But surprise, surprise, I can now look at it with my girls' eyes and see a nice woman.  Yes, at 230lbs for 5'4", I am very overweight, but listening to the CDs for 2 or 3 weeks, I am starting to accept myself.  I am not disgusting, I just need to lose pounds.

I also found a picture myself 30 years ago at around 125lbs on a bike.  Both are in the 90 day journal, and both are positive motivations.

If only, I had known about listening to my body's signals instead of dieting, I would have stayed at a healthy weight all these years. 

I started telling my youngest girl (15) to never diet. EVER.  To stop eating when full and that it is OK to leave food.  Just 3 weeks ago, I would not like seeing my kids "wasting" food. Now, I can leave food without guilt.

What a change.

Denise  

Amanda 

Cindy

I know you posted this back in June, but it is so amazing I am glad you posted this. I am trying hard not to have my parents old habits come out of my mouth. Like you can't have dessert unless you have eaten all your food.

I know my oldest is only 4 yrs old but it's better to start trying now. She always seems to preoccupied while eating, like talking too much or getting up to do something. I used to let them watch tv, but rules have change a bit for us all.

No more tv, and I told her that she needs to ask before leaving the table and it should only be to use the bathroom. Also if she is talking too much, I tell her that she should be paying attention to how good her food tastes and put her fork down once she has taken a bite. Of coarse the no talking with food in you mouth that's is a given rule. She even seems to like to plan what she would like to eat next, and I am always reminding her to just concentrate on what your eating now and when it is time for snack we will talk of it then.

Since I have been making sure if she is hungry she has come up with some weird things if she really wants something like a cookie. Mommy my ear really is hungry and says it wants a cookie. I'm not trying to force her or anything but I am trying to teach her better rules and use better judgement, I don't want it to back fire. She isn't over weight and is very active so now that I am being more active as well I think just by her noting what I do I don't think I have much to worry about.

I know this is rather long, I just had to get it out. I am so happy that you have found your groove again, and I hope that you have found that same motivation. I know from you exercise posts your spirits seem to have lifted again.

Be well & God Bless

Jamie

I couldn't agree more! I've been through all the self-acceptance and love yourself programs and books but in the end I want to weigh less. I don't care who thinks what of me, whether it's someone else or my self or if they find me hideously ugly or  ravishingly beautiful, they can all take a hike , I want to be able to move easily and be reasonably fit. 

I'm at an age where I'm starting to see more friends and relatives of my generation develop serious problems and I can see how one problem leads to another. Fixing something with medication and surgery rarely works as well as we'd wish, and it's much harder to lose weight and exercise once serious problems set in. Of course being slim is no guarantee of constant good health; it's just that, given a choice, I'd like to confront whatever life brings, whether it's great good things or calamity, with as much physical prowess as I can muster.