When you look in the mirror - who do you see?

15^th November 2013

"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure."Colin Powell

Okay well I did Filling & Healthy for about 11 days and I ate really well and felt good too, lots of energy, I put it down to the fact I’d had a week off work so I must be re-energised.  Then last Saturday I decided to go back to ProPoints for a bit, and that was fine too because I still had some filling and healthy foods thrown in there.  Then I bought a few ready meals and a big slab of cheese and a loaf of seeded bread and spent the next day or two eating for quickness, then day ten hit and I threw in some junk too!  Surprise, surprise I suddenly have a migraine brewing, coincidence – maybe but I think too much of anything isn’t good for you and I’d had way too much very strong cheese and bread and processed stuff after eating really healthily for two weeks so the massive transition and upset my body! 

Having realised this, yesterday I went back to Filling and Healthy because if not I’m in danger of over eating on the wrong foods again because this week I’m hungry!  So breakfast was a 3 egg omelette with spinach and mushrooms, lunch was a chicken casserole with sliced potatoes on the top and tea was more chicken casserole with brown rice and I was satisfied and didn’t turn into a lobster in the kitchen an hour after my tea!

“I’ve lost weight and still don’t like what I see in the mirror!”

That sentence is one I hear often, it’s one I used to say myself but I haven’t for quite a few years, don’t get me wrong I may have the occasional wobble in a changing room, usually when I need an outfit for a specific event that I don’t actually want to attend but on the whole, these days I love me and like what I see. 

The Body Shop once famously ran an advertising campaign which said that there were only 8 people in the world that actually looked like supermodels, and funnily enough they are supermodels, the average size for women in this country was at that time a 14, I’m not sure what it is now, think it’s 14/16.  Despite looking around and seeing all the other women (and men) surrounding us and realising we’re all different and not many are as beautiful as those images the media bombards us with, so many still strive to look younger and more attractive.  Yes the TV and the media have a lot to answer for, they’ve bombarded us for so long with images of good looking, perfectly honed, young people, that, now, we all feel a pressure to fit in to look the same.

Most people are unhappy with bits of their bodies, and are guilty of constantly judge other people on theirs too.  It’s natural to care how we look and most of us (even those 7 supermodels I’m guessing!) have bits we'd like to change.  I wonder if anyone checks their reflection in the mirror and thinks “Yes. I am perfection”, lots of people have a very negative body image and it’s not just about vanity, it's about insecurity and low self-esteem and those damn pictures of perfect celebs in every magazine don't make things any better.  

These days when I look in the mirror - I smile, love, accept and like my refection and that’s come from self acceptance, making the best of what I was blessed with.  How did I get to that place, mmm I’m not 100% sure, it took time, I’ve read a lot, I’ve realised we all age and with aging goes that youthful beauty and comes a different kind of beauty.  When I look in the mirror now as well as seeing my reflection, I see a woman who is funny, kind and who does her best to make others feel good about themselves and appreciate their own gorgeousness.  I see the reality of the female form, and it isn’t the image portrayed by the media, real women have cellulite, spare tyres, stretch marks, scars and come in all shapes and sizes, no two women are exactly the same – real women are BeYOUtiful and all those gorgeous ladies in my meetings are Real Women getting Real Weight Losses, hopefully they’re doing it for the right reasons, to feel healthier, to live longer, to be more comfortable not to try and conform to someone else’s idea of ‘perfect’!  Remember people who are in love with life and living are naturally more attractive.

You are BeYOUtiful and brilliant because of WHO you are not just how you look!

Have a nice day ;) go look in the mirror, focus on your overall beauty, don’t try too pick at those imperfections that don’t exist  and say, “I love you” xx PLEASE!