I was deeply moved last night when Jodie Rodenbaugh got vulnerable for the first time publicly sharing how past abuse impacted her body–even before her husband was killed. (If you want to hear this healing story, sign up in the next 24 hours and I’ll send you the recording: http://loveyourwayslim.com/beautiful-inside-and-out/) Our powerful conversation gave me some clarity on my own body issues. Last year, I shared my healing story around the abuse from my father to help others find peace when emotions were so high after the the shootings in Sandyhook. I’m sharing that blog again here. What Jodie opened my eyes to was there was a lot more for me to process–abuse and sexual confusion that came from outside the home. It is common for women who suffered abuse to also struggle with their weight. If the very men who are supposed to love and protect you violate that trust, you are left to protect yourself any way you can. Often a wall of fat is created to keep men away. But that wall also keeps the pain trapped inside. On Saturday, I’ll be writing more about my experiences and the “aha” I had talking with Jodie. In the meantime, it is my intention that sharing this part of my story will be a gift to help on your own road to healing. Have you ever shut your heart to someone? I know I have. Withholding love is a very common reaction when people are not living up to your expectations, or you truly believe what they are doing is wrong. With what happened in Connecticut last week, you may believe that there are things that people have done that are plain unforgivable. It can be easy […]
Isn’t Life Delicious?
While I’m getting ready to head to Charleston, South Carolina, to lead the Love Your Way Slim Beachside Retreat next week, I thought I would share one of my favorite blogs. DELICIOUS adj \di-ˈli-shəs\ 1: affording great pleasure: delightful 2: appealing to one of the bodily senses especially of taste or smell Merriam-Webster Why do you eat? For very few people is it just to give their bodies the vital nutrients they need to sustain life. For women who struggle with their weight, eating is often their primary source of pleasure, comfort, satisfaction, and even experience of love. This is why diets cause such feelings of deprivation. Who wants to live a life void of pleasurable feelings? Certainly not me! And you don’t have to. All that’s happened is that over time—and for a variety of valid reasons—you have shut yourself off from sources of satisfaction, comfort, and love because they have also been sources of pain, dissatisfaction, and loneliness. The lover who broke your heart, the friend who betrayed you, the parent or boss who tried to control you sent you to the one obvious and consistent source of comfort—food. It was a totally normal reaction. Food is delicious. It’s pleasurable, satisfying, and comforting. And it’s easy. But it’s also betrayed you. It’s caused you to gain weight. It’s negatively impacted your health. Its momentary comfort is completely outweighed by the overwhelming feelings of guilt and self-loathing that it now causes. It’s no longer giving you what you were seeking in the first place—those pleasurable feelings. It’s time to begin looking for these feelings in the only place they will be given consistently. From the only place you can truly count on […]
You Are So Beautiful!
While I’m getting ready to head to Charleston, South Carolina, to lead the Love Your Way Slim Beachside Retreat next week, I thought I would share one of my favorite blogs. What is beautiful to you? Does it involve a certain body weight or shape? A certain wellness level? When you look in the mirror do you see your definition of beauty smiling back? I often hear people focused on wanting to change how others see women and judge beauty. There is much frustration that women on television and in ads are significantly thinner than average. People point to pundits’ criticisms of specific bodies. There are many photos of past sex symbols who were less than lean tied to complaints about the changing definition of beauty. But how likely is it that you are going to change society, or the modeling, television, or advertising industries? Wouldn’t it be easier to focus on your own judgments and definition of beauty? Until you are so pure in your appreciation of every woman’s body and beauty that a critical thought is never entertained, until your actions align 100 percent with your personal definition of wellness, and you can look in the mirror with not only appreciation but adoration, you have no power to change anyone else. You may want others to deem you—or more women—as beautiful, but before that can happen, you must judge yourself as beautiful first. And you must allow everyone else to have their own definition of beauty. This is the sticking point for most women. You have to stop looking outside of you for self-esteem, appreciation, and acceptance. Those are things you have to give to yourself. It is only when you […]
Want A Money-Back Guarantee on Life?
While attending a workshop in Sedona, Arizona, over the next few days, I am sharing a few of my favorite blogs that you may have missed. What if wellness and well-being had a money-back guarantee? What if it was absolutely and completely yours if you would be present and willing to accept receipt? That you could check in any time you wanted and determine where your wellness and well-being was along its journey of coming to you? That it wasn’t a matter of if, only a matter of when you would have it? Would that give you more confidence and help you relax about its coming? Would it inspire you to take the few small actions that will help you prepare for it? Would you more easily be able to stay focused on the life you are creating, and feel more excited or eager about its coming? What if accepting that guarantee as true is the only thing keeping optimal wellness and well-being from you? So consider this your shipping notice from the All-That-Is Transphysical Universal Delivery System (ATITUDS). The life of your dreams is on its way to you—guaranteed. The first step in scheduling your delivery is just relaxing and enjoying the knowledge that it’s coming. To prepare for delivery, you’ll want to clear the way, which might look like reaching for healthier foods, moving your body, or taking whatever action you feel is necessary on your part to become Who you want to be. You’ll want to disregard any notices of delay as spam—these may be internal fears or limiting beliefs, or the disbelief of others. Instead, you’ll receive non-stop guidance of where your delivery is through your emotions. Positive, anabolic emotions are […]
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