taken! I was wearing size 3X clothes at the time.
This "after" picture I took just a couple days ago--when I reached the 100 pounds down milestone! Currently a size 16!
I still have some more fat to lose, but I am so happy with my progress and results! The best part is that it has all been so easy. I really don't have to think about it!
Truth is, I don't have a lot of photos. Maybe you can relate. I never really wanted to face what I looked like. I guess I thought if I never saw photos of myself maybe I really wasn't that big after all. Hmmm. That would be WRONG!
I'm not going to claim that never looking at photos of myself allowed me to get so big, but gosh, I don't think it helped. The truth was it was extremely painful to look at the pictures because I felt so out of control. I honestly felt like there was nothing I could do to lose weight--after all I had tried "everything"! So I chose to ignore it and hoped it would go away.
A lot of the "before" photos focus in on my face only, so I had to look for one that showed my entire body. And believe it or, this one looks GOOD! I actually was very proud of myself as I had lost 25 pounds when this first photo was taken! I was wearing size 3X clothes at the time.
This "after" picture I took just a couple days ago--when I reached the 100 pounds down milestone! Currently a size 16!
I still have some more fat to lose, but I am so happy with my progress and results! The best part is that it has all been so easy. I really don't have to think about it!
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