Spiritual Decisions Blog

What has weight got to do with it?

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Wednesday, 16 August 2017

Food is one of pleasures in life and something to enjoy. From the time we are born we seek nourishment and comfort from being fed.

Little children don’t worry about food, they eat what they desire or what their mothers give them and hopefully there is enough food for them to grow healthy and strong.

It is something to share with friends and family, is connected to celebration and good times with each other.

It creates a happy atmosphere, is an important part of who we are especially in terms of our physical survival.

Some enjoy the creative side of food by preparing it for others and get pleasure from watching them eat what they have produced.

Society has put a big emphasise on size and weight and what we should be or look like. For people, especially woman we can feel under pressure to come up to the standard of what is expected of us and what we should look like. As a youngster I really enjoyed my food and could never understand girls that worried about their weight or went on diets. Despite any upsets in my childhood I was generally full of life, enjoyed being active and had no time for all of that.

Coming from a big family I had to make sure I got my fair share of food that was on offer.

Unfortunately an Aunt came to stay with us and in my teenage years. She would take me daily to stand in front of a mirror to look at my thighs she thought were fat and I started to become self-conscious. She had OCD problems and was putting her issues onto me. Teenagers become very physically aware of themselves and with the cocktail of abuse when I was younger, scared of growing up and low self-esteem it was a recipe for disaster. I speak about this in my book Breaking Free.

It led me into a trap, a dark horrible place that took me a while to come out of. I created my own prison. After getting sick of myself and wanting to get better I found my own way out but was scarred by being there and was never as free and easy about food as I was as a youngster.

Over the years I sought guidance from counsellors, life coaches and a nutritionist which improved my relationship with food as I started to focus on my health not my weight. I still don’t like people commenting on my weight as I see this as personal and these comments unnecessary. If I am told I have put on weight I can start to worry I am too fat or if I have lost weight I am too thin. Our weight goes up and down and I want feel free to indulge when on go on holidays and don’t need people commenting on any weight gain on my return, or that I look drawn after recovering from the flue. Who does?

I keep coming back to that I appreciate being healthy, being alive and I am so fortunate to have choices of food and aren’t I blessed? Some people don’t have enough food to be healthy or stay alive in our world so aren’t we lucky?

Your weight and your diet is personal to you. Take your power back, it is in your control. It is like money to me. It is a form of energy.

Some people don’t care about money and don’t look after it. There is consequences of course, but maybe they just enjoy their life anyway, feeling it will take care of itself.

At times it might, but it doesn’t always. Or others maybe others are so concerned about money they cannot let go, they hold onto it, never enjoy their money or their life. They live a life of misery.

Or they make money their God and make no room for anyone or anything else in their life.

It is about balance. So it is with food. Who wants to spend their time counting calories? On the other hand it is unhealthy to overdo indulge and you can hurt your body by doing this.

By being appreciative that you do have enough to eat as not everyone is, making it one of your simple pleasures, enjoying your food, loving your body and enriching it with healthy foods is the best way to be. Like spending money sometimes it is good to splash out one something just because you just feel like. It is the same with food, sometimes it is good just to let go and enjoy something indulgent from time to time. Why not?

My advice to you if you are concerned about your weight, get advice from a good nutritionist so you see food as your friend not your enemy. Focus on nourishing your body which has been given to you as a gift. It is the temple of your soul. In regards to emotional issues seek help from a therapist or life coach that can guide you to loving yourself as a whole and knowing you are enough.

Happiness and confidence is about feeling great on the inside and out. Support is always there. You don’t need to be perfect, you are beautiful just the way you are. Accept we are all different, shapes and sizes. Belief in yourself will take you places. ACCEPT YOURSELF and you will soar!

Enjoy your food, your body and your life.

Blessings

Kerry-Marie