People often say to me, “You must feel so much better for having lost so much weight.” The expectation is that I will tell them that losing weight has made my life significantly happier.
Has it made me happier? The short answer is “no”. I have worked hard to sort through my distorted beliefs to find the love and joy I now experience. How I saw my life perpetuated the misery I lived in and my increase in weight. My weight loss came as a byproduct of a change in both self-perception and the way I saw life. So, I was happy before the weight loss.
I lost weight so that I would be alive to enjoy this happiness longer. Because I was happy, life was worth living and it had purpose. It was not about living until my 90s, but about making the life I have longer than it would have been.
Although the lack of sideways glances my way and being treated with more respect are a relief, weight loss is not the source of my happiness. The most significant improvement to my wellbeing has come from my change in focus to love and hope. I experience great joy from my weight loss because I choose to see it that way. The surgeries to remove excess skin and flesh were a gift to me, not my right. I am extremely grateful to have experienced this and the dramatic difference it made almost overnight. To my mind, I am not a victim to my weight – it has been a part of my journey.
Let’s get real. Life is tough for all of us in varying ways. People suffer through all sorts of problems. Some see beauty in their life, despite their losses. Others resent their experiences, believing they have a right to be rescued.
There is no one coming to rescue us. In short, if you want a good life, you must choose to have one. I lived the first 35 years of my life in mud, expecting someone to rescue me. It was not until I chose to have a good life that my health improved. Reduced stress and better lifestyle choices were the result of this decision. And this has meant massive weight loss for me.
These things do not come easy, but they are worth the effort. Message me if you want to chat.
In love, Jenny
