Have you tried diet after diet and still can’t seem to whittle down to your desired size? If you just can’t get it right and your frustration with the problem is increasing, take steps to eliminate the problem instead. Learn to accept your body exactly as it is and celebrate the size you are, RIGHT NOW. Want to learn how? Read on …

1. Health is in! Think healthy, not emaciated. Be aware that “healthy” and “fit” is not the same thing. It is wise to strive to be both but who really determines what weight is appropriate? Are studies always scientifically administered? People with a few extra pounds are not necessarily unhealthy and thin people are not necessarily healthy. It’s often a judgment call- the individual’s.

 2. Send societal messages packing. We are constantly being bombarded by societal messages that tell us that to be happy or physically attractive we have to look a certain way. We are also told that to accomplish this all we need is a healthy dose of self-discipline. Not true. Genetics plays a role in how much we weigh, as does the type of lifestyle we lead. Accept it and refuse to be swayed by all the images that you are subjected to. Ask yourself- what kind of a society pressures people to be thin no matter what and values size over health?

 3. Throw out the bathroom scale. Do you measure your level of health or self worth based on the number that shows up when you step onto your scale? So many people allow their bathroom scales to determine their mood on any given day. Stop doing this because it becomes a vicious cycle that can easily lead to self-loathing. Put the scale away, or better yet, throw it out. You don’t need it anyway. Concern yourself with how your body feels and quit obsessing about the numbers.

4. Caution- health risks abound. Many health risks exist for individuals who make dieting a regular part of their lives. These risks include an increased incidence of binge eating behavior and eating disorders (especially in younger women) and the formation of gallstones. It has also been proven that women who engage in yo yo dieting in their teens through to their thirties have weaker bones and are more inclined to develop osteoporosis in their later years.