There seems to be one universal truth when it comes to dieting. No one really enjoys the process though we all eagerly await and anticipate the results. The problem is that far too many men and women worldwide focus so much on dieting and perfecting their external beauty that they forget the beautiful people they are inside along the way. Our culture is becoming obsessive about the perfect body and the perfect body image.
If there was one message that should make it out to everyone dieting, it is this: dieting should be more about health than beauty. You should not need to conform to preconceived notions of what is or should be beautiful. If we create a world where everyone looks alike, it would be rather boring in the end.
You need to focus on being happy with who you are to achieve the greatest dieting success you have ever dreamed of. Many of us eat out of emotional need or a simple need for comfort when we are depressed, hurting, uncertain, or simply in unfamiliar territory. There is no solution that will work for everyone when it comes to making peace with who you are; this by no means indicates that you should no longer seek to be the healthiest you are. It simply means that your focus should be more on coming to terms with who you are as a person than on creating a new person or image behind which you can hide.
For most, dieting is an opportunity for many men and women to become someone else. Whether that someone is the person you used to be or some person you think you want to be, you are quite unlikely to find happiness at any weight until you accept yourself for the person you are inside. This is often a difficult process but one that is well worth the effort. Once you’ve accepted the person inside, you can address the specific needs that often lead to excess weight, to begin with. Depression is a common factor in weight gain and an inability to lose weight. By finding contentment, depression will no longer be a controlling factor in your life. For many, this is the freedom they need from their weight problems, while others will find there are still hurdles remaining.
The important thing is that you stop allowing the person you are to be defined by what the scales say about you. Once you’ve reached a point in your life where you are happy with your appearance and feel that your personal fitness level is in hand, you should discuss things with your doctor and see what he or she has to say. We do not need a nation of size 5 women. We need a nation of women who are self-aware and self-confident and not afraid to be who they are on the inside, regardless of how they look on the outside.
Finding the beauty within is often the most important aspect of dieting that there can be. Take the time while dieting to get to know the person you are and introduce that person to the person you want to be. In time the two will work out a healthy compromise, and you will find that image isn’t really everything, no matter what the glossy magazines try to tell you.
