What Mindset--Being Happy With Yourself

Creating a "mindset" for losing weight takes many years of trial and error. What it all boils down to in the long run is learning to love yourself, just exactly where you're at. About 25 years ago I was listening to some self-esteem tapes (I'd been in a relationship where I'd found my self-esteem slowly being eaten away, and I began to wonder what had caused it. I don't normally let the opinions of others effect the way I feel about me.) I would listen to those tapes while I walked on the treadmill (I've been walking treadmills for daily exercise for nearly 25 years. You should see my muscles! My niece, a body builder, envies me my calf muscles.) One of the things on the tapes struck a chord. It told me to find a picture of myself as a child, and then talk to that person. I found a picture of my Mother and me sitting on a fountain at Belle Isle near Detroit when I was about 3. My mother has always been beautiful. As I looked at that picture of us, I realized I looked exactly like my mother! I'd never felt that way before. Instead I remembered when I was small, about five or so, hearing my mother telling a friend, "when J--- was born I cried, she looked just like her Grandfather B." Well, my Grandad B was a very sweet man, but he had red hair, a bulbous nose and he was very heavy. That's the mindset I got about myself at an early age. When I looked in the mirror the only thing I saw was the similarities to my Grandfather.No red hair, no bulbous nose, but a round face, skin tone, and other things I can't put my finger on. It didn't matter that I had a knock out figure and the boys were crazy about the way I looked! That was my mindset for years. After I saw that picture of my mom and me, however, I changed the way I looked at myself. My favorite song is Kellie Pickler's "Don't you Know You're Beautiful" I knew at that moment my marriage wasn't long for this world! I knew my life would change dramatically. By that time I'd already managed through hard work to lose about 40 pounds. I struggled to lose another 25 or so. Then I found Nutrisystem and managed to lose 18 pounds rather quickly. Then I got stuck. Despite walking an hour a day on the treadmill, daily yoga, and use of the Bowflex, I was stuck. My motto is, It's Always Too Soon to Give Up. I'm a winner. Nothing will stop me from achieving my goals, be they weight loss or anything else. And yeah. I'm beautiful. Listen to Kellie's song. I love it!