You can’t hate yourself thin. Trust me I’ve tried. I used to think thin solved everything. Sometimes I still do. Then I remember it’s not the answer. There are many thin people who are unhappy and have all kinds of problems. Thin can’t protect me from disappointment, heartache, sadness, loss, misfortune, bad timing, poverty, illness, etc…

Thin isn’t the answer – it doesn’t solve all your problems.

I’ve spent so many years hating my body for not looking what I wanted it to look like or what society told me it should look like.

Hating myself and my body only made me feel angry, embarrassed, frustrated and isolated.

Angry because I didn’t have the body I wanted, I had the body that I had. I didn’t appreciate it for all of the great things it was doing for me because it didn’t fit anyone’s definition of what it “should” look like.

Embarrassed because I didn’t feel that I looked good enough. I wasn’t thin enough. I was embarrassed about the way I looked and wanted to hide.

Frustrated because I couldn’t eat what everyone else was eating.

Isolated because I didn’t feel good about myself so I didn’t go places, I missed out on fun opportunities because I was feeling sorry for myself.

All of the above feelings were caused by stories I was telling myself. None of them were based on facts. None of them were true and not one of them helped me live the life I wanted to live – they kept me stuck and feeling small.

Do you want to change your life? Love is a good place to start.

Love looks like taking exceptional care of myself. Getting plenty of sleep, drinking lots of water, eating food that feels like fuel to my body, laughing with friends, making memories, not missing out on my life.

Love is living life. Showing up. Being fully present – not side tracked by what I look like in my clothes, or what other people think about me – but immersed in the moment. Loving the moment and truly enjoying the moment. And I can’t do that hating myself. When I hate myself I’m missing out.

We miss experiences because we think, when I lose 20 pounds, I’ll put my bathing suit on, or when I lose the last 10 I’ll go dancing, or when I’m back to my pre-baby weight I’ll go on the girls weekend trip. Stop It! Go now! Nothing is holding you back except you.

So love yourself. Love your body. Exactly the way it is right now. Be grateful for what your body does for you every day. Practice this and see what happens.

The 4^th of July is the birthday of the United States. A country that I love! While celebrating last month with fireworks, barbeques and fun – the concept of independence made me think about how I define freedom and independence for myself.

I started thinking about all the years I was held hostage by my own thoughts.   I had kept myself caged in a hell that I wouldn’t wish on anyone. I spent years telling myself that I wasn’t good enough. I wasn’t thin enough. I wasn’t pretty enough. I wasn’t smart enough. I wasn’t enough…fill-in the blank and I’m sure I said it to myself.

That is not the independence I craved or the freedom I deserved. It took me a VERY long time to figure out how to stop the negative thoughts that I allowed to creep in and run my life.   It wasn’t an immediate and total stoppage of negativity. It was a process. A battle for my freedom, if you will.

My thoughts are what kept me stuck, unhappy and overweight. I did not understand that I was creating my own misery by what I was thinking.

Thoughts are so important because they create our feelings.   The feelings create actions or inaction and those actions turn into results. So our thoughts ultimately create our results.   That’s the best news!

Because we are in control of our lives.   We can make changes as easily as changing the conversation that’s going on in our heads.

The battle was two steps forward and one step back at times. There have been good days and days – I would struggle and fall back into my old way of thinking. I used to think it was a dance between good and bad thoughts.   But it’s more accurate to say it’s been a dance between thoughts that are helpful and thoughts that are not.

Over time the helpful thoughts began to outweigh the not helpful ones and I began to feel better. Feeling better is contagious! And it snowballed in a good way…

It has been hard fought battle, but I’m free!

It’s a difference kind of independence. It’s freedom from feeling bad about myself. It’s freedom to be who I am.   The independence to stop seeking other’s approval for my self-worth.

Today is my independence day!   I’m excited to share with you that I am now a Certified Life and Weight Coach. As a weight coach I help women struggling with their weight and body image. I believe that the only thing standing between you and the life that you crave – are the thoughts running through your head.

I can teach you how to change your thinking so you can love what you see in the mirror, stop hating your body and feel more confident. I have been where you are. I understand. Let me show you a better way. My style is fun, a little feisty, caring and warm.

Here’s my video declaring my freedom….

I see you! Let’s get started. Contact me to claim your freedom!